Acknowledgement – I found great value in a Christmas Sermon series by Darren Ethier – A fellow contributor to this site. His sermons are called “Christmas Perspectives Series.”
Are you talking to Me?
Luke 1:26-40, Matthew 1:18-24
Perspective is an interesting thing. What you or I see is not always the same as what someone else sees…
Have you ever noticed: When the other fellow acts "that way", he is ugly; when you do, it’s nerves. When others are set in their ways, they’re obstinate; when you are, it is firmness. When your neighbor doesn’t like your friend, he’s prejudiced; when you don’t like his, you are a good judge of human nature. When he tries to treat someone especially well, he’s a flatterer; when you try it, you are being thoughtful. When he takes time to do things well, he’s a slowpoke or lazy; when you do, you are deliberate and careful. When he spends a lot, he is a spend thrift; when you do, you’re generous. When someone picks flaws in things, he’s cranky and critical; when you are, it is graciousness. When someone dresses especially well, that person is extravagant; when you do, it is tastefulness. When he says what he thinks, he’s spiteful; when you do, you are being frank.
Lack of perspective or a poor perspective often leads to tremendous breakdowns in communication, do you remember the whisper game. The first person whispers a short phrase to the person next to them and that person whispers what they herd to the next. By the time it gets around a small group it is changed or unintelligible from the original whisper.
When you don’t know anything about the subject, it you don’t have an overview of the subject or perception is limited.
Perspective is that word that describes the condition that many of us can readily identify with in our own lives but rarely struggle to understand in another. Perspective influences our actions, our reactions and sometimes even our lack of action. When we look at something in a certain way we have a certain perspective on it – one that is often unique to us alone and rarely duplicated in the way someone else looks at the same thing. Perspective depends on several filters through which it is developed: circumstance, experience, and character. Your perspective is shaped by the circumstances you are in, the experiences you’ve had in the past, and who you perceive yourself to be. To day I want you to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes or at least look through their eyes at the situation. Use their Perspective.
As we approach the Christmas season year after year each one of us have different perspectives on what Christmas is all about. However to a large extent – year after year – our perspective of Christmas risks being affected more and more by the HOSI factor than by any other filter it is derived through. The immense commercialization of the season of Christmas and saturation with Christmas "products" has led to the development of a materialistic perspective of Christmas rather than a perspective that finds its roots in the Word of God or any direct connection to God. Even the news talks about how important the day after thanks giving is for major businesses and the economy. They tend to leave out the reason that the sales madness started.
The Christmas Story is sometimes too easily replaced by the Christmas Store.
But how do we keep a "right" perspective on Christmas and the Christmas Story when we have so much that influences us otherwise? The answer is to let our perspective of Christmas be filtered by the HOSI factor of those who were there. Let the people in the bible be the eyes through which you see and understand the story.
For the next few weeks we are going to be looking at the Christmas Story from the perspectives of different people who were there. As we ponder how they viewed the events and the different things that occurred in their lives hopefully our perspective of Christmas will be forever altered and changed – maybe a little, maybe a lot, but nevertheless changed.
Today we are going to begin our Christmas Perspectives series by looking at how Mary and Joseph perceived the Christmas Story.
Luke 1:26-40
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 "I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
Mary’s perspective started with the visit of the angel. We have a young lady who was almost marrying age. She is a virgin, which means never married and even more specific she had never been with a man. No fooling around, probably never kissed anyone except family and then on the cheek. It was probably spring or summer, she would have been young enough to skip like a child without a care in the world but she probably already knew all about household chores; cooking, cleaning, fetching water. She was most likely looking forward to her wedding day to Joseph.
It was an exciting time in any young ladies life. She was probably grateful that God had blessed her with the upcoming event.
She was probably out on the road that day to get water from the well or some other chore. When suddenly she was broken from her daydreams by a man’s voice. When she looks around, it is not a man at all. The angel Gabriel, had greeted her.
"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." I wonder if the look on her face gave any clue to how she felt on the inside.
Are you talking to Me?
That kind of a greeting would make me suspicious of the person giving it. If it was a close friend, I would be waiting for the However, or except or but to come along. If a stranger, I might think salesman except for the mentions of God.
Then we hear the traditional phrase that we hear most of the times that one of God’s messengers comes to a person.
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.”
Afraid… I guess that would be my word of choice. And for Mary it gets a little worse “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
Ok, so all that sounds like a good thing. But, Mary’s perspective had to have her mind running wild with questions. Up until this moment her life had been pretty simple. A good girl that goes to synagogue on the Sabbath, probably in a medium to large family. He is betrothed and looking forward to the vision of what her life is all about. A husband, children and home they build together. Simple and happy life without to may complications.
Her perspective would not be different that her friends and family members. What mom and dad had. The angel was describing something beyond imagination, something that did not match her ideas.
While many and maybe girls in the synagogue had thought about the possibility of being the mother of the messiah. That had not happened to anyone as yet and it was not really on her to do list.
If this has been a message about her upcoming marriage it would be a wonderful blessing. But this was much more significant than a blessed marriage. We are talking about the coming of the messiah. How could that be real!
