Writings: Overshadowed

By: Dr. Gregory S. Neal

The countdown to Christmas is a long one ... especially for a child. I can remember thinking that it took nearly forever to get through the month of December! The days crawled by so slowly from Thanksgiving until school let out that it felt like Christmas would never get here. Those weeks inched by with frustrating sluggishness, like syrup oozing out of the bottle so slowly that you’re just sure your waffles will get cold before they’re covered. Remember those Heinz Ketchup Commercials? “Anticipation! Anticipation! It’s making you wait!” Followed by that side-remark: “It’s so good!” That’s what waiting for Christmas was like as a kid. Amazingly, infuriatingly, frustratingly slow.

When I was in High School, I used to say that Albert Einstein must have missed something in his Relativity Equations! The passage of time slows down not only as a body approaches the speed of light, but also as a kid’s body approaches Christmas! But, my friends, we’re finally here. Today is the last Sunday of Advent, the Sunday just before Christmas! Yippie!

As an adult: it feels like I’ve only just now finished digesting my Thanksgiving Dinner, and I’ve still got presents to shop for and wrap! Today, I find myself asking: can we have another Sunday in Advent? How about another week until Christmas, please? No? Okay.

Today, in our Gospel reading, we have what is usually called the “Annunciation.” This is the announcement, made by the archangel Gabriel, that Mary would conceive and bear a child: a very special child, the Christ Child, the Messiah, the Son of God. It’s a life changing announcement, indeed!

Let’s note several points here. Firstly:

“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:29- 33)

So ... yes, Mary did know! I love that song: “Mary, did you know,” but her simple answer to that question would have been: “Yes ... Gabriel told me,” right here in the first chapter of Luke. Before she ever conceived the baby Jesus in her womb, Mary was told who this baby would be. That song is more for us: do we know any of this? If we do ... why don’t we act like it? Because we don’t.

Secondly: Mary wanted to know, since she wasn't yet married and was still a virgin, how it would be possible for her to conceive a child. The angel’s answer is one that has long captivated my attention in these verses.

The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

That phrasing is riveting to me; after nearly thirty years of preaching this passage, I still can’t let it go. The words: “the power of the Most High will overshadow you” are what I’m talking about.

To overshadow.

The Greek word being translated here conveys an image of a deep, comforting, protecting shadow being cast over something from above. Think of having a heavy, weighted blanket, covering you completely. Think of a secure tent, sheltering you from the harsh elements outside. That’s the idea: you’re under or within it, protected, warm and safe. In translating the Old Testament into Greek, the Rabbis used this concept when referencing the cloud that descended on Mount Sinai when God was there; it’s also used in describing God’s blanketing presence over the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. In the New Testament, it is used when the cloud descends upon Mt. Tabor during the Transfiguration of Jesus, and the voice of God speaks to Peter from it saying: “This is my son, listen to him!”

The cloud that overshadows, in these stories, represents the mysterious presence of God: impenetrable, like a misty fog that’s so dense you can’t see your hand stretched out at arm’s length. That’s the idea that Gabriel is applying when he tells Mary:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

Gabriel is speaking of the protective, blanketing, comforting presence of the Holy Spirit. Because Mary so totally and completely covered and protected, she will be able to conceive “the Son of God.”

I can’t explain the virginal conception and birth of Jesus. No one can; it’s one of those miracles that goes beyond human comprehension. Rather than biological mechanics, what the virgin birth really highlights is that this child, this Baby Jesus, this Holy One will be called “Son of God.” Or, as was told to Joseph by that very same angel over in Matthew’s Gospel: this child will be called “Emmanuel,” which means: “God with us.”

That’s who is coming to town, my friends. We may sing songs about Santa Claus coming to town; indeed, that was my favorite Christmas song when I was growing up, along with the Bing Crosby and Andrew Sisters version of “Jingle Bells.” There are lots of social and sentimental reasons why we celebrate Christmas, but the only religious reason why Christians celebrate it is because of this announcement of the incarnation and subsequent birth of the Christ Child. We celebrate the conception of God in our midst, the coming of God to be with us, to change us, and to change the whole world. May we, with Mary, be made ready to receive the most amazing gift that any of us have ever, or will ever, receive.

© 2020 Dr. Gregory S. Neal
All Rights Reserved