Let It Be to Me

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So this week is Christmas! Wow, it’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of the year. Honestly, I’ve got so much to do before July of 2024, and I’m not sure I’ll get it all done! Do you ever feel like that—like there’s no way to get everything finished? Boy I sure do. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed that I freeze, and instead of tackling what’s already on my list, I end up starting something new. That’s just how my brain works—the old stuff feels boring, and I’m drawn to something new.

Anyway, let’s talk about Mary this morning. She was a young woman with plenty on her mind. Mary was betrothed to Joseph—engaged to be married. I’m sure she didn’t have anything to think about as a young bride-to-be, right? While their marriage was arranged, it’s important to understand this wasn’t like the arranged marriages we might picture today. Mary’s parents arranged it, but her consent mattered. She knew Joseph.

In the Christmas story, we meet Mary as a young woman, likely around 15 or 16 years old. She was engaged to Joseph, preparing to start her new life as a wife. Mary was probably excited about building a home with Joseph and, in time, starting a family according to God’s plan. For now, though, she was simply engaged. In their culture, engagements might have lasted about a year to allow time for planning. Weddings weren’t private affairs like many are today—they were large community celebrations that required extensive preparation. You can imagine all the thoughts and plans running through Mary’s mind.

Now, this ordinary young woman was about to be given an extraordinary task. God chose her for a unique and incredible assignment. Could God have chosen someone else? Absolutely. Mary wasn’t holy or divine in any way, despite what some portrayals suggest. She was simply a young woman whom God chose for an extraordinary moment. Her life was about to be forever changed by a life-altering message from God. Let’s take a look at that message.

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.

Did you catch Mary’s response to this life altering message? What she said was so inspiring to be honest…She said, “…let it be to me according to your word” Her words reveal a humble heart of service to the Lord—a heart we can all learn from this morning.

How do you respond when God calls you to trust Him in uncertain circumstances? How do we discern His will in our lives? Many of you may be asking, “What am I supposed to do next?” or “How do I manage this situation?” You’re seeking to understand God’s will, but you’re unsure how to reach the point of saying, “Let it be…to me…”

This morning, I want to encourage you and help you find the answer to a crucial question. While I won’t answer it directly, my hope is that, as we reflect on Mary’s response, you’ll gain the tools and understanding necessary to answer it yourself. We'll also explore a framework that God has given us for discerning His will and surrendering to it.

Remember Mary’s response to this life-altering message? What she said is truly inspiring. She simply said, 'Let it be to me according to your word.' In those few words, we see a heart of humble service to the Lord—a response that I believe we can all learn from today.

Let’s start off by reflecting on the

Surrender Exemplified in Mary

Mary found herself in what seemed like an impossible situation. She was betrothed to Joseph, and though we don’t know how far along they were in the process, it doesn’t change the reality she faced. In the midst of her busy life, an angel announced that her plans would be interrupted by an unplanned pregnancy.

And did you realize that this moment is when Jesus entered the world? We celebrate His birth, but the Incarnation began when He was conceived by the Spirit in Mary’s womb. That’s why, when Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb—because Jesus was alive in Mary’s womb. Life begins at conception, not at birth, a heartbeat, or any other arbitrary moment, but at conception. This truth reminds us why the taking of innocent life, such as through abortion, is such a grievous sin. Life is sacred, created by God, and begins at conception.

Now, we are able to learn alot through

Mary’s Faith & Trust:

Mary said yes. She didn’t say, let me go home to think and pray about it..she said yes. Now, this yes, came with alot of social and emotional risks didn’t it? I mean as soon as others find out that she has become pregnant while betrothed, she will be an outcast, potentially forced to live the life of a prostitute in order to provide for her and her baby. Then there were physical risks as well. You see, she would be outcast, if the village decided to allow her to live. In this time there was no sexual revolution, and so it was seen as it is, sinful to engage in sexual sin, which had a penalty. As everyone knows that it is not possible to simply become pregnant, the entire town could have encouraged Joseph to accuse her and have her stoned to death. There was a high cost to obedience.

However, Mary didn’t seem to focus on those things did she? What did Mary do, and is there a model that we can learn from in our lives today? Let’s look at

Mary’s Model for Us:

Mary did question the angel at first, didn’t she? She asked, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' Mary didn’t blindly accept what she heard; she sought confirmation of God’s plan. But when she heard the angel’s response, she was able to hold on to those words and trust in the Lord’s promises. It must have still felt difficult and scary, but Mary trusted God’s character and His promises, even when the path was unclear. She knew she would have to take it one step at a time.

I’m sure there are people in your life who can tell you about times when God moved in their lives, and all they could say was, "OK." For example, when Beth decided to move to Puerto Rico, it was a SUPER INTENSE few days, and you'll need to ask her about the details. But in the end, she simply said, “Yes, God. If that is what You want me to do, that is what I will do.”

So, the question for all of us this morning is: What does saying “Let it be to me” look like in our lives? What does surrender truly mean? Does it involve changing careers, forgiving someone, prioritizing family over work, or making financial sacrifices? Does it mean trusting God with that medical issue you're facing? Or perhaps responding to a call to ministry? Whatever it is, here’s what God is ultimately saying: "Let go of control" and trust Him with your uncertain future.

