Luke 1:26–38 | The Heavy Crown of Control

If you follow sports, you know there’s a phrase taking over the commentary booths. We used to call athletes the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time). But lately, when a quarterback makes an impossible throw, or a basketball player takes over a game, you hear the announcers scream: "Crown Him!" “Crown ‘im!”

They are saying: Give him the title. He is the King of the court.

By the way, just for the record: that particular title goes to MJ… not Lebron! We can argue about it later in the lobby, but I’m standing my ground on that one.

But this slang about royalty isn't just in sports.

We see it in pop culture, too. Now, I have to be honest—I’m 37, which in internet years makes me ancient. I think the kids these days would call me an "Unc" (short for Uncle)—is that right? I just learned this a month ago and I feel old just saying it.

But even if I don't speak the language perfectly, I see what’s happening. Folks talk about "Queen energy." They see a photo of someone succeeding at work, or just looking great, and the comments section is filled with "Slay Queen" or just the crown emoji 👑. One of the young gals at work recently told my wife that her outfit slays! We had to google it—does that mean it looked Christmasy? Or just good? Turns out it means "fetching" for all the Uncs in the room.

Here’s the point: we have a culture obsessed with royalty, with ruling our domain and looking good doing it! And I think we love this language because it speaks to a secret desire in every human heart.

We all want to be the King or Queen of our own lives. That’s the desire. But somehow that feeling never lasts, does it?

They say heavy is the head that wears the crown. Let’s talk about the feeling that comes after we put that crown on.

It’s a feeling everyone here knows. It’s that low-level hum of anxiety that says, "If I stop moving, I stop mattering."

As soon as we crown ourselves, we have to defend our thrones. We have to constantly audition for our own lives. We go to work, we hustle, we curate our social media. But underneath the performance, there is exhaustion.

We are super tired because we are trying to build our own little kingdoms. We try to be omniscient—scouring the internet to know everything. We try to be all-powerful—running on Red Bull and willpower to stretch our limits. We try to be our own saviors.

Here is the deep theological reason why we are so tired: We are wearing a crown that doesn't fit.

You see, while you and I were designed to Rule, but we weren’t designed to Reign. And there is a difference. To Rule means to steward and create. To Reign means to control the outcome and ensure tomorrow goes according to plan.

Anxiety happens when a Steward tries to do the Sovereign's job.

Folks, We live in a "Herodian" world.

You know King Herod from the Bible? Herod the Great. He was obsessed with power and terrified of the future. He killed his family just to secure his tomorrow. That’s what anxiety is, isn't it? A desperate attempt to control the future because we don’t trust God is in it.

Historians tell us Herod was so paranoid he had his favorite wife (of ten!) and three of his own sons executed because he suspected plots. It got so bad the Roman Emperor Augustus reportedly joked, "It is better to be Herod's pig than his son." Since Herod kept Jewish dietary laws, a pig was safe in his house, but his children were not.

Now, obviously, most of us aren't ancient tyrants. But while we might not share Herod's methods, we intimately understand his madness.

We share that frantic drive to control our little domains. Think about it: when do you feel the most stressed? It's when your life—your "kingdom"—starts spiraling. When the kids won't listen, or all 4 are making plans and you’re trying to keep the calendar inline! Church, my blood pressure goes through the roof trying to be my children’s administrative assistant! I’m the King of my house for crying out loud, not the secretary! (I know that is a sinful thought. I realize I’m meant to serve my family, but just so you know, that’s not my default attitude! Jesus help me!)

When our kids' schedules consume our lives, when the project fails, when the bank account drops—our stomach tightens, and we panic because we believe a lie.

We are taught from a young age that royalty is something you seize, never something you receive. You have to earn it. Climb the ladder. Get the promotion. If you don't seize it, you won’t have it.

So we spend our lives building kingdoms where we are the king or queen. And it is exhausting. Because deep down, we feel like imposters wearing a crown that doesn’t quite fit.

Welcome to Advent!

For the next four weeks, we are talking about "Hidden Royalty." Because the Christmas story isn't just a sweet story about a baby in straw. It is a story about a King coming to reclaim His throne.

Christmas is God's plan to restore the crowns we lost.

See, you were made to rule as royalty. That’s not just a nice, churchy sentiment. It is the very first thing God said about you.

In the ancient world, other religions said humans were made from demon blood to do the gods' dirty work. Even worse, only the King was considered the "Image of God." Only Pharaoh had dignity. Everyone else was just a cog in the wheels of progress.

But the God of the Bible did something radical. He didn't speak a slave class into existence. He spoke a royal family into existence. He designed the future farmer, the bricklayer, and the mother to bear His stamp, saying, "Let us make mankind in our image... and let them rule."

Genesis 1 democratized dignity. You were created to represent the King of the universe!

But in Genesis 3, we abdicated. We didn't want to represent the King; we wanted to be the King. We didn't want to be Stewards; we wanted to be Sovereigns. We tried to seize the throne.

So, how do we get it back? How do we stop the hustle?

To find the answer, look at the first person to hear the news of the King’s return. God didn’t go to a palace. He went to the last place you’d expect.

Turn with me to Luke 1:26.

Let’s read the first few verses together.

Luke 1:26–27 NIV

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

Stop right there. We've heard this so often on Charlie Brown Christmas specials we miss the shock.

Luke is a historian giving us coordinates. But he doesn't zoom in on Rome (power) or Jerusalem (religion).

He lands on Nazareth.

