Christmas - Faith Realized

Series Plan

Faith Realized - Mary's Song Luke 1:46-56

Hope Fulfilled - (or lightly shown) Zechariah's Prophecy Luke 1:67-79

Love seen and heard - Luke 2:8-20 The love the shepherds feel and share

1 Corinthians 13:13 “13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

Intro:

How do you show up when the unexpected happens?

Run, Fight, or Freeze

Do you begin catastrophizing and thinking of the worst-case scenarios

Instantly become Angry

Seek reassurance from someone…

Allow faith to grow and overpower these.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Mary's song shows what it is like when real faith comes out of unexpected life events.

When faith is realized, it becomes tangible

Background

Mary gets visited by an angel

She said yes before she understood or felt it. - FAITH

Mary is told Elizabeth is pregnant

Elizabeth sees Mary and John jumps.

Elizabeth's verification causes joy and spilling of the biblical text.

They were in tune with their bodies

Elizabeth confirms the blessing.

Luke 1:46–56 “46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. 47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! 48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. 49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. 50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. 51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. 52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. 54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. 55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.” 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.”

Mary's song shows what it is like when real faith comes out of unexpected life events.

What is faith?

Faith is a belief in (or a confident attitude) towards God, and your commitment to His will for your life

Hebrews 11:1 “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

Mary's Faith is realized in the unexpected.

What comes out of Mary is what has been put in.

The more you know, the more you appreciate.

Example in real-life experience

Football - Lions fan for the last 2 years vs the 50.

Driving the right vehicle in the snow

Text is filled with OT hyperlinks. The faithful who have gone before

1 Samuel 2:1-10 Song of Hannah

Exodus 15:1-18 Song of Moses

1 Chronicles 16:7-36 Song of Asaph

Psalms 33, 47,136

God's work in the present and future must be understood in light of what God has done before.

Mary sees herself in light of what God has done in the past.

Personal (I) to Community (US) - & - the blessing for others

46-47 - Joy and Praise

48-49 - God’s work for Mary

50-55 - God’s work for Israel

50 - History

51-53 - Marry as one of the community

52 - Faith is NOT about Power, it's about History and Presence - to Surrender

54-55 - Israel

Faith realized

1. By Community

Faith is Confirmed by the Community.

Elizabeth being pregnant

Elizabeth stating the blessing

2. By What Goes in

Your beliefs are on full display when you don’t have time to think

The more we understand what God has done, the more joy we will have in what he is doing!

There is way more Joy when you know…

She applied herself to knowing who God is and what he is up to

Parents invested in her

How are you teaching your kids?

3. The Unexpected

Whiteboard

Life happens, but hanging in there is the most important. God will always come through

Conclusion

Getting my passport to go to India

- I saw my parents have faith, but I didn’t

Mary's song shows what it is like when real faith comes out of unexpected life events.

Her understanding of who God was became realized in her life.

When faith is realized, it's tangible

Gritting your teeth to do the right thing

Starting the conversation with someone difficult to love

Peace that doesn’t match the math