Full Sermon We Want to be Ready to Serve based on Luke 1:38

LWML Weekend

Sermon Text: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Sermon Theme: We Want to be Ready to Serve

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Pearl Harbor and volunteers. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii led to the United States entering World War II. More than 16 million served in the military in World War II, and 6.1 million of the 16 million service members were volunteers. To help the recruiting process there was a famous poster. The caption read “I Want You for U.S. Army,” and Uncle Sam was pointing directly at the person looking at the poster. Today in our sermon text God pointed His finger at Mary and said, “I want you!”

II. God called on Mary. Mary was surprised, to say the least. She was humble and was not sure what this all meant for her life. An angel by the name of Gabriel, God’s messenger, was sent to bring Mary a message that would change her life. Gabriel shared words of comfort along with Mary’s new job description: “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” (Luke 1:30–31). Not only did Gabriel tell Mary — “Stop fearing” but he added “you have found favor” with God. Mary was not worthy of God’s gracious favor, His undeserved kindness. She was a sinner, just as are we. She did not earn God’s favor any more than we have. But God had chosen her from all the women of the world to be the mother of Jesus.

III. What was about to take place?God was about to make His promise come true to send a Savior. God was going to send His Son on a special mission to save the world, to save people from their sins and wrongs. God did not merely recruit His Son, as someone may be chosen for a special job. He was following through on His plan to send His Son to pay the ransom price for all sins and wrongs—for you and me and all people. As Luther, the 16th century German reformer, wrote in his Small Catechism concerning Jesus and His saving mission: “who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.”

After all the centuries of waiting — God’s plan of salvation was about to be put into action. Mary, of all people, was about to be the mother of the Savior. Mary, needless to say, was confused. You can only imagine what thoughts may have been going through her mind. So, she asked a question. Her question was not like Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, when he asked the angel for a sign. She did ask for an explanation. Her confusion was easy to understand. She was still a virgin. She asked a simple question: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34).

IV. Mary received her answer. Mary’s child would not have a human father. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). This child was not to be conceived and born in sin; this child was going to be called the “Son of God.” This child that Mary would conceive was going to be God’s Son. Perfect! He would not be sinful. The title of Son of God was a title that belongs only to Jesus. As Jesus said, “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16b).

The angel pretty much summed up this whole visit with the words: “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). The seemingly impossible was going to be possible. There was going to be a birth without a human father and the mother was a virgin.

V. Mary’s response? “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word” (Luke 1:38a). Mary was ready to do God’s will. Mary was a woman of faith. By faith she believed the angel’s message without question and placed herself in the position to serve her Lord. She was ready to serve.

VI. What was the basis of being ready to serve? God’s Word. Mary said, “Let it be to me according to Your word” (Luke 1:38). She believed the message that Gabriel delivered from God. God who was telling her that she would be the mother of the Son of God and she believed God’s message to her. She heard and she believed God’s Word. God’s Word was the basis of her belief and trust in God. By faith in God’s promise she was ready to serve. How she would explain all this to Joseph was not going to be easy, but she trusted in God that things would all work out.

VII. She was ready to serve, like God’s Son. Jesus, as God’s Son, came ready to serve, but for a bigger job than just being miraculously born. His job, as He shared with His disciples: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus became man and came to serve. He taught and healed people, and then went to the cross and rose from the grave to bring us forgiveness for all our sins and wrongs. He was a true servant. Paul summed this up in his letter to the Philippians: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5–8). As a true servant He made the seemingly impossible possible. By God’s gracious favor He was able to accomplish the seemingly impossible — eternal life given as a gift to all who believe in Him. He came to earth on a saving mission, a mission that took Him to the cross to suffer and die for all the sins of the world and then to rise on the third day to conquer death. On that first Easter Sunday morning — Jesus accomplished His saving mission.

VIII. So, what about us? Mary was ready to serve! Jesus served. What about us? If we are looking for someone to imitate, we can look at Mary and her response. We want to make ourselves totally ready to serve our Lord. And how does that take place? We have experienced God’s gracious favor through the efforts of His Son. God has given us the words of the Holy Bible that we hear proclaimed – God has redeemed us through Jesus. Because of that redemption, we can be servants just as Mary was. Paul put things this way: “(Jesus) died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15). We stand ready to serve and with joy.

IX. On this Saturday/Sunday, we celebrate Lutheran Women in Mission, the LWML. Their motto is all about willing service and serving joyfully. “Serve the LORD with gladness!” (Psalm 100:2). Since 1942, Lutheran Women in Mission have focused on affirming each woman’s oneness with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to support global missions. They have been and are ready to serve their Lord. They have a goal for for the years, 2023–2025, to raise through their Mite Boxes and offerings, a mission goal of $2,350,000 to fund mission projects both in the U.S. and around the world. [One mission grant is for the Christ-centered, healing ministry of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch that creates an eternal, life-giving impact in the lives of children ages 10 to 18, who have faced heartbreaking abuse, neglect, and trauma. Established in 1952, the Ranch touches the lives of more than 2,000 children and families each year, from all corners of the United States. This mission grant of $100,000 will help with building costs for a new chapel at the Bismarck, ND, campus where the hearts of these precious children can know and experience the mercy of Christ and His healing power.] [Another mission grant is Lutheran evangelism efforts in countries like the Dominican Republic, Chile, and Uruguay. The need for Spanish language Bibles, Luther’s Small Catechism, children’s materials, devotions, and other resources is continuous. New pastors who are being trained to be missionaries and evangelists need to be equipped with materials that help share the Good News. This grant of $100,000 will provide for the translation and printing costs of approximately 25,000 books by Lutheran Heritage Foundation (LHF). LHF will distribute the printed books free of charge to people in Central and South America who live from week to week and have little or no savings.] These mission grants are only two of many.

X. Conclusion. God called on Mary and she was ready to serve as she told Gabriel, “I am the servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). God sent His Son to serve, and Jesus said to His disciples, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). May we be ready to serve. May our response as the baptized children of God be one of service or as Martin Luther, the 16th century German reformer, stated: “that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.” Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.