Prophecy of Jesus’ Birth: Peace

Context

Advent means coming. A season of expectation.

Gospel of Luke. Luke tells us unique and valuable stories about the preparations that occurred for the arrival of Jesus the Messiah. These stories help to cultivate our desire for Jesus to come into our own lives today.

Last week, we heard the story of the Angel Gabriel appearing to the priest Zechariah and promising him that he and his wife, Elizabeth, aged though they were, would have a child, whom they must name John (John the Baptist) who would prepare the people for the arrival of the Christ. And, in accordance with the angels word, Elizabeth became pregnant.

Today, Gabriel the angel appears again, this time bringing good news to a young woman name Mary.

Text

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.

Introduction

Peace — dictionary: Peace is a state of tranquility, harmony, and freedom from violence or conflict. Peace can be experienced on a small or large scale, and can apply to individuals, communities, or nations.

Sometimes I lack peace. The 2-5am window.

Ruminating. Work. Relationship. Finances. Health. Family.

Things are not right (not according to my plan or liking!). I can’t deal with it. I’m all alone.

So I am up for a few hours…worrying, fretting, fearing, stressing…not at peace.

Contrast: Mary says to Gabriel: Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.

The overall feeling I get from these words is peace. Mary was peaceful, settled. I am the servant of the Lord; let it be.

How different would my 2-4am window be, or my life in general be, if my inner spiritual state was grounded in these sentiments: I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.

Let’s learn from Mary.

Mary is a symbol of the whole church.

Symbol for all of us.

Like Mary we are to hear and believe the Good News.

Exegesis 1 - Favored One

Luke 1:28. First, Greetings, O Favored One! (Charis - grace) In church prayers, Hail Mary, full of grace! Fully graced one. Fully favored one!

Reverence and the joy of Gabriel toward her! You who have been singled out by God for a great privilege!

Mary is troubled at this greeting… she was not afraid of the angel…she was puzzled at the saying, she wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Luke tell us only that Mary was a young lady, living in a somewhat small and obscure town in Nazareth. She was engaged to be married to a godly young man named Joseph.

Church tradition discerns that Mary and Joseph both were faithful and very spiritual…

That is why she is not so much afraid of the angel as she is troubled at his greeting.

She understands that Gabriel is about to tell her something momentous.

Luke 1:30. Seeing that Mary is bracing herself for some important divine news, Gabriel assures her with a follow up: you have found favor with God.

In what follows, Gabriel lays out an amazing plan. But before doing that, it is clear that Mary is taking in a first fact, primary fact, in which everything else that follows must be understood: God has chosen her and God favors her. What this angel is about to tell her is couched in God’s favor…it is a blessing.

It is God’s first love and favor, that allows her to eventually affirm with peace:

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

App1: Good News: Loved and favored.

Hail Mary, full of grace or fully favored. That greeting is extended to us.

Mary was full of grace because she would bring Christ into the human family.

We are fully favored too because God wants to give us Jesus also.

Not to be born of the flesh of course. But to be welcomed into our souls.

When I am anxious and worried…I have forgotten that I am loved by God and he has given me Jesus. And still wants to give me Jesus.

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

What can separate us from the love of God? Nothing! Rom. 8:35.

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

If God loves me, the God of the universe loves me, than I can be ready and accept what is coming.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Phil. 4:13.

Gabriel could appear to any one of us and say the same words: you are greatly favored! : in work stress, family strain, economic uncertainty — God greatly loves you.

Knowing we are loved, gives us the peace to say:

I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to you word!

Exegesis 2: Promised Son

Next, Gabriel tells her that she will conceive a son, whom she must name Jesus.

This Jesus will not just be a son for her,

but shall be great and

be called the Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of his (ancestral) father, David

and he will reign over the house of Jacob (all the tribes of the Jews)

and his kingdom will have no end — neither temporally nor spatially.

In short, he will be the Messiah that Mary, Joseph, and all the Jews had been hoping would soon come.

Mary, assured of God’s favor, asks a simple/practical question: How can this be, since I am a virgin?

She does not doubt THAT she will be…she asks only… HOW it can be.

Lifting up for conversation: the fact that she is a virgin and not yet married to Joseph, yet it sounds like Gabriel is talking about a plan for right now. (I love to imagine that Gabriel is deeply happy and urgent in his message) In her own schedule Mary could become pregnant in a few months…complete the betrothal, have the wedding, try for child..but Gabriel seems to have a different plan in mind.

And so it is. Gabriel reveals to her that the conception will pre-date her wedding Joseph, and will not violate her virginity at all. She will conceive a child as a virgin, she will carry the child as a virgin, and will give birth to a son, as a virgin.

Her virginity is not an obstacle to the plan, her virginity IS the plan:

The Holy spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and the child will literally be the holy Son of God. The Spirit, the Father, and the Son, are going to make this happen.

Your virginity is the sign that this is of God. Ancient prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

A lot to take in. Mary could not understand it all in a moment, but she understood one thing clearly:

God is taking action, and I can participate in it.

I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to you word.

APP 2: Good News: We get to be a part of what God is doing.

Gabriel said to Mary: God is going to move into your life. Mary’s life was forever centered on Jesus - an unbreakable bond.

We are invited into the same process.

Romans 8:28–30 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

So when we are at a loss for peace. Feeling like all plans are awry, we come back to the central plan: God has given us Christ, and wants to become more like him.

That plan is unfolding, through everything. Our part to love Christ, welcome him. God will arrange everything else!!

When we want that same thing, we have peace:

I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to you word.

Exegesis 3: Elizabeth

Lastly, Gabriel says to Mary. Elizabeth, your relative, in her old age and said to be barren — is already with child, she is already six months along.

Mary must have had a shocked look on her face.

“For nothing will be impossible with God” says Gabriel.

Meaning: Elizabeth is given as a sign of the truth of Gabriel’s promise to Mary.

Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a lesser miracle in which God granted pregnancy to a barren wife, to help Mary accept the greater miracle of a virgin mother.

Elizabeth is also given to Mary as a comfort: Mary will not be in this alone.

True, later Joseph will learn of the pregnancy and he will go through his own process to accept this divine plan and would become Mary’s and Jesus’ protector and provider.

But in the immediate moment, Mary needed support. Gabriel sent her to Elizabeth. Two new mothers-to-be, a miracle community of two, that would enable Mary to say:

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

App 3: Good News: We are not alone

When I lack peace, I am feeling alone. Community scatters fear and stress. We can do virtually anything together.

And when we are in community with Christ nothing is impossible.

That is what we have in the church.

Lastly, we are not in this alone. We are a community around Christ.

Mary had Elizabeth and later Joseph, and later the disciples of Jesus, to support her and for her to support in return.

We are called into a community of faith. We are to comfort and support and strengthen one another.

I see Christ in you. I see Christ growing in you.

God will get you through, work, family, finance, or life-circumstance.

Conclusion

Peace is an Advent virtue because of what we see in Mary for all of us.

Stress and anxiety and worry and fear are invitations to re-center our selves in peace.

When peace flees, take that invitation, like Mary, Lord speak your servant is listening:

God loves us.

God gives us his Son.

God gives us each other.