Sunday 22 December, 2002 4th Sunday in Advent
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, ''Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 ''How will this be," Mary asked the angel, ''since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, ''The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 ''I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. ''May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Prayer
Lord, help us to be thoughtful people this morning, and deliver us from our fears, so that we might receive your Word with joy, and continue in the assurance of the gospel. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Mary was a thoughtful person. Luke tells us that when the shepherds came with news of the angels and what they had said, 'Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.' Today's Gospel takes us back 9 months or so, to the time God sent the angel Gabriel to announce to Mary that she had been chosen to bear the Messiah. His greeting is full of delight: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." But Mary was troubled. Why? Something about the greeting made her uneasy. While there might be some incurable optimists in the world, who take things at face value and are happy to receive such a positive greeting, many of us tend to be suspicious, and wonder, " What's behind this? What's the catch?" Mary wondered about the greeting: "Highly favoured?" is this me? Surely not! I don't deserve any special treatment, and I certainly don't dare think that God would be happy to be with me."
Constantly we are greeted in a similar way, from the moment of our baptism, in the pages of the Scriptures, and as we gather for worship. The Lord delights to greet us as his favoured ones. Does this make us uneasy? It's a mystery why some of us have come to know God and his great love and mercy, while others continue to live as strangers to him. We know that if it wasn't for the revelation of God, brought to us through God's word, by the Holy Spirit, none of us would know his favour.
Gabriel reassures Mary with the words, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." The word 'favour' here could also be translated 'grace.' Grace means there's no catch. It's the free action of God towards us, in which He only wants to do us good. It isn't based on our efforts, spirituality or some other qualification. It comes freely from God's heart, and remains free, for all of our lives and all eternity!
Mary wasn't chosen because she was special. She became a special part of God's plan, because she was chosen. So too are we. Our role is not to give birth to the Saviour, but to be born again ourselves, through the Saviour. After this, as God's children, we are called to serve him freely in worship and in our daily lives, as He guides us and gives us strength. Apart from him we can do nothing, but in him we can do all that he calls us to do!
How can this be? Mary asked, and we too might ask. Gabriel's answer to Mary's question is God's answer to our questions: The Holy Spirit will make it happen. "Nothing is impossible with God."
Do we believe this? Can we say this? Let's say this together out loud - after me: "Nothing is impossible with God!"
Can God become a child of a woman, and be one of us, a human being? Yes. Nothing is impossible with God! Can a person become a child of God, and find a new identity as a citizen of heaven, with a glorious new future that nothing can shake? Yes! Nothing is impossible with God!
Can our families find peace and comfort in God's love? Can we be assured of God's provision, despite so much uncertainty in the world and in our daily lives? Yes! Nothing is impossible with God!
There is much to discourage us. It's easy to be suspicious, and dismiss the Christmas message of God's love and His gift of Jesus, our Saviour. Sometimes we don't want to allow ourselves to believe good news, because we have been disappointed in the past, and we are afraid we might be let down again. Gabriel points us to the power of God.
Years earlier, the prophet Isaiah gave the world this message from God: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." (Isaiah28:16)
Mary trusted God's promise, and entrusted herself to the Lord and his will for her life. She submitted to God with these words: "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. ''May it be to me as you have said."
God says to us today, and in a special way this Christmas, "I give you my Son, to be your saviour. I give you my son, to be king over you forever, and to free you from all false kings and tyrants in your life. I give you my son, to deliver you from your sins, from your doubts, from your fears. I give you my son."
Today, let all suspicion go. Let the Holy Spirit bring fresh faith to us all, and especially to any of you who has a troubled heart. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. God's Word is true, Amen!
May the peace of God, which is beyond our human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen.