In Jesus Holy Name December 24, 2023 Advent IV Luke 1:26-38 Redeemer
“The Cast of Christmas”
Mary and Elizabeth: Ordinary People In God’s Plan
This is the time of year when Christmas songs fill the air…people are shopping for gifts. It is a way to say “I love you… I care.” As you know, the Kay Jewelry stores always seem to provide a new design of a heart with diamonds.
Driving to work this week the radio station was playing popular songs of Christmas. “Jingle Bells” and “White Christmas” by Perry Como. “Have a Happy Holly Jolly Christmas” or “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” by Berle Ives always seem to be popular. On Wednesday morning this one caught my attention. “Mary Did You Know?
Mary did you know? That your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know? That your baby boy would save our sons and daughters
Mary did you know? That your baby boy would calm the storm with his voice?
Mary did you know? That when you kissed your little baby you kissed the face
of God? Mary did you know?
From the moment that Adam and Eve were forced in shame to leave the presence of God and the home God had given them, the Garden of Eden. God had a plan. God knew then that He, Himself would enter human history. It was planned. He knew that He would take upon Himself human flesh and bone. He would be born into this world by the normal way of human birth, to be held in the arms of a small town peasant girl named Mary. “Mary did you know God’s plan?” At the moment…no…but she believed the words of the angel and adjusted her life.
Joseph and Mary both lived in the small Galilean village of Nazareth. Joseph was a carpenter by trade. They were engaged to be married. By custom Joseph was ten years older. Families arranged the marriage with approval. The engagement would last one year.
Mary would continue her household chores, preparing meals, baking bread, making or mending clothes along with her study of scripture. Joseph would continue his carpentry work, proof that he could provide for his new bride and future family. Their visits would be observed. Life in the village of Nazareth was quiet.
Luke tells us that Mary left Nazareth for three months to stay with her aunt Elizabeth, who, to quote Luke, “was very old and unable to have children”. But after the angel visited her husband Zechariah in the temple their world changed. Just as the angel had promised, Elizbeth was going to have a baby. My guess, maybe this three month visit gave Joseph time to think about this “visit to Mary” by an angel.
Luke writes: “After he had considered this…” (read the text) Joseph, don’t’ worry, nothing is wrong, this was and is God’s plan. (read Matt 1:22)
Joseph believed. He did not try to explain away the dream. He believed.
Looking back through history…. God knew exactly what he was doing when he called Abraham to faith and he believed. God was creating a nation from one man so that through his descendants God’s promise to save Adam and Eve, and all humanity from their broken commandments… might become reality.
When Adam and Eve were hiding from God… it was God Himself who found them and restored their lost friendship. God went looking for them. God’s plan has not changed. He takes the initiative.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” He echoes the O.T. prophet Isaiah: “All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” That is the human condition.
The essence of “sin” is a shift from a God centered life to self centered life. God’s plan was to bring humanity back to Himself and break the bonds of alienation by His love. It meant that He Himself would have to be born in human form.
Henry Blackaby in his book “Experiencing God” writes: “God wants us to adjust our daily lives to Him so that He can do through us what He wants to do. We are His servants and we adjust our lives to what He is about to do.”
Zechariah and Elizabeth agreed and adjusted their lives. When the angel told Mary…. (read Luke 1:30-37) What was her response? (v 38) “I am the Lord’s servant… let it be as you have said.” She agreed and adjusted.
After the angel’s visit, Joseph agreed and adjusted. “He took Mary home as his wife..” He adjusted.
God uses ordinary people to accomplish his purpose which is to bring people to a place of emotional and spiritual security about their eternal address. God’s plan in Jesus was to restore our broken friendship and wipe away our broken commandments, freeing us from our guilt. This is the good news of Christmas.
God was not surprised by your birth… nor mine. Paul writes in Ephesians 1… “For (God) chose us in him (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he adopted us….” Why? To be his ordinary servants in this time and place, just as Mary and Joseph and the fishermen of Galilee were ordinary people who adjusted their lives to what God was doing in their historical time.
God made you for a reason. He also decided when you would be born. Where you would be born… He planned the days of your life choosing the exact time of your birth in history. He brought you to this church at this time… so that you could participate in the ministry.
Your time, Your energy, Your intelligence, Your relationships and resources are all gifts from God, brought together so that He can accomplish what he wants to accomplish through the ministry at Redeemer. Life on earth is a trust from God and He brought you here. Your presence here is not an accident. God has an agenda for His church.
God knew exactly what he was doing when he encouraged Stan and Donna Ryan in 2010 to suggest that our congregation bring their grandson Dan, into our Redeemer family to mentor and prepare him for pastoral ministry. They adjusted and Redeemer adjusted, and now Pastor Dan is serving Emmanuel Lutheran in Clovis We just agreed with what God was doing. It was not an accident. He chose us, ordinary people no different than Mary and Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth.
On Pastor’s Dan’s final Sunday at Redeemer, after taking a “call” to Zion Lutheran Church in Portland, it was not an accident that was also the first Sunday Jim and Sharolyn Fennacy visited Redeemer. God was completing His plan to prepare Pastor Jim for Pastoral ministry at Redeemer.
2024 is before us and God will not likely give us a detailed schedule. He will let us know one step at a time how our church needs to respond to what He is doing.
Mary and Joseph loved God. They centered their lives on reading God’s world and applying His word to their daily lives. When the moment was right. When the time was right. An angel came to Mary… and asked her to be the mother of the Savior. When the time was right, and angel came to Joseph and told him the name the infant to be born… Jesus. When the time was right God told Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem.
When the moment was right. When the time was right. Things happened in your life that brought you here. It is not an accident. It is God’s plan so that he can accomplish what he wants.
The question is not: “Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?”
The question is: Do you believe that the infant Jesus grew up and walked on water?
The question is not: “Mary did you know your baby boy would one day heal the blind and raise the dead?”
The question is: Do you believe that Jesus healed the blind and raised the dead?
The question is not: “Mary did you know that when you kissed your little baby boy you kissed the face of God?”
The question is: Do you believe that Jesus is God in human flesh and blood… who came to save you from your sins and give you eternal life?” (closing prayer)
