Luke 1:26-38 (See here for text)
The annunciation is saturated with the language of fulfilment.
The child to be conceived is of the house of David.
His name will be Jesus (The Lord saves).
He will be called the Son of the Most High.
He will be given the throne of his ancestor David.
He will reign over the House of Jacob (Israel).
His kingdom shall have no end.
The Holy Spirit will overshadow.
The child will be holy and from a miraculous conception.
He will be called the Son of God.
Here is a list of messianic expectations, of all the roles and events that should surround the Messiah. There is little doubt that this event marks the beginning of the fulfilment of these expectations.
Each of these titles and events, although saturated with symbolic meaning arising from the Old Testament titles used, us actually historically concrete. The lineage, the place, the direct action of God the Holy Spirit, the prediction that Jesus will be understood as the Son of God, the saving effect for humanity - all these things are real. This is not the language of myth but of historic tradition reaching its fulfilment.
Add to this the experience of a young girl and her historical circumstances, he reaction and her response and this event becomes easier to accept.
The creative act of God bringing the divine being into the human realm is not meant to be understood as myth either. The biology of the event needs to be understood and explored but is not the basis for dismissal any more than than theories of evolution and the big bang dismiss the mystery of the ultimate cause and design behind the universe. Jesus' DNA will remain forever a mystery as there is no blood line and no body to test. But consideration of those questions take a step in the right direction as we embrace the serious, historical proclamations of scripture.
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