The Gift Of Christmas Part1 " What Mary Didn't Know" Series

“What Mary did not know”

December 10, 2017

Christmas series

I am sure that I am not alone when I say

Sometimes I make things up as I go

I am often not a good planner

And I often don’t communicate may plans well

But

When I am going with someone else’s plan

I want to know every detail

When are we leaving

When will we get there

How much is it going to cost

Who is involved

What do we hope to accomplish?

And the like

I am once again

Sure

That I am not alone in this area

We go along with the plans of others best

When we know the plans

Right?

But

When we are dealing with someone we truly trust

Less information is required

If someone in my life

Has gained my trust

My respect

My loyalty

They can simply say

I need you

Let’s go

And I will go

Once again

I am sure some of you can identify with me on this

Today in preparation for Christmas

We are beginning a very short series on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

We will look at Mary and her response to the news of the coming birth today

Then tonight at the community service we will take a look at the meaning of Jesus’s

birth

Life

Ministry

Death and resurrection

And his promise of eternity for us

Next week we will look at the hardships Mary and Joseph faced along the way to Bethlehem

And then the following week

Christmas eve

We will celebrate the birth of Jesus

With our traditional candle light service

At our 10:30 service

Please try to attend all the services

And join us as we learn more about this miraculous birth

Today

I am going to use a slant

Of the song

“Mary did you know”

This song was written in 1984 by unknown song writer Mark Lowery

And first recorded in 1991 by artist Michael Green

Has quickly become a favorite Christmas song

For millions

My self-included

Ironically

The Gather Gospel band refused to sing it

Stating the title and lyrics

Would be more correct if it said

Mary do you know ?

Instead of Mary did you know

And that is where I want to go today

What Mary

Did not know

Please open your bibles to the Gospel of Luke

Chapter 1

I am going to read a very recognizable passage of scripture to you

If you grew up in church

Or have even been to church on Christmas

You have likely heard this passage of scripture

Today

It is my desire to take a deeper look and apply that look to our lives

Luke Chapter 1

Beginning in verse 26- 35

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,[d] favored woman! The Lord is with you![e]”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[f] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

Mary

Just a young girl

Engaged to be married to a common man

Living a poor life

In an area of Galilee that was typically looked down on by the rest of the Jewish people

Is being given

Part of a great plan

Just a small part

There is so much she does not know

So much she does not understand

And so much she will come to know and understand in the years to follow

But for now

I want to look at what she did not know

Mary did not know that her baby boy

Would one day walk on water

She did not know that her son would save our sons and daughters

She did not know that her child would come to make all things new

Mary did not know

That Jesus

Emmanuel

Would

Turn the water into wine

That he would heal the blind