# Yes Day 2 > Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God. ### Opening Prayer: *"I belong to the Lord, body and soul," replied Mary, "let it happen as you say." (Luke 1:38 JBP)* #### Psalm for the Week: Psalm 77 #### In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord #### To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. *77 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. 2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.3 When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.5 I consider the days of old,the years long ago.6 I said,[a] “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.”Then my spirit made a diligent search:7 “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?* *8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?Are his promises at an end for all time?9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”[b]11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.12 I will ponder all your work,and meditate on your mighty deeds.13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?14 You are the God who works wonders;you have made known your might among the peoples.15 You with your arm redeemed your people,the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah* **16 When the waters saw you, O God,when the waters saw you, they were afraid;indeed, the deep trembled.17 The clouds poured out water;the skies gave forth thunder;your arrows flashed on every side.18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world;the earth trembled and shook.* *19 Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.[c]20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.* #### Scripture for the Day: Luke 1:26-38 #### Birth of Jesus Foretold *26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed[a] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[b] 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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 father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”* *34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[c]35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d] will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant[e] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.* #### Reading for Reflection: *Even though we may not fully understand where this response will take us and even though some of us will resist, still God waits for our yes….* ​ *When Mary said yes, she could not have known about the silent night of birth in a stable or the angelic hosts singing and praising God. Would she have known about the visit to the Temple with twelve-year-old Jesus? Could she have foreseen that her son would willingly place himself in harm’s way for the sake of others? Would she have said yes if she had known about the betrayal of her son that would lead to his public scourging or his trip to Calvary and crucifixion? Mary only knew for certain that if she said yes to God, everything would change. And so it will be with our yes.* ​ *An old age may end and a new age begin with the yes we speak. In the places where we give birth to our holy imaginations, God may take root in our hearts. Impregnated by God’s Holy Word, the wombs of radical hope may yet blossom and bless our efforts to build a world of justice and peace. Each time we say yes, the Holy Spirit overshadows us and something new comes to birth in us. (Mother Roots by Helen Bruch Pearson)* #### Reflection and Listening: silent and written #### Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself #### Song for the Week: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus *Come, thou long expected Jesus* *Born to set thy people free* *From our fears and sins release us* *Let us find our rest in thee* *Israel’s strength and consolation* *Hope of all the earth thou art* *Dear desire of every nation* *Joy of every longing heart* *Joy to those who long to see thee* *Dayspring from on high appear* *Come thou promised rod of Jesse* *Of thy birth we long to hear* *O’er the hills the angels singing* *News, glad tidings of a birth* *Go to him your praises ringing* *Christ the Lord has come to earth* *Come to earth to taste our sadness* *He whose glories knew no end* *By his life he brings us gladness* *Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend* *Leaving riches without number* *Born within a cattle stall* *This the everlasting wonder* *Christ was born the Lord of all* *Born thy people to deliver,* *Born a child and yet a King,* *Born to reign in us forever,* *Now thy gracious kingdom bring.* *By thine own eternal spirit* *Rule in all our hearts alone,* *By thine all sufficient merit,* *Raise us to thy glorious throne.* ### Closing Prayer *I have heard your call, my Lord, and respond with a yes that arises from the depth of my being. I know that if I follow close to you, nothing shall be able to separate me from your love. Amen. A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God by Norman Shawchuck and Rueben P. Job)*