SOMEONE ELSE: Mary was encouraged by what God was doing in Elizabeth’s life.
- Luke 1:36, 39.
- Mary had gotten mind-blowing news. Why did the angel mention Elizabeth? Because Elizabeth had gone through something similar. Certainly it was not a virgin pregnancy, but it nonetheless was a miraculous pregnancy. It was, like Mary, a situation where God had moved.
- And in that precarious moment, it encouraged Mary to know that someone else was going through something similar.
- We will talk in another sermon in this series more about the timeline of events right after Mary gets the news, but for this sermon I just want to note that Mary’s first move after talking to the angel is to go see Elizabeth. Verse 39 indicates the haste and hurry she had to get there. That’s the first thing she does.
- And she does that, as noted, because Elizabeth is going through something similar.
- Elizabeth was able to encourage Mary in her circumstance because of what she had experienced.
- This speaks to me about how much we need to have people to encourage us in this life.
- Mary doesn’t immediately think, “I need to talk to the priest.”
- Mary doesn’t immediately think, “I need to talk to a scholar.”
- Mary doesn’t even immediately think, “I need to talk to my best friend.”
- No, it’s the one person who might understand what she going through that she wants to talk to.
- I want to talk this morning about the need for and the power of encouragement.
HOW WE ENCOURAGE:
- These two are my take on encouragement. You can disagree if you want.
1. ENCOURAGING IN GOOD THINGS: “I noticed.”
- Let’s start with encouragement when people are doing good things.
- When we see someone doing something worthwhile, we might turn to our friend and make a comment, but we rarely make it a point to tell the person that we appreciated what they did.
- The simple center of our statement is just this: “I noticed.”
- I noticed that you put in the extra effort.
- I noticed that you cared more than you had to.
- I noticed that you did that with excellence.
- Practical examples:
a. I noticed that you were still cleaning up when everyone else was busy talking.
b. I noticed that you stopped to talk to that person when other walked by.
c. I noticed that you clearly had put extra effort into what you shared.
- A tip here: be specific.
- Saying “thanks for all you do” is better than nothing but it’s not as good as naming a small, specific thing they did well and thanking them for that. It shows you are paying attention and it gives them something tangible to think about.
2. ENCOURAGING IN BAD THINGS: “You’re not the only one.”
- Knowing that others have struggled where we are struggling is deeply meaningful.
- It means so much to have someone say, “You’re not the only one.”
- Maybe we just need someone to say, “Yes, I felt like my world was ending too.”
- Maybe we just need someone to say, “No, you’re not going crazy.”
- Maybe we just need someone to say, “Yes, it was the worst pain I ever felt.”
- Maybe we just need someone to say, “No, it didn’t last forever.”
- It is striking how much better we feel after a conversation when someone tells us from their experience, “You’re not the only one.”
- It’s strange that should have such an impact. Our situation is the same after the conversation as before. There hasn’t been a miraculous turn of events. There hasn’t been an easy fix. There hasn’t been an answer that dropped, neatly boxed with a bow, out of the sky. Nonetheless, we feel better.
- It is meaningful to know that we are not alone, that we’re not the only one.
- Encouragement unburdens people.
- Practical examples:
a. The person who feels like their prayers are only hitting the ceiling.
b. The person who believes everyone else’s kids seem to behave ok.
c. The person who can’t get anything out of their attempts at reading the Bible.
- It’s worth pausing here to discuss what is often the worst experience where this is needed. It’s long been called “the dark night of the soul.” It’s a time that many Christians have testified to through the centuries.
- It’s an extended period where a sense of the presence of God disappears from your life. It’s backbreaking.
- Again, in such a time, there is tremendous comfort in knowing that you’re not the first one.
MORE THAN A LIVESTREAM: This is a major reason we need a church family.
- During this time of Covid-19, we are thankful for the ability to livestream. It has connected our church in ways that would not have otherwise happened while we had to be physically apart from each other.
- Nonetheless, there is a lot of question about what happens after the pandemic is over. Will people presume that watching online is enough? Will people get too comfortable in their pajamas? It’s an active question.
- During this pandemic, it’s easy to see livestreaming as superior rather than a bandaid.
- It’s a crucial question too, because we need a church family. Not just a church that we say we attend when we really just mean that we show up there maybe once a month – or twice a year.
- Being a part of a church family means having meaningful relationships. People who love us and we love back and we share life together. People who have our back. People who we trust to share our burdens and struggles.
- To go back to the main point of the sermon: we need encouragement. And one way that happens is through a church family that we are close to.
- Practical examples:
a. The person who calls us to check on us after surgery.
b. The person who thanks us for serving and makes us feel that we’re noticed as part of the family.
c. The person who stops us to ask about the problem we’ve been having.
THOSE STRUGGLING AROUND US: The church is uniquely situated to pour into this lonely world.
- The numbers are increasingly concerning regarding those around us who are struggling emotionally. The numbers of those dealing with depression are increasing. The number of those who feel isolated are increasing. The number of those who say they don’t have any real friends is increasing. The number of people being medicated for their emotional problems is increasing.
- In the midst of that, the church is uniquely positioned to make a difference. But it can’t be strangers sitting beside strangers for an hour a week and then going on their way. It has to be far more than that. It has to be real family. It has to be deep relationships. It has to be genuine friendships. It has to be the church as Jesus envisioned the church.
- Jesus knew that we couldn’t make it alone. He knew that we need encouragement along the way. That’s why He instituted the church.
- We need to do this for our own sakes, but also for a struggling world looking for encouragement and hope in the darkness.
