No wind at the window, no knock on the door
No light from the lamp stand, no foot on the floor
No dream born of tiredness, no ghost raised by fear
Just an angel and a woman and a voice in her ear
Oh, Mary, Oh, Mary don’t hide from my face
Be glad that you’re favored and filled with God’s grace
The time for redeeming the world has begun
And you are requested to mother God’s son
This child must be born that the Kingdom might come
Salvation for many, destruction for some
Both end and beginning, both message and sign
Both victor and victim, both yours and divine
No payment was promised, no promises made
No wedding was dated, no blue print displayed
Yet Mary, consenting to what none could guess
Replied with conviction, “tell God I say yes.”
This is the Annunciation hymn that we’re singing at St. Mary’s this Advent. I first sang it in worship on Iona this fall and when I heard the words, I knew it was to be shared.
The words keep playing in my ear, and so when I walked a labyrinth in Taos earlier this week, this was the song I sang, particularly the verse,
Tell God I say yes.
Of course, like Mary, we have no idea what that yes will mean. Still, with the breath of prayer, we are requested (I love that choice of word in the hymn) to say yes.
At Iona Abbey, in the Cloister, is this amazing sculpture. It is called “The Descent of the Spirit.” For me, it is the Annunciation. For me, it is about saying yes.
House of Grace 