Of course it takes a transformed life to be able to do that doesn’t it? I mean we cannot do that as we are now…so what is

The Process of Transformation

We’re going to look briefly this morning at how to have a transformed life…you know, the life we all want to live, but struggle with every day. You know, I’ve said that every issue we will face is answered in Scripture, so let’s go ahead and turn to Scripture to see what we can learn about this issue of transformation.

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Now, here’s something we all know instinctively…Transformation is not a onetime event, it’s a journey that we are all on until we are face to face with the Lord. It’s a journey called, Progressive Sanctification, a continual process where God shapes into the image of his Son. So when we say, “Let it be to me”, it’s not about a moment of surrender, it’s about a lifetime of surrender. For Mary this was not a one time encounter with an angel…it was about living a life of surrender day after day.

There’s a couple of things we can see here though. First, Transformation begins with a willingness to hear God’s voice. That’s what Mary started with…she was open to God’s plan even though it was far beyond her understanding. So are you willing to listen to when God calls?

Hey…I know some of you right now are just wishing I would stop talking about this…and I’ve been there. You know you’re being called by God to do something, but you really don’t want to do it. Not because you’re angry about it or anything, but it’s gonna mess up your schedule, or you don’t enjoy that thing, or you don’t feel like you have time, or want to learn a new thing…Every one in this room get it. As a matter of fact, every missionary, every pastor, every person who has every answered God’s call, get’s it.

Here’s the deal though…transformation is like anything else. You’re not gonna get to the end of the road on day one. Beth didn’t move to Puerto Rico the day God called her. I didn’t start pastoring the day God called me, lots of people have said yes to God and then allowed God to work in their lives to work out the details. Here’s the deal though…and this is important. Transformation starts with obedience—saying "yes" to God, even when we don’t have all the answers…after-all, this is your ultimate act of worship (obeying the Lord). Are you willing to worship the Lord this morning, or do you still want to worship yourself?

That’s just the first part though. Next, we also see that…Transformation involves a change in our thinking.You see, Paul urges all believers not to be conformed to the worlds that we live in, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When you surrender to God’s will, you will begin to see the world and circumstances from a new perspective. You stop looking at situations through the lens of fear, or self-preservation, or success by worldly standards. Instead…you will begin to see through the lens of faith and trust in God’s character and promises.

Finally, Transformation leads to action. You see, true surrender is not just words sitting in a chair, it means stepping forward in faith and actually doing the thing that God has called you to do! Finally saying, For Mary, saying, “Let it be to me” meant she was actively participating in God’s plan…even though she didn’t understand it…even when it meant discomfort, uncertainty, and sacrifice. Do you think any of her friends believed her and stood by her side? Obedience meant discomfort…

Just like Mary, when we surrender to God, we are called to move forward in obedience, trusting that he will guide you each step of the way.

How do we do all this though? How do we discern what is God and what is something else…Well, this morning I am going to give you four steps to follow that should allow you to be confident in the Lord. So here it is…

How to Discern God’s Will:

Let’s figure out how to move forward together.

1. Immerse yourself in Scripture. This isn’t about reading a verse a day or just a couple of times a week. I mean truly devoting time to being in God’s Word. If you need help digging deeper, reach out, and we can guide you to resources, but start by reading Scripture regularly. A minimum of four days a week is essential, though ideally, you should be in the Word every day.

2. Pray Consistently. Talk to the Lord every day. Lift up your situation, your family, and the needs of our church family. If you need help getting organized in this, we have prayer journals available online and at the Welcome Desk to help you stay focused.

3. Seek Godly Counsel. It’s easy to convince ourselves that a sinful path we are taking is ok. That’s why it’s crucial to have someone to speak into your life. Ideally, this person is your spouse, but if you don’t feel comfortable discussing something with them, find someone else. Small group Bible studies are a great place to find godly counsel.

4. Trust the Holy Spirit’s Leading. When you immerse yourself in Scripture, pray consistently, and seek godly counsel, you’ll be able to test the Holy Spirit’s leading, just as Mary did. She was willing but also sought confirmation by visiting her cousin Elizabeth. If you’re led to do something that aligns with Scripture, is supported by prayer, and affirmed by godly counsel—move forward, trusting the Holy Spirit, knowing you don’t need all the details.

Mary’s story reminds us that God equips those He calls. He doesn’t leave us alone; He provides His Spirit, His Word, and His people. So this morning, ask yourself: What areas do you need to surrender to God? Can you trust Him in the uncertainty and take the next step of obedience?

Mary serves as a powerful example for each of us. Through her, we see that trusting God isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about believing in the One who does. The next time you feel God leading you, respond with, “Let it be to me according to Your word.”

There are different ways to surrender. If you’re here this morning, or listening online, and you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus, that’s where surrender begins—by accepting Him as your Savior. But even as believers, we are called to surrender daily. Be encouraged this morning to commit to being transformed daily by God’s Word and discerning His will for your life.

Let’s Pray: pray for those making a commitment right now