"How Was Your Christmas?" 2009

Luke 1:30-31, 38-49

 

Luke 1:30-31, 38-49

            The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.  In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’   And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

 

 So, how was your Christmas?,

            Was your Christmas wonderful, joyful and meaningful this year?

 

Yes, it may seem a bit early to be asking those questions;

            but after this Friday,

                        isn't that what our friends and coworkers will be asking?                                                                                                      … so, how will you answer?

 

If we want, "how was your Christmas?"

            to be more than just a rhetorical question;

                 then by what calculation will we determine, judge or measure

                                    the quality and excellence of our Christmas?

 

     As a student, don't you want to know in advance

            what will be the basis used for determining your grade?

                           Or by what standards and measures your employer

                                    will decide if you will be getting a raise this year?

 

How do we tell a good or great Christmas,  from one which is not?

 

It is worth asking, so that we're not left empty and disappointed

      for having missed the point and purpose of the Christmas season.

 

Despite all the greed and the materialism,

     and the rampant commercialization of Christmas in our culture,

                we all know that

                        even the most desirable and perfect Christmas present

                                    does not and cannot   guarantee us     the wonderful

                                                and meaningful Christmas   that we desire…

*…  there's more to it than just giving or receiving an ideal gift.

 

I remember    that coming home from college for Christmas break

            was always a wonderful time for reconnecting with old friends,

                 it was very nice to spend time with family relaxing at home,

                                    and some of the best music,  and most beautiful à

                                        worship services occur during Christmas…

*… but even that does not necessarily ensure a meaningful Christmas.

 

            There's something more

                            to having   the truly meaningful and wonderful Christmas

                                    that the Lord our God    intends and desires for us.

 

It seems to me, that as Christians

            seeking to measure, evaluate and maximize our Christmas,

                           we might begin by considering the best Christmas of all,

                                    that very first Christmas in all of human history…

… which began with the faithfulness of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

 

            Mary's faithfulness and courage have always astounded me.

On that first Christmas, she was a very young girl, a teenager,

            who had her whole life, her dreams and plans before her,

                  engaged to marry Joseph and build their life together;

   à but then God came in with another plan and purpose for her.

 

Listen to the story,      Luke 1:26-28

            In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 

 

"Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." sounds wonderful and fine, 

            until the messenger explains to Mary what 'favored'  means.

Luke 1:30-31, 38

            The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. …    (skipping ahead)   Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’

 

            "Let it be with me, just as God has said –

                        according to God's will,   God's purpose and plan,   not mine."

These words are simple and powerful;

            for they are absolute surrender to the will and purpose of God.

 

Mary obediently responds to God's call and His agenda for her:

                        - risking the loss of reputation in her community,

                                    the rejection and shame of an unmarried pregnancy,

                                       even putting at risk her pending marriage to Joseph.

 

She humbly and willingly accepts embarrassment and inconvenience,

            for sake of obedience, and faithfulness to God's will;

                               "If that is what God  wants of me, than let it come to pass"

 

In Mary's faithful and absolutely trusting response,

            we see an example and model of ideal Christian discipleship:

 

- in humility   she simply responded, trusting entirely God's will.

 

            She didn't refuse and try to run the other way,   as Jonah did.

                        She didn't say, "I'm not good enough",   as did Moses.

                                    She didn't say, "show me a sign first",  as Gideon did.

            She simply said, "OK fine, let it with me according to your will."            

 

- in faithfulness   she willingly accepted God's will,

                        though it would certainly be difficult and costly,

                            and quite different than the wedding plans she had made.

 

- in usefulness  she obeyed & served to fulfill God's will & purpose

                        And so God was able to use Mary in a unique & wonderful way,

                                    because she did obey and submitted her all to her God.

 

Mary exemplified the faith that the Apostle Paul urges in  Rom. 12:1 'And so, dear brothers and sister, I plead with you to give your bodies to God.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will accept.   When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?'

