“Here Am I”
Luke 1:26-38
Mary was a teenager when the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth.
We are told that young Mary was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph.
Joseph was a good man, and Mary had a lot to look forward to.
The future was bright.
They were making plans.
These were exciting times.
And then, out of no-where, the angel Gabriel brought news to Mary that she was going to be a pregnant, unwed teenager.
A little later, Mary will sing praises to God for this Good News; but when it was first spoken to her Mary had to see this news as something other than good: it was hard news, scary news, and news that would have been very difficult to hear.
Things had been going so well for her.
Everything was set.
How could this happen?
You don’t have to be a teenager to know the sinking feeling that comes with this kind of unwelcome news.
It might be a tough medical diagnosis, a pink slip, divorce papers, a call that a loved one has died.
And it’s in this kind of “state of fear” and “terror” that we find Mary.
She was a real-life teenager in the midst of deeply disturbing and challenging circumstances.
Gabriel said: “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’
But she was much perplexed by his words…”
It’s been suggested that Mary wasn’t the first person asked by God to bear His Son, but rather Mary was the first person to say “Yes.”
How many other people do you suppose God asked before Mary said, “Yes”?
It can be hard to say “Yes” to God, can it not?
It’s a big decision for us to stop putting ourselves first and put God first instead.
Do you think there are a lot of people who plan to say “Yes” to God someday, but just don’t seem to get around to it?
They sure are missing out.
This life is not fulfilling until we follow God.
This life is not satisfying until we follow God.
We cannot truly be happy until we say “Yes” to God’s call on our lives.
When I finally said “Yes” to God I remember saying to someone, “I didn’t realize how unhappy I had been.
I had thought I was happy, but I no idea until I made the decision to give everything to Jesus Christ.
And it is a decision.
For God never forces God’s Self on anyone.
God asked, “Mary, will you live into the life I have created you for?
Will you say, ‘Yes’?”
That moment of decision for Mary wasn’t about Mary avoiding some kind punishment.
Rather, it provided Mary with the opportunity to make a life-transforming decision.
And even though the circumstances change depending on the person, we are all asked by God to do something big—we are all given the opportunity and privilege to make life transforming decisions!
That’s how much respect God has for us.
God gives us the choice.
He comes knocking, but He never forces His way in.
But when we open the door, and invite Him in everything changes.
And we find not only a Savior but a friend Who will walk these, sometimes, lonely roads with us—never to leave us, never to forsake us.
Yes, God comes to us.
But it doesn’t always fit in with our plans or time tables.
Also, we can’t see into the future.
We haven’t experienced everything in life; we don’t have all the answers.
Thus, decisions can be very difficult.
Especially decisions that will alter everything—such as the decision to truly give our entire lives over to God; to start following Christ…
…to allow God to make a complete change in our lives.
Sometimes when we decide to follow Christ, we are taking the chance that we will lose old friends.
We are taking the chance that we will be laughed at.
We are taking the chance that our previous dreams will change, our futures will be different.
What we are doing is we are making the decision as to whether God can be trusted with our EVERYTHING.
This is the kind of decision Mary was facing.
But it is so hard to see beyond our present situations.
And Mary was being asked to take a huge step of faith.
Could God see beyond Mary’s present situation?
Could God see all the possibilities for Mary’s future?
Absolutely.
But all Mary could see was what was right in front of her.
She was unwed, poor, uneducated, seemingly unimportant, insignificant, and soon to be rejected by her family and community.
There can be no doubt; Mary didn’t face an easy “Yes.”
I can’t imagine, can you?
I remember, in college, speaking with a young lady who said, “If I were to become a Christian my Mom would kill me.”
Mary, was, indeed facing a possible death sentence if she went through with this.
Joseph would have been within his legal rights to have Mary stoned to death for being pregnant outside of wedlock.
What would you do in her situation?
What decision would you make?
Would you say “Yes” to God?
Would you be willing to trust God THAT much?
Gabriel said to Mary: “Do not be afraid…The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.”
How many people would have said: “Get away from me! You are out of your mind!”
How many of us would say that?
Mary said, “Yes.”
She said “Yes” to the God Who desired to dwell within her and work through her.
