The Legacy (2)

Before we begin, let us pray.

Have you ever thought about writing your own autobiography? What moments from your life would you put in it? Your childhood, college, marriage, your career? Life changes? Struggles and Successes?Either way, if we would to try to write our entire live story, it would be a big book! What if you were to start with one of your ancestors and work your way through your family tree to your life as a way to define who you are as a person? Then think about the possibility of your child or co-worker or someone whom you have mentored taking that story and writing about where you legacy went after you have died?

This is the story of the Bible. Think about it! Story of Jesus's ancestors and the reason He came. The laws that were meant to be boundaries for God’s people to keep them as close to their creator as possible. Then the prophecies that told of the frailty of humanity and our need for a Savior. The Jesus came and all He did before He left. Then, His disciples carrying on His legacy to build His church of His people.

The Bible is the Autobiography of Jesus. This is His story, about how the Creator came through on His promise to His fallen creation. This is a story about the covenant between God and humankind.

In Mary’s Song, our text for the day that we will read in a little bit, you will hear many phrases that seem to echo words spoken in the prayers of God’s people from the time of the first covenant onwards. First, let us list the covenants that we know about in the Bible and see if you can find any key words, phrases or thoughts that seem fulfilled in the Mary’s song of praise.

In the Bible, God pursued humanity through Noah through what we call the Noahic covenant. Through the promise given to Noah, God would give mercy and peace to His people, never to destroy all of Creation through water. God pursued His people through Abraham through what we call the Abrahamic covenant. This is where God told Abraham that he would father many nations, not just one but many. God did great things for Abraham. God pursued the people of Israel through Moses and what we call the Mosaic covenant, where they were given a land by God and became a great nation. God pursued the people of Israel through David through what we call the Davidic covenant. This covenant stated that through Davids lineage, a King that would be greater than all Kings would reign for all time. Then, at the fullness of time, God pursued all of humanity through the Covenant of Jesus, which is the New Covenant. God was repairing the broken relationship with His creation that happened with the fall of Humanity. All who struggle with God were now reconciled with God through the birth of Jesus Christ. Each and every Covenant is fulled in unison through Mary’s Son.

Each plea from God’s people for redemption, for salvation, each prayer turns to praise through the lips of Mary. The prophet Samuel was born to a woman who had spent many years not able to have children. This may remind us of Sarah and Abraham, who were old before the birth of Issac who would be the father to Jacob who would be called Israel. Abraham and Sarah’s story also remind us of Zechariah and Elizabeth who were also fairly old when they birthed John the Baptist. Isn’t it interesting how these stories of struggle and miracles build on each other to show God faithfulness and justice in His own time.

Let us Hannah prayer for a child in 1 Samuel 1:11

1 Samuel 1:11 NRSV

She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

Throughout the Old Testament these words echoed as a pray for God to sent us a Righteous Priest and King. Now, let us hear the words of praise from Mary

Pray and Read Luke 1:46-55

Luke 1:46–55 NRSV

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. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Amen! But this is not the end of the story, for this is our story. When Mary sings her song of joy, pregnant with her child Jesus by the Holy Spirit, she recounts briefly, the story of Israel and of all humanity. The story of Christmas is our story of redemption and reconciliation. This story does not belong to just the Hebrew people, but to the many nations that have struggled to find peace and have been searching for a savior. And now our Savior is with us. God’s relenting love cries out for all of His people, all who are created and loved by Him. Everyone, individually, across time and space is loved by God. It is the story of God reaching through the millennia, through Jesus, to you, to me, and to all who will recognize his unrelenting covenant love for them, and will say “Yes.” There is a “Yes” that many human beings have yet to say to the God who loved them and knew them before they ever took their first breath of air. That simple yes is what begins the transformation, the renewal and healing of the human heart, leading us to become who were meant to become, but also to lead others to that same fullness and abundance of life.

You are the name on God’s lips when he speaks of the covenant story that came to its fulfillment in our Lord Jesus. You are the one he “calls by name,” and who has every hair on your head numbered by God. You are the one for whom Jesus, Emmanuel God with us, came to reveal himself. Yes, the covenant story that finds its fulfillment in the words of John when we read the opening of his gospel writing.

John 1:1–14 NRSV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

“Word made flesh” is truly Israel’s story, our story, and the story of the whole world. But this season, own it, embrace it, as your story. A Way has been made for you to come into the wholeness that only the Love of God can bring in your life. If you will say “Yes” to the covenant Love that has been pursuing you your entire life, again this season, you will be opening yourself to meet with God in profound and new ways as the year ahead unfolds.

We are the bearers of a covenant story with humanity in which God is the pursuing our heart. Could we begin to take the essential message of that story, that you and I are loved by the Creator of the universe, and that he has come in flesh and blood so that we can know that God knows our name, our needs, our real struggles, and can give us hope? This is the Christmas message. This is what we celebrate each year at this time. The true meaning of Christmas is that God fulfilled His end of the Covenant promise with all of humanity. We are redeemed! We have new life through Him. He came and is with us now. No human has to be lost to the world. The world is not barren of peace and hope. Our Prince of Peace is here, our Eternal Hope has come.

Have you excepted this gift from God? Do you now know that all you ever need has been given to you through Jesus Christ? Do you except Christmas in your heart? Who can you share the true meaning of Christmas with this week as we welcome once again, the coming of the Messiah? The one true Messiah is coming back again real soon. All of the world awaits the fulfillment of this promise. It is up to us to except this gift and share this gift with everyone. Let us praise God that our Hope, Peace, Joy and Love is here with us now!

In the Name of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.