The Thrill of Hope (3) - Where is Hope?

So I tried something this week. I literally Googled “Today's bad news” just to see what it would reply with. The results were actually just news web sites. USA Today, NBC News, CNN, that was the results of my searching for today's bad news. So that means all the news we get is bad news. An oil spill in Kansas, hospitals in major cities seeing spikes in admissions of flu/RSV/Covid, political divisions getting worse, power stations getting attacked, school violence, and unexplained deaths all events is the last few days. News is usually just bad.

When a weary world receives good news, it rejoices. It pays attention and wants more. During the height of the global shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, actor John Krasinski started a YouTube show called Some Good News. The show exploded in popularity, with over seventy-two million views in two months. The premise of the show was short stories focusing on good things people were doing for others all over the world. The world has always clamored for good news. The world has always desperately craved hope. The world has repeatedly through out history asked the question, “Where is Hope.”

In our scripture today the world was again craving good news. Let’s set the stage for our story today. There was a sense of urgency that filled the country. A general expectancy was in the air concerning the long expected Messiah. Many Jews looked back to Old Testament Prophecy and in particular the book of Daniel concerning their present day, and many of those people felt that the time was drawing near. For 400 years foreign troops had occupied Israel and the feeling was that this Messiah would deliver them from their oppressors. They were ready for the Messiah. They were ready for a change. They were asking, where is hope. LUKE 1:1-14

Luke 1:1–14 ESV

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Scripture Explanation VS 1-4 Next to Paul, Luke is the most powerful writing force in the New Testament, and yet he is basically unknown. Luke has a two volume set: The Books of Luke & Acts. Luke starts with the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner to Jesus, and it ends at the end of the book of Acts which is volume two of his writings, it ends with the gospel being preached at Rome which means the gospel has extended to the world. No other writer wrote so comprehensive a history of Jesus and His impact. No other writer goes all the way from the John the Baptist to the gospel having reached the capital of the Roman Empire. He is the most complete story teller of the saga of salvation in the New Testament.

We know from Paul's writings, that Luke is a beloved physician. We know he was a Gentile physician. We also know he was a historian. Luke the physician and Luke the historian.

Verse 1 of this gospel says, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us …” What’s he doing here? He’s saying, “Look, folks, I’m speaking to you as a historian. I’m writing as a historian.” He uses that high-level classical literary Greek to establish the fact that this belongs on the library shelf with the classics. I am writing a true and legitimate history. And he starts by identifying his sources. This is sort of like putting your footnotes at the beginning rather than at the bottom of the page or at the end. The events of Jesus’ life, he said, have become the subject for many writers. Many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us. At the very outset he alerts the reader to the fact that he is aware of others who have provided records of the story of Jesus. He is aware that there are many others who have written about Jesus. He doesn’t say who the many were, but he does say he investigated everything, in verse 3, carefully from the beginning. Every resource he could find he investigated. Luke was personally acquainted with apostles, personally acquainted with firsthand eyewitnesses of the events of Christ’s life. These four verses are important to always keep in mind when reading Luke & Acts. Luke said from the beginning that he investigated the claims of Jesus, and here are the results of that investigation. As a physician and a historian, Luke set out to write a complete and accurate account of what happen. VS 26-28 Nazareth in this period was an insignificant village of an estimated sixteen hundred to two thousand inhabitants. The announcement in Nazareth shows that Mary came from humble, agrarian roots. Galilee was not a respected region. It was hardly the expected locale for one sent from God. It was not the place nor the person that the long awaited Messiah should come from. The person Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. In this time period, marriage consisted of two distinct stages: engagement followed by the marriage itself. Engagement involved a formal agreement initiated by a father seeking a wife for his son. The next most important person involved was the father of the bride as he would have to agree. A son’s opinion would be sought some in the process. The daughter had little say.

Luke clearly emphasized that Mary was a virgin both before and after conception. We just talked the person Luke & His approach to writing. So Luke is writing about the virginity of Mary after he thoroughly investigated it as would be natural for a doctor to do. And who would a woman be more open to about her pregnancy than a doctor.

