Echoes

With the celebration of Christ's birth just one week away, I wanted to focus this week on Holy Mary's courageous "yes" to the Angel Gabriel. I know, I'm about 9 months late for this but as we have spent the last 4 weeks focusing on the coming birth of Jesus Christ, I thought a throwback to the origins of our Savior would be appropriate.

The first prophecy of The Messiah can be found as far back as Genesis, and throughout Old Testament Prophets like Nathan, Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. Through the Gospels in the New Testament. This miraculous coming is foretold so many times.

The how of it all is not revealed until the Angel Gabriel appears to a young, unassuming woman named Mary (The Gospel of Luke 1:26-38).

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee. The angel went to a virgin promised in marriage to a descendant of David named Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary. 

When the angel entered her home, he greeted her and said, “You are favored by the Lord! The Lord is with you.” 

She was startled by what the angel said and tried to figure out what this greeting meant.
The angel told her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor  with God.
 You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus. He will be a great man and will be called the Son of the Most High The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be? I’m a virgin.”

The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy child developing inside you will be called the Son of God.

Imagine it. You are a (roughly) 17 year old girl from a humble background, engaged to the man you love, and an angel tells you that you are pregnant. And not just pregnant, but with the savior of mankind.

All of this makes Mary's yes so remarkable. As a human being she had every right to say "Thank you but no thank you." As a faithful Jew however, having heard all the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah, her yes was necessary.

In fact, her yes was foretold as often as the coming of The Messiah himself. It's a "built in" element of the stories. 

All of which brings me to this glorious piece of music - Gabriel's Oboe by Ennio Morricone, composed for the 1986 film "The Mission". 

One of the most famous songs in all of Morricone's film scores, Gabriel's Oboe is a device used for a missionary to call to, and convert, a jungle tribe.

It's long been a favorite piece of music. It's haunting melodies get under my skin and bring me to tears.

This year it appeared in a Pandora station of instrumental holiday music. I didn't think it really belonged there...yet it felt so right. I listened intently and heard the message God was sending to me.

Gabriel ... The Angel Gabriel ... The message to Mary.

Listen to those first notes from the oboe. Feminine, lyrical, soothing. The presence of an angel. 

Then it builds, the higher notes expressing something that brings you to the heart. Mary's response. 

Then the notes creep still higher as the heavens rejoice.

The melody repeats once again. Angelic encouragement. A demure yes. Rejoicing.

More rejoicing.

Then the strings take over to amplify the echoes of the heavens as the coming of the Messiah is physically assured.

I've heard this song hundreds of times. Always as the theme song from "The Mission".

Now I don't believe I will hear it as anything but the clarion call of God announcing the coming of his Son, Jesus Christ.