This is what Christianity is all about.
God is not just with us, God is within us, distinct yet inseparable!
When we say “yes” to God, God takes up residence in our lives, and all things become new.
Our lives take on a new meaning we could never know otherwise, and the things of this world cannot compare to having God in us.
This is what Mary’s “Yes” was all about.
She would play a role in God’s divine plan for humanity.
God chose to birth God’s Son in and through her.
You know, it’s the same for us.
Oh, it may not be so dramatic.
I mean, God isn’t asking us to give birth to the flesh and blood Son of God.
But, God is asking us to help give birth to God’s Kingdom right here and right now!
And this “asking” from God isn’t just a one-time thing.
God asks us continually, daily, minute by minute to take part in His building of the Kingdom of God.
We face decisions all the time, do we not?
For instance, you all faced the decision this morning as to whether or not you would get out of bed and come to Church.
Every day, we face decisions whether or not we will smile at a stranger, be friendly to the person checking us out at the grocery store, give a good tip to a hard-working waiter or waitress, listen to someone who needs someone to talk to, call a loved one on the phone, have a time for devotion with God, pray for others, not have a pity party but instead look out for the needs of others--love the Lord our God and our neighbors as our self.
Facing unbelievable stress and pressure, Mary humbly opened herself to God’s will: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
Wow.
Talk about the prayer of perfect freedom!
What Mary prays is very similar to “The Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition” that we recently prayed together for about a month and a half.
If you didn’t receive a copy of that prayer, please see David or myself after this service.
Like Mary, some of us today might find ourselves struggling.
Like Mary, our lives might be a little scandalous.
Like Mary, we may be scared out of our minds and not know what to do next.
The first step is to ask ourselves, “Right here and right now, what would it mean for me to say yes to God?”
“What would it mean for me to trust God with my present situation?”
“What would it mean for me to say to God in all sincerity and with all that I am and all that I have: ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord: let it be with me according to your word’?”
Every Christmas and Advent season there are all kinds of things competing for our “Yes.”
What would it look like to give that “Yes” to the people around us who need it most?
Maybe you need to say “Yes” to your marriage, perhaps you need to say “Yes” to your commitment to your children or grandchildren.
Maybe you need to say “Yes” to helping feed the hungry, taking care of the widow, the orphan, working to alleve the suffering of the marginalized, the poor, the lonely, those who do not know Christ or do not have a church home.
Regardless of your situation, saying “Yes” to God is more than simply wishing for things to change.
Saying “Yes” to God is not a half-hearted, “Well, God, maybe you can help me out.”
Saying “Yes” to God means believing that God can do a miracle in our lives and then aligning ourselves with what God wants, not what we want!
Perhaps you are filled with resentment about work.
Finding joy and fulfillment in our places of employment can be difficult.
But today we can say “yes” to a new attitude.
You may feel like you are drowning financially with no foreseeable end in sight, or maybe your self-esteem has taken a nose-dive.
You may be struggling with a chronic illness.
It may never go away, and so today your “yes” means accepting God’s grace to endure the pain.
Saying “yes” to God isn’t a hazy mental exercise.
It’s not, “Someday when God asks me to do something big, I’ll consider it.”
It means an out-of-control, doesn’t-feel-right, maybe-it-might, how-can-this-be…Yes!
You know, think about it…
…Mary’s “Yes” to God didn’t just change her life—it changed all of our lives!
And our “Yes” to God is something to be shared with the entire world as well…no matter how simple or complex…our “Yes” to God has the power to change us and the people around us.
You know, Jesus has called us to be light in what sometimes seems to be an ever-present darkness with wars, division, anger, hatred and I could go on and on and on.
I believe this world is waiting for some light, don’t you?...
…light that won’t just appear magically in the sky by will shine and is shining through you and I.
That light comes when we say “Yes” to God.
People want to see God’s light shining through His Church.
They want to experience it, to know it’s possible to live a life wholly devoted to God.
There is no greater calling; no greater privilege than to live to make the lives of others better.
Mary, standing face-to-face with Gabriel, didn’t try and avoid trouble or pain.
Mary responded: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
This Advent, will we say the same?
