Advent Iii "Surprises From God, Remove The Impossible”

In Jesus Holy Name December 22, 2024

Text: Luke 1:35-37 Redeemer

“Surprises From God, Remove the Impossible”

Luke chapter 1 tells us the story of two expectant mothers, Elizabeth and Mary. Both of their pregnancies were a surprise. Both are stories of impossibilities. Consider the impossibilities, Zechariah and Elizabeth were long past the child bearing age. They knew only young couples had children. Consider the impossibility Elizabeth faced. She was well past the childbearing age, and yet God says she is going to conceive and bear a child. This impossible news left old Zechariah speechless. Impossible! No way! Won’t happen! But it did.

Mary, her parents and Joseph all got the same big surprise when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, telling her that she would become pregnant with the Son of God! Astonishing, Impossible she thought. Maybe “shocked” is a better word. After all, Mary knew that she was a virgin. She had a logical question “How can this be?” Surprise! God can remove the impossible if it is in His eternal plan.

Later, when Mary visited Elizabeth and the baby in Elizabeth’s womb jumped with joy, when they met. Imagine that meeting – a virgin carrying the Son of God and an older woman unable to conceive carrying John the Baptist! Oh, the surprises of God.

How did the surprise for Zechariah, the priest, and Elizabeth begin?

One day, Zechariah is serving incense in the temple. Don’t pass by that little detail. Historians tell us there were perhaps 20,000 priests in Israel in the first century. They were organized into 24 divisions, each serving twice a year, one week at a time. The highest honor was to bring incense into the Holy Place where it would be sprinkled on the burning coals on the golden altar. It was such a high privilege that a priest would perform that ceremony once in his life.

This was Zechariah’s day. It was not an accident that his number came up. God had a surprise waiting. In that holy moment as he was burning the incense, an angel appears. Gabriel shows up and makes a promise, but Zechariah doubted!

Six months later, Gabriel makes a visit to a teenage girl in Nazareth named Mary. He promised that she would become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. The angel surprised her making a series of incredible announcements (Luke 1:31-33):

• You will conceive and bear a son.

• You will call his name Jesus.

• He will be great.

• He will be called the Son of the Most High.

• He will rule over the house of Jacob forever.

• His kingdom will never end.

The angel adds two other facts:

• Remember, your aunt Elizabeth is also pregnant.

• Nothing is impossible with God.

“Expecting” is the word we use when a woman is pregnant. “She’s expecting!” What exactly is she expecting? Joy, and so much more!!! Parents are expecting this new and unique creation. They’re expecting that there will be new duties thrust upon them as parents. They’re expecting a change in the balance of the family system. In short, they’re expecting their whole world to change.

Zechariah wanted proof. Mary wanted understanding. Zechariah knew that young couples have children, old couples do not. Zechariah should have remembered His bible stories, especially the one of Abraham and Sarah. God knows what he is doing. The news was just so unexpected for both families.

Luke tells us that Mary went to visit her Aunt and Uncle in Bethlehem. We are not sure why Mary’s parents decided to have her visit her aunt Elizabeth, but we could guess the conversations. Maybe they were worried about what neighbors would think? More than likely Mary’s parents also knew of the angel’s visit to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Whatever worries Mary’s parents had, it was still a good idea to have her visit relatives in Bethlehem, the proposed marriage to Joseph was still a ways off, and in doubt.

God knows what he is doing, but Joseph did not. Once Joseph discovers the news that Mary is expecting he struggles with the decision to continue with the marriage or give her a divorce. It was then, that Joseph was also surprised by the unexpected. He had a dream about Mary and her expectant child. He puts away the divorce papers and takes Mary as his wife.

From God’s point of view, history is His story, it is the record of God’s dealings with the human race.

Here’s the Reader’s Digest version of what history is all about. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He then placed Adam and Eve on the earth and made them stewards over the whole planet. When they disobeyed, they surrendered their stewardship into the hands of Satan, the fallen angel. From that day until this, the whole world has been under the influence and power of Satan.