March 25th is the celebration of the Annunciation. On this day, we remember the angel coming to Mary with the words, “Be not afraid.”
By most accounts, Mary had many reasons to be afraid. Simply encountering a powerful spiritual being is cause for one to tremble. In Luke’s account, Mary is betrothed, but not married. She is concerned, as we can well understand, that what the angel suggests is impossible. We also know, from Joseph’s reaction, that she might have genuinely feared that if she were known to be pregnant in this betrothed state, she might be abandoned.
But by the grace of God, Mary obeys the angel’s command. She does not fear. Instead, she sings a song of hope and joy—a song that continues to inspire us today.
Consider this well: Mary—a young teenage girl told she is pregnant (although she is not yet married and still a virgin), living in a land occupied by Roman forces—sings a song of hope and joy! Her song proclaims the greatness of God and rejoices in God’s favor upon her.
Celebrating the Annunciation on March 25th, we Christians are aware of how the story will end. Already past the happy platitudes of Christmas, we are facing Lent. We await the march into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the cross of Good Friday. We know that Mary, who as a young girl was able to sing the Magnificat at the news of her pregnancy, will now have to watch her grown son die a terrible death, at the hands of public authorities who are cheered on by an angry mob. She must have wondered as she watched her son die exactly when the tyrant would be torn from his throne, the hungry would be fed, the sword would be crushed by God.
Of course, we Christians also know that the song’s hope will be fulfilled by Jesus’ resurrection and the triumph over death and the grave. But how far away that hope must have felt on Good Friday.
In this time of Lent, as Easter approaches, pause and reflect: What are you afraid of today? What events seem too heavy to endure? What hope seems too hard to believe?
Perhaps what we learn most from Mary’s song is that no matter how frightening things around us might be, God is great and looks upon us with favor. We are loved. We are called to love. Even when it seems impossible that things are going to work out for love, God promises it will be so. Love will win.
May that message of divine love soothe our hearts when they beat hard with genuine fear. May we trust that God is with us here and now. With this reassurance, we can sing in joy and hope. We can seek to inspire others with words of love. We can act with grace. Fear cannot hold us back. We, with Mary, trust that in the end, love always wins.
Jennifer Hockenbery, interim executive director of Women of the ELCA, also works as editor for the Journal of Lutheran Ethics. A lifelong Lutheran, she has written several books and articles about the intersection of Lutheran theology, philosophy and gender studies.
This article appears in the March/April/May 2025 issue of Gather. To read more like it, subscribe to Gather.