Have you heard words like this before? There is no way. This won't work. It's impossible. I can't do it. I can't handle it. I can't keep going. I'm not gonna’ make it. Those words sound familiar to anybody? They are the words of defeat and pessimism and yet they are words that all of us do battle with from time to time. Some of you are facing a situation right now that you think is humanly impossible. From your standpoint, it is humanly impossible for you to handle. Perhaps there’s a financial situation that has you uttering those words, especially this time of year. Perhaps you’ve lost a loved one and you can’t imagine how you’ll make it through this holiday season. Maybe you’ve lost your job, and the future looks dismal, or there’s news that has come from the doctor and there’s no way you’ll handle what’s ahead. Life seems impossible right now.
I’ve got good news for you. There was never a more impossible situation than the one we find in the Christmas story involving a young lady named Mary. Everything about Mary’s situation was impossible.
• It was impossible for Mary to be pregnant.
• It was impossible for Joseph to take her as his wife if she were.
• Impossible for them to make a life together in Nazareth if she were—people COULD count to nine in those days, you know?
Yet, Mary gives us a wonderful example of a response to the impossible circumstances of life. As I reflect on the events found in our Gospel passage today, I think there are a few things we can learn from Mary’s response as she encountered this impossible situation. I note her willingness to listen, her willingness to believe and her willingness to be used. Let’s reflect on those briefly.
First, Mary was willing to listen to God’s message. No matter what situation we face in life, God’s got something to say about it. We’re never alone in any situation, and sometimes, not only does God have something to say about it, but God is the cause of it. Don’t leave here today saying the preacher said “God is the cause of the impossible situation in my life.” That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying sometimes circumstances arise that God has a hand in in order to accomplish his purpose. Other times, we make dumb decisions and create situations for ourselves that appear impossible. But God doesn’t leave us there alone to figure it out. Still other times, others make choices that impact our lives in impossible ways. One example that is prevalent this time of year is impaired driving. Capt. Lewis and I shot a public service announcement you’ll see on KNOE, KAQY and the CW station over the next couple of weeks dealing with drunk driving. Someone else may choose to drive under the influence and their decision can play havoc in our lives if we’re involved in their accident, or if they are someone we love. Even then, though, God doesn’t leave us to ourselves. God is with us through every circumstance and situation, and God has guidance and concern, if we are willing to listen.
Mary’s situation was directly from God’s hand. God’s purpose was the salvation of the world, and Mary had a part to play. Mary would never have known had she not been willing to listen to God’s message.
I grew up with a party line. Anyone remember those? There are probably people here who don’t even remember rotary dial phones, but that’s another discussion. A party line was a telephone line that was shared by a number of households. Down on the Hebert exchange we were on a party line that included a good dozen households. Using the phone in those days almost took a schedule. And, everyone in the community knew what was going on, too, because someone was always listening in on another’s phone call. One gentleman in particular was notorious for listening in. I won’t mention his name because, well, he’s a relative, and I have relatives around here, and I don’t want to embarrass anyone, but he was also notorious for not hanging up the phone when he finished a call. If you didn’t hang up the phone, the line stayed open and no one else could use the phone. Often times, we would pick up the phone and someone would be shouting to get his attention, imploring him to please hang up the phone. I’m not sure if Mr. Sidney ever heard those shouts and pleadings, but they were there nonetheless.
Sometimes, God feels the way we used to feel trying to get Mr. Sidney’s attention (oh, I said his name, didn’t I?). God is shouting, but no one is listening. We just go about our business trying desperately to deal with our situation that appears impossible. All the while God is calling out to us to get our attention. I wonder what we would hear if we stopped, like Mary, long enough to listen to what God’s messenger has to say. Like Mary, we too, might discover that the message contains a blessing. It might not seem like it in the moment, but God’s promise is true.
When do we listen to God? Prayer is one way…actually, it’s the primary way. Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. For me, prayer has become much more listening that speaking. Oh, I talk a lot to God, too, but that’s generally to lift your concerns to Him. For myself, I want to listen. Another way that we can listen to God is through the people around us. Our family and friends can be conduits of God’s wisdom. Have you taken the time to ask someone’s advice on your particular situation? A friend, a pastor, a counselor just might have the answer to your specific situation. We want to get private though, if the situation is embarrassing or threatening. How many times have we entertained angels and not knew it? How many times have we failed to heed the advice that really is God’s wisdom in a Christian friend? I appreciate Mary’s willingness to listen to God’s message and receive God’s messenger.