You who are highly favored. Mary had been “graced” by God in that she had been chosen to bear God’s Son. She had not been chosen for this task because she possessed a particular piety or holiness of life that merited this privilege. The text suggests no special worthiness on Mary’s part. This was another example of God's grace shining through His plan of redemption. VS 29-33 Mary’s surprise was not primarily because it was not customary for a man to greet a woman but because it was not customary for an angel to greet a woman. Interactions of women and angels are rare events in biblical times. But with God through Christ there's no difference between Jew & Gentile, between man & woman. Do not be afraid. Why should she not be afraid? Mary found favor. The Greek word here means unmerited, undeserved grace from God. God’s grace removes our sin and our fear.

The emphasis is on God’s sovereign choice, not on human ability. You will be with child. For the combination of conceive, bear, and call, which we find in this verse.

Here Luke began a fivefold description about “who” Jesus is. He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. This means “will be the Son of God.” The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob. His kingdom will never end. VS 34-37 Literally, Mary responds with "I know no man." The word “know” is used to describe intimacy within a relationship. Although technically Joseph was Mary’s husband, no sexual consummation had as yet taken place.

“So” (literally Therefore) is causal and has been explained in two ways: (1) Jesus is God’s Son because of the Spirit’s activity in causing the virgin birth, and (2) Jesus is holy because of the Spirit’s activity. And the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

God already had done the impossible in Elizabeth’s case so that the problem Mary raised in 1:34 is insignificant. That this was to be a virgin birth is also confirmed by the fact that, since Jesus is greater than John the Baptist, his birth must also be greater.

For with God nothing will be impossible. The angel is saying that both Mary’s conceiving as a virgin, but it also Elizabeth’s conceiving in her old age is not an issue for God, who creates all life. VS 38 I am the Lord’s servant.… May it be to me as you have said. Mary is exemplary because of her submission to God’s will. In humble submission, Mary was now ready to serve God and follow his will. As pregnancy had lifted Elizabeth’s disgrace because she hadn't had a child, this pregnancy, it would bring initial disgrace to the Virgin Mary. Both Elizabeth & Mary agreed to do what God required. Then the angel left her. Luke frequently concluded an account with such a departure.

Application

KEY TRUTH Hope can change your world if you'll be a servant Gabriel came with a message of confidence. Gabriel immediately begins to calm Mary’s fears by his opening statement. "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” This was going to be a message of good news and Mary was chosen for a great purpose.‌Gabriel came with a message of hope. Gabriel brought the message of the coming miracle birth that would bring hope to the entire world. God was going to redeem His people and bring them back to Him. Gabriel tells Mary to name the child Jesus. The name Jesus literally means “The Lord saves.” This miracle child was going to be the source of salvation for the entire world. This is a message of hope. But as you looked back at Mary’s life, Mary seemed to have a great deal of limitations that might rule her out for being used by God. The first limitation was Mary’s age. Mary was very young at the time of this event. The second limitation was Mary’s affluence. Mary was from a very poor family and they had little standing. The third limitation was Mary’s anonymity. Mary was a woman who had no rights and no voice, and was probably unknown. She wasn’t a person of prominence or power or prestige. It would seem that Mary would have little to offer the service of the most high God.‌ A young woman, just entering her teens, is confronted by heavenly messenger who says, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you.” It’s a strange scene to be sure. Doesn’t it seem to be a rather preposterous plan? Does it strike you as ludicrous that God’s plan of salvation should depend upon the willingness of a unknown young woman living in an obscure village of a remote province? It’s not the plan anyone would have imagined. We know about Rome; we even know about Jerusalem; but what and where is Nazareth? We know about Augustus Caesar. We even know about old King David of ancient Israel. But who is this Mary?‌Mary seems like the first person to be eliminated from a prospect list to be the mother of Christ. Mary’s linage is not the strongest.‌Mary was an ordinary, as common as anyone of us. No great accomplishments, no great history. She is an everyday Nazarene.

