There are some Sundays when the Gospel lesson is a piece of narrative, a telling of a story, from which it seems almost impossible to glean a sermon. This Sunday is not one of those cases. While it is, most certainly, a bit of narrative, there is much to be pulled. Today, I'm struck by the most obvious, the words of the Angel Gabriel that make my job so very difficult, "Nothing is impossible with God."
As one who wears a collar, holds a divinity degree, and took a couple of pastoral care courses, I'm often expected to have answers to things (or at least I think I should have answers). Often the questions that weigh heavy (especially this time of year) have to do with that powerful promise that "nothing is impossible with God."
Some things seem impossible sometimes:
- my marriage is falling apart
- my mother/father still doesn't love/respect me
- my company is laying off 100 people
- my son was diagnosed with...
Those words of comfort to Mary have become words of torment and mockery to countless others. And yet, they remain true. God came to earth and was fully man so that he could be in the midst of your struggle. He knows emotional, spiritual, physical, psychological pain; he knows the pain you are going through and promises that it will be redeemed one day. Honestly, even though it doesn't seem like it in the short-term, nothing is impossible with God. In the midst of struggle this probably doesn't help, but over the course of time, with prayer and thanksgiving, it no doubt has to. I mean, if nothing else, it is a self fulfilling prophecy - nothing is impossible with God.
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