– adapted from Caught in a higher love by Carolyn Baker
Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn’t sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds.
As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty-a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it.
The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life.
"Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?" Alexander the Great asked the soldier.
"Yes, sir," the soldier responded in a quivering voice.
"Soldier, what’s your name?" demanded Alexander the Great. "Alexander, sir."
Alexander the Great repeated the question: "What is your name?" "My name is Alexander, sir," the soldier repeated.
A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, "What is your name?"
A third time the soldier meekly said, "My name is Alexander, sir."
Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. "Soldier, either change your name or change your conduct."
Names are important, they hold meaning, and bring back memories both good and bad. In 2004 the most popular names for boys and a girls were; Emma, Madison, Emily, Kaitlyn, and Hailey for girls and Jacob, Aidan, Ethan, Ryan, and Matthew for the boys.
Did you notice that Judas and Jezebel did not make the list? As a matter of fact they did not even crack the top 1000. But do you know the girls name that has been in the top 50 the longest?
Mary. Now why do you suppose that is? I don’t know why someone would name their daughter Mary anymore that someone would know why I would name my sons Trafton and Rylan. But I like the name Mary, it rings of gladness. God chose A young woman named Mary to be the mother of His one and only Son. What an honor! What a blessing! God noticed her, and her reputation lives on today as the epitome of what it means for a mother to trust God. Her name lives on today because of the way she responded in faith to God’s will in her life.
Before God revealed to Mary her unique place in the world, she was on a different track altogether. She was in the middle of building what she believed would be the good life with her fiancé, Joseph. Like the rest of us, she was busy making her own plans. As quite a young woman, Mary was called to give it all before she -really even got started. God called her to let go of her own plans and to enter into his will
Mary’s story opens quietly in Scripture as a Jewish teenager probably 14-16 years old engaged to a carpenter. She was embarking on one of life’s major adventures: her marriage. No doubt she and Joseph, like other young couples, had discussed their wedding plans and dreamed about the rest of their lives together as husband and wife.
Then suddenly, on an ordinary day, God sent an unmistakable message to Mary. God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary with startling news. It was a disturbing surprise, to say the least, in the middle of all the plans she was making with Joseph. God spoke directly to her ears and to her heart while she listened intently to every single word.
Let’s read the story together in Luke 1:26-38 and then we will pray.
The angel announces the will of God for Mary’s life. He tells her that she would conceive a son, that his name would be Jesus, and that he would be great. I am sure this was a bit confusing for Mary. She felt confused and afraid as she focused on the very question that any virgin would have asked, "How can I have a baby without a husband? This is a physical impossibility."
And don’t you just love Gabriel’s answer? "This is God’s work in you, Mary. Nothing is impossible with God"
Nothing is impossible. It is not impossible for a virgin to give birth, It is not impossible for a savior to come from the house of David, and it is not impossible for the world to find forgiveness and grace. At least not with God, for this is God’s work.
And to prove the power of God Gabriel let Mary in on a little secret. He told her about another woman in whose life God was working. He told her that her childless cousin Elizabeth, who was too old to have a baby, was already in her sixth month. And suddenly, Mary was jolted out of her own plans, not just for the day, but for the rest of her life. She awakened to the reality that God had something quite different in mind for her and that he could-and would-accomplish his plans through her.
As we look tonight at the topic of trust it is Mary’s response that makes her the perfect example. Look again at verse 38.
"I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me."
What trust, What commitment. Oh that there would be that type of trust in the church today. Mary’s response was that she lived to do God’s will. There was no argument, no complaining, no "But what will the neighbors say?" or "How will Joseph take the news?" Just reckless abandon.
When was the last time you trusted God enough to live in reckless abandon? When was the last time that you felt the tugging at your heart to help someone in need and you did so with out a thought?
When was the last time your soul yearned for you to speak or sing God’s praises in public and with reckless abandon you sang “Great is thy faithfulness, Oh God my Father.”
When was the last time you put your reputation, your embarrassment, comfort zone, or money on the line for God? Why is it that we worry so much about what the neighbors say and forget about what God says?