Mary is described as obedient and faithful but she was chosen by God’s grace not by merit. Like all of us, Mary was indeed chosen by God.‌This fact is all that really matters because when God chooses He also will provide all that is needed. Many may have believed that Mary was unable to do anything great for the Kingdom of God but God reveals time and time again that He works through the lives of ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.‌God acts through ordinary human beings, like you and me ordinary human beings, that trust God enough to undertake extraordinary missions beyond their capabilities or imaginings. Most of the time, God comes to us in ordinary ways, through ordinary people. It is even true in the case we have this morning. Although God chooses the extraordinary means of sending the Archangel Gabriel, God still announces that the divine plan for our salvation is to come to us through the body of a peasant girl from Nazareth. Of course this plan will work only if she is willing to surrender to God’s will; only if she can find the faith she needs to trust God’s preposterous plan.‌

Mary reflects the person whom God unexpectedly chooses to use. She brings no outstanding credentials to the task and lives on the edge anonymity. She brings nothing on her résumé other than her availability, her humility and her heart to serve. But those characteristics are the most basic ones anyone can offer God. So despite the fact that she has had no training or preparation, she agrees. He simply promises to be with her in the journey, and she responds by being willing to go on the ride.

The humble setting of Jesus’ birth not only reveals the nature of God’s plan, it also reveals the character of God’s heart. God loves those who are humble in spirit. Even his Son, as the King of Israel, the Promised One, is born of a humble, country maiden in a barn with animals. This example of God’s unpretentiousness is an attitude that we as his children should possess. We might expect great things from God and anticipate that he will work through the great, well known, popular in society. But God shows his greatness by working with anyone on the street who is willing to be used by him. Spiritual greatness is not a matter of social class, monetary clout, or educational background; it is a function of the heart. God’s approach stands in contrast to the type of credentials our world looks for and honors. Externals count for little with him; other issues matter much more. God can do great things through those who entrust the journey with him to his care. God does great things through the humble. That means when God leads, we must simply reply, “May it be according to your will.”

Mary pledges her loyalty to God. She pledges that she will serve Him as she has in the past. Mary states her commitment and vows to follow God. Mary will follow God, be a part of His plan, no matter what the personal cost may be.‌If there is one thing to get out of Mary’s story it is this: Mary’s heart to serve God. Her reputation would be ruined; her life would be dramatically changed. Nazareth wasn’t a big place so it would have been hard to for Mary to keep her delicate condition a secret. She could lose her fiancée, her family support system, and her future. But God has called, and she responded Here am I Lord.‌ How many of us understand that God is waiting for us to say "Let it be to me according to your word"? Like Mary, we cannot always understand what is going on. Like her, we can only remember that we are members of a community of faithful people whose life story is the story of God’s action among us, on behalf of the whole world. Like Mary, we cannot foresee what our future will be if we accept God’s will. Like Mary we can only know that because we are members of the body of Christ, God has no other hands and hearts and minds in the world but ours. Like Mary, we can only know that if God’s will is to be accomplished in this world, we must play our part in this preposterous plan.

Like Mary we must realize that Hope can change your world if you'll be a servant.

Conclusion

Hope resides in the heart of a servant. Our word needs hope today more than it ever has.

Mary reflects the proper response of anyone who has been called by God with no credentials. She is the Lord’s servant. God’s servants have the right attitude and perspective to accomplish great things for him if they say: “Let it be according to your word.” Mary literally had hope residing with her as she carried Christ in the womb. It's hard to imagine how that knowledge of knowing she was carrying the hope of the world within her would affect her. How it preoccupied her mind. How it felt to know that she had the hope of all humanity within her. To know that all the longing for the Messiah, all the praying for salvation, all the hope her world needed resided within her. Hope can change your world if you'll be a servant.

All the longing for a savior, all the praying for salvation, all the hope the world needed was found inside of Mary.

And it's found inside the heart of every believer. The hope the world desperately longs for is found in you, Christ follower. The angel said to Mary, “Greetings. You are highly favored, the Lord is with you.” The hope given to Mary is given to you & me. “You are highly favored, the Lord is with you.” Mary changed the course of human history because she became a servant. She had the hope of humanity within her. You can change the world. Not because you or I are special, but because of that hope we carry within us as followers of Christ. While Mary had some understanding of what she was doing, it's impossible for her to have understood what it all meant. Her service would extend beyond her life span. Your willingness to serve, to be bearers of Hope, will outlive your life span. When you serve God, you really can't see how it will impact the world today & in the future. The beauty of hope. The effects of hope carry on for generations. You can change the world because you carry the same hope within you that Mary did. You have the hope the world is crying out for. That Hope is Jesus. You can change your world with hope by serving, just like Mary.

Where is hope? Jesus is our hope & Jesus is in you. The hope our world needs is found in you. If we are willing to serve like Mary did, then we too can change the world. Your world will change when you serve.