There is a scene in It’s a Wonderful Life that illustrates the power of both prayer and friendship. George feels as though his life is falling apart after Uncle Billy loses the Bailey Building and Loan deposit—stolen is a more appropriate word—but, George, having been threatened with prison ends up at Martini’s Bar, and there alone at the bar he prays to God. Both Nick and Mr. Martini offer advice, but George doesn’t listen. He hurries off after being hit in the mouth to the bridge where he contemplates taking his life. There he encounters the “real” angel, Clarence, who will work to help George see that he really does have a blessed life—a wonderful life.
Secondly, I appreciate Mary’s willingness to believe that God can actually do the impossible. I love Mary’s response to God’s message. In verse 34, Mary asked “how.” Notice, she didn’t ask “why?” The “why” question is the one we most frequently ask—“Why is this happening?” Or, more often, “Why is this happening to ME?” Maybe, just maybe, it’s not about us. For Mary, it wasn’t about her. It involved her, but it wasn’t about her. It was about God’s redemption of His lost creation, and of His lost relationship with us. It was all about God.
I like what Henry Blackaby said in his book Experiencing God—"You never find God asking persons to dream up what they want to do for Him...Without doubt, the most important factor in each (Biblical) situation was not what the individual wanted to do for God. The most important factor was what God was about to do." (Experiencing God, page 66) Blackaby adds, "God reveals His purposes so you will know what He plans to do... When God came to Noah He did not ask, 'What do you want to do for me?' He came to reveal what He was about to do. It was far more important to know what God was about to do. It really did not matter what Noah had planned to do for God." (page 99) Mary’s “how?” question was a simple plea for enlightenment. “I’m a virgin. I don’t understand how this can be.” Maybe if we were willing to believe that God was in the impossible business we might see more miracles in our lives and the lives of others. We might also be more used by God to change the world in which we live, and that brings me to my final discovery.
I appreciate Mary’s willingness to be used by God in the face of impossible situations. Mary was able to be used by God because she accepted the circumstances she faced. Mary’s acceptance freed her to be obedient in the face of difficulty. In this way, she and Joseph really were a match made in heaven. Denying reality does nothing to change reality. Accepting the reality of painful and difficult situations opens the doors to options that are before us. Denying reality causes suffering and raises anxiety, and we begin to fear the worst. When we fear the worst, we set ourselves up for a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anticipating the worst can often cause the worst to happen.
I like the story of the salesman who was driving on a lonely country road one dark and rainy night and had a flat tire. He opened the trunk- no lug wrench. The light from a farmhouse could be seen dimly up the road. He set out on foot through the driving rain.
Surely the farmer would have a lug wrench he could borrow, he thought. Of course, it was late at night- the farmer would be asleep in his warm, dry bed. Maybe he wouldn’t answer the door. And even if he did, he’d be angry at being awakened in the middle of the night. The salesman, picking his way blindly in the dark, stumbled on. By now his shoes and clothing were soaked. Even if the farmer did answer his knock, he would probably shout something like, “What’s the big idea waking me up at this hour?”
This thought made the salesman angry. What right did that farmer have to refuse him the loan of a lug wrench? After all, here he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, soaked to the skin. The farmer was a selfish clod- no doubt about that!
The salesman finally reached the house and banged loudly on the door. A light went on inside, and a window opened above. A voice called out, “Who is it?”
His face white with anger, the salesman called out, “You know darn well who it is. It’s me! And you can keep your blasted lug wrench. I wouldn’t borrow it now if you had the last one on earth!”
Mary was able to say, “I am willing to accept whatever he (God) wants. May everything you have said come true.” Her prayer was, “God, use me!” God did. It changed the world.
We believe there is no situation too impossible for God. Christmas reminds us of that fact. Christmas reminds us God is in the impossible business. Mary reminds us that with God, all things are possible, and all things are bearable. God can use it all for His glory. May it ever be so with our lives!
