Mary takes centre stage in this reading as she declares God’s promises to a waiting world. There are several women in the Bible who share her name and some scholars have suggested that ‘Mary’ is used in place of ‘woman’. Perhaps the fact that our Mary has this name emphasises that she is an ordinary young woman – perhaps not. Mary’s response to God was extraordinary; by her obedience, God was able to put God’s risky plan into operation. How might God be calling us? Are we willing to say yes?