When Mary heard the news she didn’t even think about what the neighbors had to say, and I imagine the neighbors had plenty to say, not just then, but for a long time afterward.
Mary’s trust was such a shock to the man she was betrothed to that he considered breaking their engagement. But Mary did not considering her reputation with her neighbors or her relationship with Joseph, She was only concerned with her relationship with God. Mary trusted God.
Mary didn’t hang her head down and wallow in the worries of her circumstances. She didn’t act in fear of what Joseph would think about her or what others might say. Mary trusted that somehow God would take care of those matters, and even more important, she believed that what God had said would happen! His work would be done. So, she didn’t have a complete understanding of things. And I’m sure that she had more than a few questions along the way, but she knew who to trust.
After God’s revelation to her, Mary’s trust grew even greater, as she expressed her gratitude to him before Jesus was even born. Turning quickly to an older, wiser woman of God who, without question, would understand and be able to share in her joy. She remembered her cousin Elizabeth and poured out her faith and her gratitude as she sang the song of her heart recorded in verses 46-55:
" And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; AND SENT AWAY THE RICH EMPTY-HANDED. He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his offspring forever."
Mary had kept God’s Word in her heart for many years. She knew his promises throughout her family history. And here she was, an ordinary young woman, the one chosen by God to help accomplish his purpose in the world. Of course, Mary sang a song of joy.
How do you suppose she felt on the night of nights after Jesus had been born, when the astounded shepherds had gone to spread their tale and Joseph’s care for her gave way to sleep?
I have a pretty active imagination, and I have tried to wonder what that night was like. What conversations took place? What did Joseph say? What did Mary say? I want to know those things.
I remember so well what my first moments were like with Trafton. I did exactly what you do if you’re a parent. I looked at every single finger and toe, studied that precious little body; and introduced myself formally to my firstborn. Can we imagine that Mary did anything much different than that?
Beth Moore in her book Jesus, The One and Only imagines the following interaction taking place:
Her body lay sapped of strength, but her mind refused to give way to rest. She ached for her mother. She wondered if she yet believed her. The baby awoke in he night and began to wail! She scooped Him in her arms, her long hair draping His face, and she quietly slipped out of the gate. She gingerly sat down and leaned against the outside of the stable, propped the baby on her small lap, she began to stare into His tiny face. She had not yet seen Him in the light. She had never seen the moon so bright.
Only hours old, His chin quivered, not from the cold, but from the sudden exposure of birth. His eyes were shaped like almonds and were as black as the deepest well. She held Him tightly and quietly hummed a song she’d learned as a child. She had been so frightened of this moment, so sure she would not know what to do. She had never held an infant so small, and He was God, wrapped in soft, infant flesh, with bones so fragile she felt like He could break. She had pictured this moment so many times. What would the Son of the Spirit look like? She never expected Him to look so normal, so common. Must have been the part He inherited from His mother. She was so sure she’d feel terribly awkward. So afraid she’d drop Him, the Messiah, and God would be awfully sorry He had given Him to her! Instead, every fear, every doubt, every inadequacy was momentarily caught up in the indescribable rapture of a mother’s affection.
She looked into His delicate face and watched Him closely as He seemed to stare deeply into the moonlit sky. And she began to talk. "Sweet baby boy. Do You know who Your Daddy is? Do You know Your name? Do You know why You’re here? What do You see when You look out there? Can You see the stars? Do You remember their names? Do You think I’ll do OK? Will You love me too?" A tear dropped from her chin to His. He yawned and made such a funny expression she grinned, wiping her face on the yellowed rags she’d draped around Him. Not a sound was coming from inside the stable. The earth stilled. The infant slept. She held the babe next to her face, and for just a moment, all the world was silent to the breath of God.
She closed her eyes and listened, but she still could not begin to comprehend. She, a common child of the most humble means who had never read the Scriptures for herself, was embracing the incarnate Word. The fullness of the Godhead rested in her inexperienced arms, sleeping to the rhythm of her heart.
The tiny baby boy had robbed her heart. "So, this is how it feels to be a mother," she mused. She crept back into the stable, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in the manger. Just down the path, the sun peeked gently over the roof of an inn full of barren souls who had made Him no room.
