Alba 12-1-2024
GOOD NEWS FOR MARY
Luke 1:26-38
I am sure that you have heard many Good New/Bad News jokes. There are many of them around. There are even some for preachers, like this one: Good News: The Women's Guild voted to send you a get-well card. Bad News: The vote passed by 9 for and 8 against.
And this one: Good News: The Church Board accepted your job description the way you wrote it. Bad News: They were so inspired by it, they also formed a search committee to find somebody capable of filling the position.
Here's another one. Good News for children: Christmas is just 24 days away. Bad News for parents and shoppers: Christmas is just 24 days away.
Yes, Christmas is coming. And scripture tells us that is a good thing to be thinking about. So for the next several Sundays, we will focus on the Good News of Jesus' birth and how that affected specific people as revealed in the gospels. So today the topic is Good News for Mary. She is an obvious choice since she became a necessary character in the account of the birth of our Lord, although it wasn't obvious to her at first. How it all started is recorded in the Gospel of Luke chapter one. It would appear that Luke is giving us a first hand report from Mary herself. The details are rather amazing.
Let's turn to Luke 1:26-38 and read about it. “26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible. 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
There are at least three reactions that Mary has to this good news: Fear, Favor and Faithfulness. Her first reaction is:
1. Fear
Can you imagine the utter shock of looking up from your work, or prayers, or anything else you may be doing one day and seeing this celestial being standing before you. I do not know what Gabriel looks like, but when he appeared to Daniel, he fell prostrate before the angel out of awe and reverence (Daniel 8:16, 9:21).
But now, God had called Gabriel to Himself and must have told him: “Go to earth, Gabriel, and more specifically, to a town in Galilee, a particular a town, named Nazareth. A man named Joseph is there who is a descendant of King David. He is engaged to a young virgin named Mary. Go to her...”
Listen, what does that teach us? God doesn’t need any homing-device to locate you. He has you zeroed in! You’re not just a number to Him, not just one of the many. He knows right were you are, both physically and spiritually! If you are His, you are being shaped and molded to perfectly fit the work He has for you to do. Just as He did for Mary.
Mary is so often perceived and cast in images as being in a state of tranquility... with a static serenity. But here we are told she was troubled...afraid.
It shouldn’t be surprising. Encounters with angelic figures were rare, and in every case described as initially frightening. Imagine the presence of one who represents God... the source of all creation... coming to meet a young teen aged girl, thought to be14 to 16 years of age.
Mary’s life was fairly routine and normal until the angel of the Lord showed up. Mary was looking forward to a normal wedding and starting a family after marriage. Mary was pledged or engaged to Joseph. Between the pledge and the wedding feast was a period usually lasting six months to a year. During that period the couple was considered to be married and were called husband and wife, but they did not live together or have marital relations.
Mary and Joseph had not begun to think about kids. They were not trying to have a baby in any way. Mary was a virgin and right now had no plans for that to change. But the angel told her she was going to be pregnant. I cannot imagine the shock that these words must have sent through Mary’s body. Having a child out of wedlock would bring on many challenges she would never have expected to face.
Mary's reaction was, “How can this be?” She understands what the angel is saying, but can’t understand how it could happen. Mary knew where children come from. It takes two people to have children; a man and woman. That’s the way it works in this world. But Mary was a single woman, and a virgin. That’s not the way things work. How could this happen?
Gabriel’s answer was simple. God is going to do something entirely new. It will be as unique as creation itself. God could speak and create the universe. So God’s Holy Spirit was going to create a brand new kind of baby in her womb.
However, even if it was miraculous, there were still troubling things to face: What to tell Joseph? Will he leave her? How to face her family? What of the gossip in the community? How to deal with the public shame and humility? One might ask, “So this is Good News?” It sort of sounds bad.
But here's the thing–what may seem like a disturbing interruption in our lives may actually be a divine invitation from God. When the angel appeared to Mary, she was troubled. She was confused and afraid. She was doubting, questioning, trying to make sense of this divine interruption. The angel does not simply tell Mary to believe; instead, he provides her with an understanding of how this divine plan will come to pass.
In verses 35-37, the angel answers Mary’s question, “How can this be?” First he deals with the biological issue by saying that the power of the Holy Spirit of God will overcome Mary, and this divine activity will result in conception. The last phrase of verse 35 makes something else very clear. It says, “…the holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” That's our Jesus! And he also tells Mary that a supernatural work has preceded her, and points to what God had done for her cousin Elizabeth.
God was going to raise up a prophet to prepare the way for Jesus as the Messiah. And this He had done by allowing Elizabeth, who was long unable to conceive to become pregnant in her older age with her husband Zechariah. Elizabeth was already six months along in her pregnancy.
The interaction between Mary and the angel reveals a God who is patient with our doubts. He is willing to engage with our questions, and reassures us of His power and His plans. It is a comforting reminder for us if we find ourselves doubting God's plans for our lives.
By the way, one preacher says he prefers to refer to all of this as the “virgin conception” instead of the “virgin birth”. Because he says it was the conception and not the birth itself that was the real miracle. I tend to agree with him.
So this young, fearful, virgin girl was chosen to bear the Son of God. But notice, the angel spoke of God’s...
