The Lord is with you

Introduction

It is great to slow down and simply enjoy this moment with you today. The Salvation Army seems to move at 100 mph in the months of November and December because there is much to do. Atop the already busy work that goes on in our beloved organization, the corps and service units are all also busy with kettles and angel tree, which means that we have extra work with the supportive services that we provide. So, it’s nice that we are applying the breaks for a few moments together to simply celebrate Christmas. This week, it made sense to have the advent message in conjunction with today’s party, and I was asked to offer a devotional on the passage where the angel Gabriel notifyies Mary that she was with child. This is what it reads…

Scripture

Luke 1:26–28 NLT

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Being Highly Favored

Usually, this piece of scripture accompanies several more verses which highlight Mary’s response, one of amazing faith and obedience, but for today’s devotional I am going to stop there.

The first thing that I want us to review is the fact that Mary is highly favored. You should know that Mary isn’t exceptional by the standards that are often applied. She isn’t a princess sitting in a palace somewhere, nor did she just end a 21-month “Eras Tour” like Taylor Swift who is so wildly popular. She isn’t dating anyone of exceptional note. In fact, she’s just a kid in a normal family betrothed to a young carpenter. Yet, here she is, standing n the presence of a mighty Angel sent by God being told that she is highly favored. Isn’t that something! If others would have known and could have resisted the initial judgmental tendencies that we humans always have, the rest of the world would have been looking at her in amazement wondering why God favors this unexceptional girl, and it would have been a fair curiosity.

We should get that though, shouldn’t we, because we too, you and me, are looked upon in amazement because we are highly favored. 1 Peter 1:12 talks about God’s plan of salvation for mankind and says that the angels long to look into this. After all, God’s plan is impressively amazing, but it is for such a weak and obstinate race. Favor shown for such irremarkable beings is peculiar. Yet, here we are, looking with awe at God’s amazing favor for Mary while often struggling to acknowledge our own.

How beautiful it is to see of Mary, and then to realize of ourselves, not that we should become puffed up with pride because, like Mary, this is an unwarranted favor; we’ve done nothing to earn it. No, this is simply an outpouring of unwarranted love. Like Mary who responded with “I am The Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled”, I pray that we receive His favor with equal humility.

The Lord is with you

Next, the angel Gabriel said to Mary “The Lord is with you”. This moment is not only profound for Mary, but for all of Israel. Four centuries earlier, Israel had broken the Mosaic covenant with God, an agreement that bound their relationship. They began worshipping other “gods”, and in response, God removed His protective presence, allowing them to become the recipients of defeat and destruction at the hand of the Babylonians. What else was He to do? They suddenly want a polyamorous lifestyle and He had already told them at the beginning of their relationship about His jealous tendencies.

So God forewarns them through the prophets that He was leaving and they would suffer as a result, but because of His love for them as well as promises made to their forefathers, He promised that a savior would come. Jeremiah 33:6 says that through this savior God will give health, healing, peace and security.

The city of Jerusalem ended up being decimated by the Babylonians, and its people taken captive for the next 70 years. They were then allowed to return to Israel but entered into a time of great strife for a period of about 400 years all the while looking and praying for their promised savior. This period was known as the “silent years” because God did not raise up another prophet to speak on His behalf.

How painful must this period have felt. I’ve never been abandoned by God but have had moments where I felt like I had. I’m sure you have as well. But here we are today, hearing Gabriel say to Mary “The Lord is with you”. Like the still small voice of God whispering to Elijah through the thunders of calamity, His presence re-emerges in an equally subtle way, an unborn baby in an unassuming, simple, yet faithful girl.

But what’s really happening as we picture the associated imagery, is that the kingdom of heaven is bursting onto the scene. For inside Mary’s womb is a tiny portal to the Throne of God. Soon, with the birth of Jesus, God will have stepped through to begin showing the people of earth what the ethical rule of heaven looks like, a rule of love and justice that can be seen as Jesus cares for the poor, heals the sick, liberates the captive, and restores hope to the hopeless. And in our time, His presence continues to advance as His Holy Spirt indwells the believer allowing a relationship with God more intimate than ever known before.

Wrap UP

Friends, what all of this really points to is the future promise that God will establish His kingdom among His people, free of the influence of sin. So, when the angel Gabriel says “Greetings, you who are favored. The Lord is with you”, he is not only speaking to Mary, He is speaking to all of God’s people. May we all feel hope and love this Christmas as we more deeply consider Gabriel’s greeting to Mary.

[Announce/Introduce Major Jonathan]