Mary's Courageous Yes

Mary's Courageous Yes

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured 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 favour 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 for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 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. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38

In this artwork, I sought to express the intimacy of God’s invitation to Mary and the careful, honest reflection that shaped her courageous “Let it be to me.” I wanted to honour Mary for how she pondered deeply, discerned wisely, and chose an open, life-giving “yes.”

At the centre, within the circle, the Angel Gabriel and Mary kneel with their brown bare feet together on the ground. Their posture reflects vulnerable trust and humility. Rather than depicting Gabriel as a dominant, hovering figure - as many traditional artworks do - I chose to show him as gentle, kind, present, and attentive. Mary, in turn, is not cowering or afraid; her open posture reflects clarity, strength, and thoughtful courage. It is as if the two are engaged in a long, meaningful conversation. Their hands meet in a gesture of gentleness and friendship.

Surrounding this intimate moment is the natural world - a cosmos of fellow creation. Stars, planets, landscapes, rivers, foliage, sacred places, and garlands of flowers encircle them. These elements symbolise the fulfillment of God’s promise: that the Son to come will bring all creation into harmony, relationship, and peace.

It is a moment that reveals the surprising way God’s gracious and reconciling love breaks through and enters the world in the birth of Jesus.

As I reflected on this passage, I found myself pondering: How do I respond when God’s love breaks through in the form of an invitation that feels bigger than my own sense of adequacy? Do I allow myself to fully consider both the cost of saying “yes” and the cost of saying “no,” as Mary did? And do I allow myself to believe that I, too, am favored - worthy of God’s love, trust, and partnership?

Loving One,
When You invite me into work beyond my own strength, help me to discern with clarity and courage. Give me the sight to reflect fully on what saying “yes” or “no” might mean. Let Your love break through my fears and doubts, filling me with strength, trust, and reassurance, so that I may respond with a wholehearted and courageous “yes,” just as Mary did.
Amen.

Artwork: Let It Be to Me, Acrylic on board

Safina Stewart is Common Grace's Storyteller and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lead and is a proud Wuthathi and Mabuiag Island woman who grew up cross culturally in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Safina is passionate about culture, education, the arts, justice and faith. Safina lives with her husband and three children in the Victorian coastal town of Wonthaggi on Bunurong Country.

This devotional is the fourteenth in a series of daily email devotionals for Advent 2025 reflecting on the realities of our broken world along with the unshakable hope that love still breaks through. It explores how God’s love disrupts, heals, and transforms—breaking through darkness, despair, and injustice to bring light, joy, and renewal.

__________

Common Grace is a diverse movement of individuals, churches and communities passionate about Jesus and justice. We have come together as those from different Christian traditions who stand in the continuity of the historic Christian faith, centred on the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ as witnessed to in holy scripture. This series highlights the diversity of followers of Jesus across these lands. These voices may not agree with one another (or with you), but they are each an expression of longing for the God whose love we see break through in Jesus.

Would you like to receive the rest of this email series?

Sign up here to receive this daily series delivered to your inbox.