Yes Mary trusted God. And her trust in God would be the only thing that she had to get her through some of the most difficult times in her life.
I am sure that Mary did all the things for Jesus that good mothers do. She presented him in the temple according to the law and custom. She took Jesus to the synagogue and the special feast days. She taught him God’s Word. She did everything she knew to do as a young Jewish mother to nurture, support, and encourage her son.
In the process she tried to understand this son of hers, but she didn’t, not really, not until the end.
It was Jesus that challenged and fostered Mary’s trust the most. He might not have been the only son Mary had, but he was the son she had to let go of time and again. This was the son whose life she saved when he received a death threat before he was two years old, forcing Joseph and her to leave the country. And this was the son she couldn’t save later on.
This was the son who amazed her in the temple when he was only twelve years old. He was preparing for a ministry that would change the world. As she listened to Jesus, she must have remembered the voice of Gabriel saying, "This is God’s work, Mary."
This was the’ son whose words Mary learned to trust.
When he spoke, others listened-even during a socially embarrassing incident at a small town wedding feast they were attending in Cana. When the bridegroom ran out of wine, Mary boldly told the servants, "Do whatever my son tells you to do"
This was the son whose miraculous acts of grace, witnessed all over the country of Palestine, reached Mary’s proud ears. And this was the son whose brutal rejection by the religious establishment pierced her heart.
This was the son lifted high on a Roman cross, blood spilling from his body. This was the son whose last words of love rang in her ears until her dying breath as she heard him say to his dearest friend on earth, "Take care of my mother".
As she helplessly stood by and watched Jesus die an agonizing and humiliating death on a cross, perhaps she hopelessly asked along with all the others, "What does it all mean?" Perhaps she was tempted to think, Did I really hear the voice of God before his birth or was it my imagination? And after her son’s death, his burial, and his resurrection, a voice inside reminded her again, "Yes, Mary, this too is God’s work." Why did God choose Mary from among all the women of her day and age to bear his only Son, Jesus?
She wasn’t chosen because she had developed the art of motherhood perfectly or because of her astute understanding of twelve year old boys or of young men embarking on their chosen careers. In fact, over and over we read of Mary’s misunderstanding of and astonishment at her son. I believe Mary was chosen because she remained resolutely focused on God’s will for her life.
So why was Mary chosen? I believe it all goes back to her first encounter with Gabriel. At the very beginning of her story; she described herself as "the handmaid of the Lord".
She spoke of God’s will as the most important thing in her life. No doubt she had to contend with nosy neighbors who wanted to know how and why she got pregnant before she was married. No doubt she had to deal with those who wanted to bring her down in disgrace and humiliation. No doubt Joseph’s initial feelings of shame and disgrace concerned her. No doubt her trust in God made her give up her reputation, and comfort zone.
But it’s interesting to note that those stories are all forgotten. They aren’t even a part of recorded history. We don’t remember Mary’s loss of reputation or the social embarrassment. We remember she was given a reputation above all women of the world by God himself as the mother of his one and only Son, Jesus. We remember that Mary was as faithful to God as she knew how to be.
Do you think Mary understood the circumstances she was placed in?
Do you think she understood the mission of her son Jesus while he lived?
I don’t think she could. But she did trust in God. And with the kind of faith that accepts God’s Word for what it is, Mary lived to see miracles happen. Mary was willing, even though she didn’t fully understand. She believed that God himself would accomplish the work in her that he gave her to do. She counted her circumstances as nothing. She counted God as everything.
Today, God still sends messages for our ears alone that can be both disturbing and wonderful at the same time, occurring right in the middle of our life plans.
Today, God still calls us at surprising and unexpected times to accomplish his work in the world. His messages have a way of suddenly turning our lives upside down, and, like Mary, we can get caught a little off guard at first, stunned with the news before the gratitude sets in. What may appear for a few moments to be our whole undoing can turn out to be the greatest blessing we have ever experienced.
But in order to experience the blessing we first have to trust. Trust that God is.
