Celebrating God’s Changes for You

I Have to Admit, I Don’t Like Change

I’m not alone. In just a few weeks we begin to think about New Year resolutions. They sound good but very few of us actually follow through on the resolutions. Researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January. [1]

I wrestle with change because in my head I know that change is an important part of life.

Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." —John F. Kennedy

I certainly don’t want to miss the future and as a leader of a church, it is important to be open to God’s will and direction. But, more often than not, change is felt personally.

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." — Leo Tolstoy

This is why the rich young ruler turned his back on Jesus and walked away. He wasn’t willing to confront himself – in his case, his love of money. Change demands becoming different….transforming….converting into something new and it scares us like the ghosts in Scrooge’s long Christmas Eve.

Change is Usually an Unwelcomed Guest

You’ve probably heard the statement, “Can a leopard change its spots?” It comes from a prophetic word in the book of Jeremiah when God asks, “Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.”[2]Does this mean that we can’t or shouldn’t change?

I talked about Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol in my first sermon of the season. If you remember, I mentioned how the image of Scrooge as a new man sticks his head out the window on Christmas day. Is it really a lasting change? Will Scrooge just relapse back into his former character? Dickens said he would not…

“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world.”[3]

His change stuck. It makes it a great story. A story of hope, reconciliation, and redemption.

Of course, we have an even better story in the Christmas story. So, let’s take these thoughts about change and apply them to the lives of Mary and Joseph.

Mary and Joseph Respond to Change

The Christmas Story begins with the would-be parents of Jesus having their lives disrupted and forever changed!

Mary

Luke 1:26–38 NIV

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Joseph

Matthew 1:18–25 NIV

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Imagine that you are engaged to be married. This is usually a time of excitement for you and your fiancé. For Mary and Joseph, they had been betrothed. In their culture the betrothal was legally binding just like marriage. They just couldn’t be together. The community would have understood this. Pregnancy before marriage would have been disastrous. By law Joseph had the right to have Mary either stoned or cast out of the community. Such casting out of a young unwed mother would have been tantamount to a death sentence. She probably would not have been able to survive on her own, and few people would have helped a woman in disgrace. In either case, Joseph’s honor in the community was severely tarnished. He would have been scorned as an immoral man or laughed at as a cuckold.[4]

Change doesn’t typically knock at our doors and ask for permission to come into our lives.

"Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up." — James Belasco and Ralph Stayer

Mary and Joseph were in love (let’s suggest). Things were smooth and pleasant…until change came showed up. There are a lot of things at which to be amazed but let’s consider their willingness to accept the change.

Mary and Joseph's response to change is characterized by their faithful obedience to God's will, despite the challenges they faced. When Mary became pregnant during their betrothal period, Joseph initially planned to divorce her quietly, demonstrating his righteousness and mercy[5]. However, after receiving a message from an angel in a dream, Joseph changed his plans and took Mary as his wife, showing his willingness to follow God's command even when it contradicted his initial intentions.[6]Mary, for her part, responded to the unprecedented change in her life with acceptance, as evidenced by her "fiat" or "let it be done" in response to the Annunciation.[7]Both Mary and Joseph embraced a virginal marriage, which one article suggests was a form of "continence for the kingdom of heaven" that served a greater spiritual purpose. Their openness to change and obedience to divine guidance played a crucial role in the events surrounding Jesus' birth, with Joseph taking on the role of Jesus' legal father and protector.[8]

This willingness to adapt and follow God's plan, even when it meant significant personal changes, is presented as a model of faith and obedience in the face of unexpected circumstances.

How Will You Respond When Change Happens?

It is inevitable…change…not always bad, but almost always challenging. This is really what the Lord has been challenging me with this year, and I believe He wants to challenge you. Can a man change?

Can God Change Our Feelings?

Our feelings are our responsibility, but it is an area where we often struggle. Is it possible for our feelings to change? With God’s help…YES!

Can God Change Our Attitudes?

I would list attitudes separately from feelings. We often adopt other people’s attitudes, but the truth is that we need to evaluate our attitudes and take responsibility to them. Then, we have to be willing to CHANGE!

Can God Change Our Desires?

Charles Dicken’s suggests that a miserly, money-loving, old man can become a man who desires the best for Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and even the masses of poor around him. Is it possible that the man healed at the Pool of Bethseda or the woman caught in the act of adultery could “go and sin no more”? I believe so…

Can God Change Our Behaviors?

Are we scripted to behave in a certain way. Did an event 20 years ago determine your behavior today and for the future? The Bible instructs us that our behaviors can change as we allow the Holy Spirit to move and we act in obedience.

Can God Change Our Thoughts?

Our thinking affects how we respond to people and situations. We have to own our thoughts and challenge them to know if they are true. Thoughts can move us out of relationships.

Paul encouraged the church to master their thoughts:

Philippians 4:8 NIV

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Again and again, whether it is thoughts, behavior, desires, attitudes, or feelings…the answer to the question, “Can God change a man” is emphatically, YES!

Dicken’s agreed:

“I don't know what to do!' cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath, and making a perfect Laocoon of himself with his stockings. 'I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!'

He had frisked into the sitting-room, and was now standing there, perfectly winded.

'There's the saucepan that the gruel was in!' cried Scrooge, starting off again, and going round the fireplace. 'There's the door by which the Ghost of Jacob Marley entered! There's the corner where the Ghost of Christmas Present sat! There's the window where I saw the wandering Spirits! It's all right, it's all true, it all happened. Ha, ha, ha!'

Really, for a man who had been out of practice for so many years, it was a splendid laugh, a most illustrious laugh. The father of a long, long line of brilliant laughs!

'I don't know what day of the month it is,' said Scrooge. 'I don't know how long I have been among the Spirits. I don't know anything. I'm quite a baby. Never mind. I don't care. I'd rather be a baby. Hallo! Whoop! Hallo here!”[9]

I think we all would rather “be a baby”.

Respond with Obedience and Cooperation to Holy Spirit

Imagine if Mary and Joseph had told the angels, “NO, God is demanding too much of me! My hopes, dreams, normalcy, protection from the mob, or protection from pain.” We are all grateful for their responses in obedience, humility, and cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:38 NIV

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Matthew 1:24 NIV

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Mary places herself under the Lordship of God, “I am the Lord’s servant”; and Joseph obediently walks out God’s plan in their lives.

What will you do when the Lord asks you to change? What about your thoughts, behavior, desires, attitudes, or feelings?

[1] https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail#:~:text=Researchers%20suggest%20that%20only%209,fail%20at%20New%20Year's%20resolutions. [2] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Je 13:23. [3]Excerpt From A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens. https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-christmas-carol/id510974519This material may be protected by copyright. [4]Richard R. Losch, All the People in the Bible: An A–Z Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 233. [5] J. Knox Chamblin, Matthew: A Mentor Commentary, Mentor Commentaries (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 2010), 210. [6] Vernon T. Jones, Nourishment for the Spiritual Pilgrimage: Daily Devotions for Christian Disciples (Eugene, Oregon: Resource Publications, 2017). [7] Christopher West, Theology of the Body Explained, Revised Edition. (Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media, 2007), 338. [8] Richard R. Losch, in All the People in the Bible: An A–Z Guide to the Saints, Scoundrels, and Other Characters in Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 232. [9] Excerpt From A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens. https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-christmas-carol/id510974519