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As a significant portion of the world prepares to celebrate Christmas, annunciations, another form of Divine incarnation, have captured my attention. Indeed, Divine messages to ordinary people appear repeatedly in the Bible. In the first chapters of the Gospel of Luke, an angel tells Zachariah that his wife will give birth to John the Baptist, even though she is old. This announcement is the answer to a prayer. Mary, of course, is told by the angel Gabriel about the birth of Jesus, and an angel tells the shepherds in the fields to go to Bethlehem to see the newborn Jesus.
 
The Gospel of Matthew records God's intervention in the here and now through dreams. Joseph is told in a dream not only not to dismiss Mary but also to name her child Jesus. In the 27th chapter, Matthew reports that a dream prompted Pilate's wife to warn her husband not to persecute Jesus. In the Book of Acts, dreams and visions reveal to the disciples how to follow Jesus' mission. Dreams and visions in Acts are proof that the mission to the Gentiles comes from God.
 
God breaks into history through a variety of means, including angels, dreams, and visions. In the Hebrew Bible, Balaam's eyes are "uncovered," and Moses is addressed in a thick cloud, illustrating other ways annunciations occur. God speaking to humans is an old and frequent occurrence. Perhaps you have had your own experience.
 
It is this reality I am appreciating this year: the Eternal entering the here and now. The Word made flesh, dwelling among us. That we are sought out for God's purposes is truly worth celebrating. Merry Christmas!