2. Favor
The first time Gabriel spoke to Mary, he said in verse 28, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” Then in verse 30 he tells her again that she has found favor with God and adds that she does not need to be afraid. There is favor that can be found beyond our fear. Don't let fear overtake you. Seek God's favor in your life, and trust Him to do good things.
After Mary learned of her pregnancy she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was in her sixth month of pregnancy with John the Baptist. When she arrives, Elizabeth says to her, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Mary’s response is to begin to sing. The words are recorded here in Luke chapter one. And in verses 47-48 she sings: “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant.”
Mary did not think of herself as one who was highly favored. She, more than anyone, knew all about her shortcomings. Many have presumed Mary is favored because there is something special about her. But there is nothing that is ever said or suggested that she was special apart from her willingness to take part in God's plan.
Russell Moore in his sermon entitled “The Most Shocking Madonna Song Ever” says this: “Notice in this song she starts singing about a God whose mercy is for those who fear him, a God who is doing all of these things for His people, forgiving the sins of His people. He's not turning away from them. Mary doesn't say, 'I'm the first virgin ever to get pregnant. I really need to make a lot of public relations out of this. We can get figurines sold. We can name football passes after me. Why we can even wind up with people seeing my face in toast.' She doesn't do that. What does she do? She humbles herself before the Lord, she recognizes and knows that her name, her glory is found only in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
It is said that David, “was a man after God’s own heart.” That phrase does not justify his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah, but rather looks to his repentance and brokenness over his sin once he was brought to confess it. So too, Mary is not a perfect person. She was not sinless. She was a young maid chosen by God to bear His son, Jesus. The one who is our Messiah and Savior.
But her song does reveal the heart and mind of Mary. From it we learn several things: Mary knew the Word of God. The short song includes no less that 12 Old Testament passages, which it reflects nearly line by line. Obviously Mary spent time in the Scriptures, which for her would have been the Old Testament books. No wonder she found favor with God. She was a believer who truly knew who God is.
So even though the first word of this good news caused Mary to have fear, she had God's favor. And then she demonstrates another reason why she was chosen to be the means through which our Savior would come into this world. It would happen is because of her...
3. Faithfulness
Does God just pick people for His purposes by random selection? Or does God have a method? Well here's the answer: God uses people who desire to do His will.
Mary did not say, "I’ve got a career to think about. I’ve got my plans, I have ambitions, what about my dreams? She didn’t say “This really isn’t convenient for me.” She didn’t say, "Uh, God, Can’t you get somebody else?" Mary did not say “No” to God’s will. In verse 38 she says, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” God chose her because she wanted God’s will for her life more than she wanted anything else.
Imagine her wonder as she realized that the birth of her child would fulfill words spoken by Isaiah, the prophet of God, 800 years earlier, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Mary was not favored because of her perfection, but God saw her heart and her faithfulness met the faithfulness of God. She is invited into God’s plan not because of her achievements, status or goodness, but rather because she is humble. And God chooses to lift up the lowly.
You see, even though Mary was favored by God, she also needed to be forgiven by God. And it gradually began to dawn on her that God’s plan of forgiveness was wrapped up in her unusual Son. Mary wasn't forced into this. She wasn't coerced. It was a choice. She was presented with a divine request, and she had the freedom to say yes or no. And that is true of all of us as well. Daily we have choices to make. Daily God calls us to live lives that honor Him.
It is a testament to the nature of our God, that He is a God who values our free will, a God who invites us to participate in His divine plans rather than imposing them on us. Mary's decision to say yes to God's request was an active, intentional choice. She decided to be faithful to God.
Mary could not know what the future would hold. Before it was all over, she would experience heartache, opposition, slander, confusion, anguish, despair and loneliness. In the end she would face the greatest pain a mother can endure, when she would watch her son Jesus die on a cross. He did that for all of us.
Mary's decision teaches us about the nature of obedience. Obedience isn't just about following rules. It's about aligning our will with God's will. It's about choosing His ways over our ways. It's about saying yes to Him, no matter how big or small the situation may seem.
And isn't that what faith is all about? God can take us from fear to favor to faithfulness. It's about trusting God, even when we can't see the whole picture. It's about believing in His promises, even when they seem too good to be true.
It's about surrendering our plans, our dreams, our lives to Him, knowing that His plans are always better than ours. Because ultimately, He brings Good News. “Nothing is impossible with God.”
CLOSE: “Mary Had The Little Lamb”
Mary had the little Lamb, who lived before His birth;
Self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth.
(Micah 5:2)
Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall—
Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall.
(Isaiah 7:14)
Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God;
Everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod. (John 6:38)
Mary had the little Lamb, crucified on the tree
The rejected Son of God, He died to set men free.
(1 Peter 1:18)
Mary had the little Lamb—men placed Him in the grave,
Thinking they were done with Him; to death He was no slave!
(Matthew 28:6)
Mary had the little Lamb, ascended now is He;
All work on Earth is ended, our Advocate to be.
(Hebrews 4:14–16)
Mary had the little Lamb—mystery to behold!
From the Lamb of Calvary, a Lion will unfold.
(Revelation 5: 5, 6)
When the Day Star comes again, of this be very sure:
It won't be Lamb-like silence, but with the Lion's roar.
(Psalm 2:12; Revelation 19:11–16)
(Source: Marv & Marbeth Rosenthal, from Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.)