She responds to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
I don’t know if I could have understood the message that Mary received that day. Today we have a lot less shame associated with when a young girl becomes pregnant and is not married.
I think it is a good thing that we don’t take them out and stone them. But aren’t we kind to let them live in poverty. That we let them struggle to be a mom and have to try to find a job with so little education and very little help at home.
At first stoning seems harsh but I am not sure that we are much better. Sneers and gossip and judgments on their choices can be pretty painful.
Stoning still seems a little harsh but it is the kind of thing that Mary could have expected. It would have been Joseph’s right. Perhaps if her family did not believe Joseph they would have taken a form of revenge against him for destroying Mary’s honor.
Mary had all this as a part of her perspective. What would everyone think? Joseph, Mom and Dad, the nosey neighbors. The rumor mill would really crank up on something like this.
In general she had no danger because she was innocent and there was no way this could happen. However, the angel gives a description of how… She had never heard of this Holy Spirit causing a baby thing.
Then the angel adds the news about Elizabeth her aunt who had always wanted kids. She is 6 months along. Nothing is impossible with God.
Wow, old Aunt Liz is going to have a baby. That’s great. That will show all the busybodies that said that she and her husband must not be really right with God because they had no children.
Mary says, "I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
I wonder if Mary really felt a peace that everything would be all right. It seems that God really could so anything. If God wanted this it would all be fine… right?
It seems that she could contain her excitement. She did not tell anyone in town about this message. She packs up and heads to the hill country to see Elisabeth.
-- Did she need to think of a way to tell everyone?
What did Mary feel when she received this unusual message from the angel Gabriel? What would you ladies have felt – think back to when you were in your late teens – think about being told that you were going to be pregnant with a child, a child who would be the Son of God! Add to that the lack of a husband.
What would your perspective beat this moment? Excitement or something else….?
But what about Joseph? We will read about his perspective in:
Matthew 1:18-24 (NIV)
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Joseph is given the “GOOD” new some how. Maybe a letter came to him or the family. Perhaps Mary came home after 3 months wearing some of Aunt Elisabeth’s maternity clothes. She is showing.
Which way would be the best way for the betrothed to find out that there is a baby coming and it is not yours. I guess surprise would not have been the word, perhaps shocked and hurt, or disappointed and betrayed. I doubt that he could actually listen to the rest of the good news. That whole having God’s son thing would not have been received very well.
For several months she had been gone and he could probably could never understand why she just took off. He was probably already full of doubts because she left without a word. He may have wondered if she changed her mind, after all he was just a carpenter. There were plenty of merchants or land owners that had son’s wanting wives. He was saving everything he could to pay the dowry. He was going to make it in plenty of time. However, she takes off. Her folks just say that she wanted to visit her aunt.
Perhaps he thought that Mary was making a special preparation for the wedding, you know a surprise… Well he was surprised alright.
After worrying that He was not good enough, he sees or hears the truth. He knows that the child can not be his. They had kept the terms of betrothal. They have never been alone together.
So what can he do? Being righteous he needs to do the right thing, he can not marry a woman who defiled herself. If he did neither of them would ever be allowed in synagogue again. If he married her soon no one would know, except him. He is the one that is damaged, why does he care what happens to her? But, he had a choice public destruction of Mary and potentially her death or a private divorce. He decides the divorce is better than taking his revenge on Mary.
That is when he has his own visitor. His angel comes in a dream and explains that what Mary has said is true. The angel changes his victim perspective. It is ok for him to bring Mary home as his wife. That this child was created by the Holy Spirit and that it is God’s Son.
Have you ever had a dream that just seemed so real? I am guessing that Joseph did not have an ordinary dream where his wishful caused him to change his mind. He had a dream that assured him that God was in control. In fact it was going to be even better than that. The world would benefit from God’s plan.
Have you ever noticed that when God ask his people to do something, there is normally a price or a cost to the event? A cost to the people God uses.
Mary’s dreams and life are blown; Joseph’s visions of a family on the normal terms of the day were destroyed.
From their initial perspectives this was not going to be a good deal. If you recall the story. Over-time things got worse. When it was almost time for Jesus to come there was a census which required Joseph to travel to Bethlehem. Mary was stubborn and insisted on going. When they arrived they had no place to stay.
How would your perspective be if you traveled for a couple of weeks and could not get a room? Did you tell him I was expecting? Yes dear, it did not make any difference.
How would your perspective be if your whole life seemed to be going the wrong way? Would it be narrow feeling used and abused by God. Would you be too focused on your personal perspective to notice the arrival of God?
In this busy world, where is our perspective as we begin the Christmas season?
Today we are at the beginning of the Advent season. Advent meaning “the coming.” The perspective the world has built is that Christmas is about getting and giving stuff. The focus points toward Children. They focus on a baby Jesus, a kid like them.
A God like us, isn’t that where our perspective should begin?
This year I hope that you will journey through this advent season and allow yourself the receive the gift of a new perspective. The perspective that the season is about people like us that changed their perspective to receive a God like us.
All Glory be to God!