 

Mary's example and pattern of faithful obedience to the Lord,

            to whatever God commands, to whatever   is the right thing,à

                        however difficult, uncomfortable or even unpleasant… à

 

à … I believe   is a clue,  and this is the path and our guide

            toward having a most meaningful and wonderful Christmas.

 

Mary exemplifies what it means to honor, to serve and to obey God,

            and she is an extraordinary model of faithful discipleship.

 

Jesus grew within that woman's body, and from her Jesus emerged.

            From her   the light of God's promise & purpose shined brightly…

                  … as she literally  allowed God to dwell and grow within her,

                            and she literally   bore Jesus Christ out into the world.

 

And having submitted her body,  having placed her whole self,

            her all   completely obedient to God's word, will and purpose;

                  she then celebrates and praises the Lord her God,

                        for allowing her to participate in God's purpose and plan.

Luke 1:46-49

            "My soul magnifies the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;  for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

 

This word 'magnify',

            as in light shining through a magnifying glass as it reveals,

                        by enlarging and making hidden details more visible;

    here, magnify means

            that God's love, purpose and good will   shines through her.

Mary is pregnant, bursting forth with The Good News of God's grace,      

       as God's presence and power residing within her is made visible.

 

So, how does this relate to a fine and wonderful Christmas?

            What can you and I do toward a measurably wonderful Christmas?

 

Mary answers that question in verse 38:

  "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."

 

Our call, the way that we can have a truly wonderful Christmas

            is to hear and to embrace God's agenda,   rather than our own;

                        that is,    to live lives which do proclaim the good news,

                             & that like Mary, bring and bear Christ into our world:

 

            by being alert to the opportunities God places before us,

                         by making a difference in the world around us because à

à we are Christians      servants  who walk in faithfulness with God.

 

A fish will only grow

            in proportion to the size of the aquarium in which it swims.

So too our faith cannot   and will not grow

            beyond the confines of our willingness to submit to God's will…

  … and our refusal to obey will block and stop our spiritual growth.

 

Our walk with God will not grow beyond

            the limits set by our trust, faith and obedience to the Lord,

                        by our willingness to respond to God's call and good will.

 

Each of us will have opportunities during this Christmas season,

            to do something that is significant and extraordinary –

                        and that serves and embraces God's will and purpose,

                            perhaps even something  that only a Christian would do.

 

Perhaps we will meet someone who is feeling dejected or alone,

        to whom we can bring a hopeful blessing of encouragement

                 as a reflection of God's own loving compassion...

 … even as small as

            sharing our smile and joy with someone  who has lost theirs.

 

It may be that someone we encounter during this Christmas season,

            will do or say something terribly wrong, hurtful or offensive;

                        which then,      for Christ's sake,   we choose to let it go,

                                    and so   forgo our rightful resentment and revenge…

 

… choosing instead  to practice pardon, mercy and forbearance,

        simply because we love Jesus, who lives and dwells in our heart,

               for no reason, other than the presence & power of Jesus in us.

 

If we will look and listen for where and how God's Spirit leads us,

     then even in the mundane, the ordinary and everyday of our lives,

        there will be some opportunity to make a difference to someone …

                        … some way we can give or serve    which will make for a à

                                    better,  more memorable  and wonderful Christmas.

 

As Mary was pregnant with God,  with God's will and loving purpose,

      so too each one of us   has also been specifically chosen & called

              to bear, to bring and reveal Jesus Christ  out into our world.

 

Mary is favored and blessed,   not because

            she is somehow more spiritual, more righteous or even sinless,

                        but because she takes God at His word, she            accepts and

                                    follows what she is told    despite her fear and doubt.

 

And as surely as Hallmark has a new ornament to sell each Christmas,

            so God has a unique gift and blessing for us this Christmas.

 

                        Will we follow the example  as modeled by Mary?, vs. 38, 45

                                    ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord;

                                                let it be with me according to your word.’

            And blessed is she who believed that there would be

                        a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.

 

"O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray.

            Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today."