She must have been a special kind of teenager. 
You or I would have never guessed it. 
         Thoughtful, sensitive, pretty ------yes 
         But to be specially chosen, never! 

She was doing some things for her mother in the kitchen that day. 
Ordinary things like any other day, 
          kneading, baking, peeling, boiling 
         whatever had to be done. 

It was easy for him to come in quietly. 
She was startled to see a stranger right there in the kitchen. 
She had just sat down a second to say a prayer while the evening bread was baking. 
         and there he was! 

As I said, it wasn’t hard for him to come in, 
the door was wide open and the windows too! 
Baking is hot, hard work and the breeze felt refreshing. 
         Who was he anyway? 

He had a kind face, sort of strong and masculine. 
He certainly seemed nice enough but things just weren’t done that way. 
         You knock before coming into someone’s home! 
  
At first, he didn’t say anything. 
He just looked, a gaze that admired with being embarrassing. 
When he spoke, his voice matched his stately form. 
         It was captivating! Strange! 

The things he began to say were completely unusual but not insolent or rude. 
They just seemed natural to her, the words, that is, 
“Hello, Mary” 
         He knew her name! 

In fact, he seemed to know quite alot about her. 
“Blessed are you among all women.  The Lord is with you.” 
She had to wondered how he knew that. 
He wasn’t even from the same town. 
The people of Nazareth, of course, knew she was very dedicated. 
         But him? How could he possible know? 

Her eyes held all the questions. 
“Don’t be frightened, God has chosen you to give birth to Jesus.” 
Now that was strange, it was a little early to think about giving birth. 
         She and Joseph were not even married yet! 
         And who was Jesus anyway? 

“Don’t worry, You know God has worked throughout the Scriptures. 
He will take care of it with his Spirit 
and the Boy will be called “Son of God.” ” 
         Suddenly it all came together for Mary!! 
         This was nothing ordinary at all! 
         God was actively at work again and she was a very important part of it. 

At first , all she could do was sit down 
on the crude chair at the wooden table that Joseph had made for her family. 
It seemed like an eternity before it all soaked in. 
Her eyes studied the grain of wood in the table, 
but she wasn’t really looking at it. 
         She was thinking, or maybe more accurately, she was deciding. 

We can hardly imagine her thoughts that must have gone though her mind. 
Finally, she was ready to answer. 
She slipped slowly from the chair to her knees. 
Somehow that position became quite natural, considering the moment, 
         and she said “Yes.” 

The messenger said no more 
He smiled profoundly, put his hands on her head, and left her alone. 
She stayed there for a long time, 
         thinking down through the generations 
         at what this would mean to mankind. 

She could not know all that her simple yes meant, 
if she had perhaps she would not have had the courage to say it. 
But like us, she would have to live one moment at a time 
         and God would provide. 

She could not have known that she would be in labor 
until the end of the world 
until the day when Jesus is completely born in each of our lives. 
         But she had said yes. 

Just as each of us had to do --- yes, 
to whatever God has planned for our journey. 
Even though we may not understand, 
even though we might later argue that we didn’t know it this. 

Whoever would have thought, this girl would have been chosen. 
She was so ordinary, so like you and I. 
But she had said yes 
         and we....??? 

I guess she could have knelt there forever. 
It take a long time for a profound moment to sink in. 
This moment would run though the rest of her life like a thread through fabric. 
         But right now she had to get going!! 
         The bread had burned and she would have to start again.