Annunciations - Echoes & Symphonies

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Luke 2:10

He who has ears, let him hear. Can you hear this faithful echo? An echo that rings through the ages like hopeful bells in the wind. Hear the silver brass of mirthful trumpets as they herald the approaching King with merriment and glee. Be at awe of the humble harp as her strings give glory to Almighty God. Be moved by the pounding of drums as it throbs according to the beat of their Marker’s heart. The choir of angels repeat pleasant choruses of a resounding joy, harmonizing with euphonious resolve. At last, the ancient shofar— the horn that waxes without hesitation, never waning in zeal, pierces and wails in sheer triumph and ecstasy across all lands at the arrival of the Great King of Glory. Behold, your God. Hear, O ears, the King who comes to save your soul is born in Bethlehem!

This is a mere visualization of the music that swam within this writer’s heart when he took in the good news for the first time and I believe that many others before and after me have and will share this melodious anecdote as the notes of this joyful Gospel shall have no end as it had no beginning.

But before the birth of our Lord Jesus, Mankind only heard a sweet yet soft sound that told of an upcoming salvation. The Message (The Promise) came in movements over time, never all at once. And the Great Conductor of this Masterpiece desired for Man to hear diligently and patiently to His Redemptive Symphony. From generation to generation a repetition, a reiteration, a retelling of the same Message, the same Story, the same Covenant, being told over and over and over again, was carefully passed down from father to son, from father to son. But impatience and pride were Mankind’s downfall. Some perhaps disagreed with a particular note in God’s Composition; others thought it was either too repetitive or too slow; others rejected the tune entirely and despised the Author of the Piece. With this impatience and hardened heart, the Symphony that God was composing not being appreciated. They had ears, they did hear, but they could not understand.

You see, the Lord God called upon men who were carried along by His Spirit to proclaim His Message of Hope. These men we call prophets. They spoke of the Promise that would undo the Ancient Curse brought into the world by Adam our Representative. (This is why we speak of it as good news—The Gospel—for it is the Message to Humanity that God indeed would save us from our sins!) This Message came in the form of visions and parables and declarations, passed down from God to His prophets and finally transmitted to His People. But these prophets, although divinely inspired, knew that they did not (nor could) carry out the same glorious weight that God Himself had. The messengers were not the Message Giver.

How then was the God of the Universe desiring to carry out this good news, this Redemptive Symphony, to a broken Humanity? The Message Giver became the Messenger. He calls upon not another prophet, not another angel, but His Own Son, the very imprint of His nature— He who upholds the universe by the power of His word—to declare to the captives of Israel the powerful Message of Peace and Freedom. No longer did Mankind need to depend on the words of Moses, though his words were precious and necessary, but Someone far greater and more faithful than Moses spoke with a greater authority to carry out His Father’s Message. His name is Jesus. He who is seated on His Throne had momentarily put aside His crown of glory and scepter of might to declare a Message of the Gospel for all those who have ears, Amen! For now was this Redemptive Symphony conducted not by any normal conductor, but by the very Divine Note Himself. The Great Composer and Conductor became the Golden Note on the sheet music; He became One with His Composition. For,

In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…

But how was this King of Glory to be introduced into the world? Did God call upon the mighty men of Judah? Did He call upon the kings of Israel or Rome? No. He called upon Mary, a humble woman. Imagine angel Gabriel being elected by his Creator to herald in the King of the Cosmos to His mother. Imagine his joy. Imagine how powerful his appearance was to the meek girl and the brilliance of his gusto as he announced this most important news. He soothes her nerves as she trembles at his presence. “You have found favor with God,” he says. He announces to her that the same Holy Spirit who stirred the waters to life at the dawn of Creation is the same Spirit who will overshadow her and nestle the Savior within her womb. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;” Mary says, taking on every syllable with humility and with the reverence it deserves. “Let it be to me according to your word.”

After nine months, on a cozy and breezy Bethlemehmic autumn night, a handful of shepherds take care of their most valuable possessions, their clumsy sheep. Some sheep are resting; others wandering the hills and eating their evening snack; others nurturing their young. And behold what seemed to be a flash of lightening shone across the vast sky. The shepherds and sheep alike jump in terror as they experience the sheer glory of something Otherly, for behold the Glory of the Lord is at hand. To not bring more fear, God sends an angel to announce this most important news. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This, they understood! For their fathers, also meek shepherds, had told them of this Promise of old. They remember hearing the Law of Moses as young boys and they could recall the stories of King David, once a shepherd boy also. They could hear the soft pulses of the prophets calling on Israel and Judah to repent of their sins. And now, they hear the Heavenly Host with their brass instruments and their drums and their harps shout, sing, and praise,

“Glory to God in the highest,

    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Indeed, this was what their fathers had spoken of. This was what David sang about! This was the Messiah who would rescue them from oppression and bring this Redemptive Symphony into a most glorious crescendo! So, what better way to rejoice in glad tidings than to participate and bring their flock to the Baby Boy wrapped in swaddling clothes, this Baby Boy who laid in a manger!

At last, they arrive and spot a man, a woman, an ox, a mule, and a most precious Baby Boy cozied up among hay. Mary and Joseph are perplexed to see such a handful of strangers with their clumsy sheep but they with happiness and joyful tears in their eyes describe the spectacle they experienced. In a way, these shepherds also become heralders of the good news. Mary says nothing, but rather, she treasures all these things in her heart.

Many years later, a man—a physician—comes to inquire of all these things that these so-called People of the Way have experienced. He has heard the testimony of many witnesses about many teachings and miracles done by this Jesus of Nazareth. He, too, believes, but his friend, most excellent Theophilus, has some doubts. He approaches Mary’s home and asks her to retell all that was treasured up in her heart. She opens up to Luke about these blessed annunciations in great detail and Luke with parchment and calamus at hand writes fervently yet gracefully all that he hears. Why, then, should Luke be alone in this endeavor? Should we not also have the zeal of angels and shepherds? Should we not have the curiosity of a physician and his most noble friend? Should we not cherish these precious words that detail the birth of our Lord as his mother did? Are we now not the heralders of this Most Precious Proclamation? Are we not also to Preach this good news to every nation? For this Redemptive Symphony has a musical coda, this Redemptive Story has an epilogue, and we are partakers in it. May this faithful echo continue to ring in our hearts not only during Advent, but for our whole lives hereafter. And may our lips be graced with the Proclamation this most beautiful Gospel until the glorious return of our Most Precious Lord and Sovereign Savior Jesus Christ.

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