Highly Favoured?

I always try to read back through the gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus during advent. It's my antidote to the gradual drip influence of consumerism that encourages me to panic about the quality of gifts I get for others and how I can keep everyone happy at Christmas.

I've got as far as the angel visiting Mary. I often overlook his opening where he greats Mary and calls her highly favoured.

Highly Favoured. An interesting turn of phrase don't you think? According to human standards, being told that you are pregnant by the Holy Spirit, the relationship strain that would create with your fiance and public disgrace likely to be associated with the news when it got out is not what most people would equate with being favoured.

But this story is not worked out according to those standards that most people would consider. If anything, we see right at the very outset that this birth is going to change the way we see everything.

The unlikely will now be considered highly favoured.

The last will be first.

The weak are the strong, the poor are the rich.

I'm still trying to get to grips with this whole new covenant thing, that someone like me could even be considered part of God's people, let alone someone that God is pleased to have as part of the family.

So I guess that is something for me to keep pondering over the days of advent. I hope that you discover in a new way this Christmas the revolution that says even people like us can be considered highly favoured.