Here am I

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38a)

I went for a New Year’s Day hike yesterday on a new trail in northwest Indiana. I was grateful for the signage that informed me where I was because the trail wasn’t showing up on the GPS app I was using. The trailhead map told me: You are here. The app was telling me: You are clearly not on a trail and probably shouldn’t be where you are. Or at least that’s what I thought the app was telling me.

This sense of being “here” lined up with the Bible verse that I meditated on a lot this Advent and Christmas and also aligns with how I feel as I head into 2025. The verse is the passage listed above and comes after the angel Gabriel has informed Mary that ^“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.” Mary responds as most of us would by asking, “How can this be?” but eventually allows God’s will to be done.

I usually am full of resolutions for a new year, but I find myself a little less focused on specific goals and more attuned to a state of being right now, which is why this verse is ringing true for me.

Mary begins by saying, "Here am I” and I’ve been using that phrase first thing in the morning in recent weeks. I’m here. I’m present. My presence matters in my little circle of the world. That’s not to be taken for granted.

Mary continues by giving herself an identifier: “the servant of the Lord.” As I reflect on my “here-ness,” I go through my own identifiers. I’m a husband. A father. A son. A pastor. A city-dweller. A board member. A runner. And I am tied to Mary by also being bold enough to claim, “a servant of the Lord.”

Mary’s next action is vulnerability: “Let it be.” This is more radical than we realize. Can you imagine how world-changing it would be if we all truly allowed ourselves to be used by a loving God as we said each day, “Let it be with me, Lord.”

Finally, Mary trusts God, knowing that God’s loving intentions are done according to God’s word, a word that promises freedom and liberation for all, including the most vulnerable, which is what Mary was.

To be sure, I do have things I want to take on in 2025 and I may share those next week, but I find it helpful to not be overwhelmed by all of this by simply remembering that I am currently located in a particular place and time. I am here. And that is a good thing.