Tuesday, November 29, 2011

For Advent: What Gabriel could have said


You have found favour,
Mary, you have indeed;
come, you will bear a child
and Joseph is not the father.

You have found favour,
Mary, come; your neighbors
will question your purity
with rumor and gossip
and speculation, for as
long as you are in Nazareth.

You have found favour,
Mary, come; people will look
at your son and question
his parentage, always.

You have found favour,
Mary, come. Your faithfulness
will be questioned
and your husband pitied
and his judgment doubted
because he did not
put you away.

You have found favour,
Mary, come. The only thing
you have, your reputation,
will be taken from you
long before it is returned.

You have found favour,
Mary, come. Faith is
the cross.

I understand.
I come.
I am the Lord’s servant.
May it be to me
As you have said.


This poem is submitted to the One Word Blog Carnival hosted by Peter Pollock, where the prompt today is "come."

This poem is also submitted to Open Link Night at dVerse Poets. To see more poems, please visit dVerse Poets. The links will be live at 2 p.m. Central time today.

Painting: The Annunciation, oil on canvas by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1898). Phildelphia Museum of Art.

19 comments:

  1. Fine contrast between the repeating line "You have found favour, Mary" and the harshness of the assumptions that might have befallen the Virgin. The poem also speaks to Mary's courage to trust in the Lord and follow His Word.

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  2. Whenever I think of Mary's story, I know exactly why Gabriel never would have appeared to me.

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  3. A beautiful verse with the true beauty of Mary coming through - her acceptance and her strength....lovely..bkm

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  4. Her true essence shines through, wonderful verse given by you.

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  5. The truth in favor. Not something we always consider.

    Beautifully done.

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  6. lovely capture of a precious event

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  7. when you think of the ramafication of this...the way society would have looked at a fatherless child and what was asked of her faith it was great...that is what always impresses me with this story...

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  8. All the power of fate and myth in this, finely framed and well written, Glynn.

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  9. Mary must have said all these things to herself even while the Angel was telling her that she was highly favored. Yet, all the negative did not matter - the reproach, the gossip the lies of friends and neighbors. SO be it unto me even as you have said was her gentle reply. May we ever be as quick to accept God's will in our lives.

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  10. I always think of how selfless Mary had to be. It really is amazing. I hate to be misunderstood. I can only imagine what she went through. Thanks for transporting us to that holy moment and pointing us toward contemplation.

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  11. "I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said."
    Mary's "fiat": that earth-shattering game-changer..

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  12. This so deftly names all the paradoxes of calling, that road to glory littered with so much pain, so many crosses. Spiritual growth, I think, is all about this, always about the pain of surrender and the doors that open after each one. Great job, Gynn. - Brendan

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  13. truly a nice intro into the Christmas season

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  14. Over the years I have often just shaken my head when reading what Mary had been chosen to walk through... in their culture, in their time. The only way she could make it was to KNOW it was buried in her heart, no matter what anyone else said, slandered, or did against her and her Child. And WE think things are tough; maybe we could compare it something else, i.e. this, doncha think?

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  15. Beautiful write, Glynn. I want to congratulate you again on your book. So happy for you!

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  16. An inspiring and contemplative piece. I agree with Brandon about the larger metaphor in our lives. Derision is so destructive, it takes grace and courage to believe. Thank you.

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  17. An excellent tribute to Mary's faithfulness as the Lord's servant whatever the neighbors might say.

    In this opportune Season, I pray our Lord will find us faithful to say, "Come" to someone outside the box.

    “…This is the peace of which the shepherds heard.
    “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.”
    …This peace offer still stands today. In the final invitation of the New Testament, it is offered to all:
    I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

    And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

    … Everyone who hears this should say, “Come!”
    If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It’s free!

    … Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”

    The conclusion from Oh Holy Night: The Peace of 1914

    http://sdcougar.startlogic.com/blog/?p=155

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  18. a very strong piece. it his hard to imagine the strength and courage this task must have taken.

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