You need to understand Nazareth. It was a "nowhere" town. Tiny, blue-collar, backwater. A garrison town with Roman soldiers everywhere. Later in John’s Gospel, Nathanael literally laughs and says, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

And yet, this is where the King sends His ambassador, Gabriel.

God bypasses the centers of influence. He ignores the wealthy zip codes. He sends one of the highest angel in the cosmos to a dirt-road town to talk to a nobody girl. Mary has no resume, no status. By every metric of the "Herodian" world—our world—she does not matter.

But look at how the Angel addresses her in verse 28.

Luke 1:28 NIV

28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Highly favored. The Greek word is a heavy theological term I can’t pronounce, but it’s a perfect passive participle—which I know is boring grammar, but it matters! It means this favor is not something Mary earned, it’s something she was gifted!

It literally means: "Greetings, O one who has been filled with grace or favor."

Do you see what’s happening? The angel doesn't say, "Greetings, peasant girl." He addresses her by her Heaven-given title or status. He calls her by the title God has given her.

And look at Mary’s reaction in verse 29:

Luke 1:29 NIV

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Mary wasn't scared of the angel; she was troubled at the saying, which is saying something. The saying was so startling as to eclipse the fear almost everyone else in the Bible feels when they encounter an angel!

Mary was confused by the title. She knows she hasn’t climbed any corporate ladders or built a brand. She knows she is ordinary.

And this is the first lesson of Advent: Your location does not define your value.

We live in a world that tells us if you want to be "royal," you need to get out of your "Nazareth." Move to the city. Get the corner office. We hustle because we think dignity is something we build or have to seize!

But the Gospel says God’s favor ignores zip codes and it’s not something we can earn! It’s gifted!

You see, if God can plant the King of Kings in a Nazareth womb, He can restore royal dignity in your cubicle, in your kitchen wiping up spilled milk, or in your commute.

Church, your worth is not found in where you are. It’s found in Who is with you. Notice the angel says, "The Lord is with you." That is the source of the dignity.

So, God establishes dignity within the mundane and then He brings a massive promise into the middle of it.

Look at the text: V. 30

Luke 1:30–31 NIV

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.

Okay, a baby. That’s precious. But then, Gabriel shifts gears. He starts talking about a dynasty.

Luke 1:32–33 NIV

32 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, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

This is political, royal language.

For Mary, raised on Jewish history, this landed like a bomb. She knew God promised King David a descendant would sit on the throne forever. But that throne had been empty for 600 years. The Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans had crushed it. The "royalty" of God's people was hidden in the rubble of history.

And now, this angel says, "It’s time. The King is coming back. And He’s coming through you."

But I want you to notice a very specific phrase in verse 32: "The Lord God will give to him the throne..."

In our world—in the world of Herod, Caesar, and modern corporate America—you don't get given a throne. You take it. You conquer it. You politic for it. You step over people to get it. That’s how human kingdoms work.

But the Kingdom of God works differently. Jesus is the True King, but He didn't seize the crown like a tyrant; He received it from the Father. He doesn't arrive via a military coup. He arrives as a gift from God.

Why does this matter? Why should we care about ancient thrones and Davidic covenants?

Because we broke the world by trying to build our own thrones.

Remember Genesis 3? Adam and Eve abdicated their role as representatives because they wanted to be the Boss. And now, every sin we commit is a variation of that theme. We want to determine right and wrong. We want to control the outcome of our lives.

And look where it got us. Anxiety. Shame. Broken relationships.

We tried to seize the crown of control, and we broke the kingdom.

The good news of Christmas is that Jesus comes to fix what we broke. He comes to claim the throne we abdicated. He is the "True Image" restoring our "broken images."

And notice verse 33: "Of his kingdom there will be no end."

Think about the kingdom you are building right now. Your career? It will end. You will retire, and they will replace you in two weeks. Your reputation? It will fade. Your bank account? You can't take it with you. Every kingdom we build for ourselves has an expiration date.

But the dignity Jesus brings? The status He offers? It has no end. It is secure.

An eternal throne. A kingdom with no end. It sounds incredible. But for Mary, standing there in her peasant dress, it sounded impossible.

And so, Mary asks a logical question in verse 34: "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

This isn't doubt; it’s biology. She’s asking for the mechanics. And Gabriel gives her an answer that changes everything about how we understand power.

Luke 1:35–37 NIV

35 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. 36 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. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you..." Church I think this language is meant to reminds us of Genesis 1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

This is Creation language. Gabriel is saying, "Mary, God is about to do a new creation inside of you. He is going to create life out of nothing, just like He did in the beginning."

This is crucial: Mary cannot produce this King on her own. She cannot "hustle" and make the Messiah appear. Her role is not to produce; her role is to receive.

And then we get to verse 38. This is the verse that defines true royalty in God’s Kingdom! This is the verse that restores the Image of God in us if we too would follow suit.

Luke 1:38 NIV

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

In Greek, the word is doule and it means bondservant or slave. The mother of the King calls herself a slave.

Don’t miss this: the path to royalty is the path of surrender.

To help you feel the weight of this, let me tell you The Tale of Two Gardens.

The First Garden was Eden. God offered humanity dignity and royalty. But Eve wasn't content to receive it. She wanted to seize it. The serpent said, "Eat this, and you will be like God." You will be in control. So Eve reached out and grasped. She seized the fruit to control her future. And that grasping hand broke the world.We are all born like Eve. We come out of the womb grasping. Mine. My way. My life. We spend our lives clenching our fists and seeking to seize control!

But now, look at Mary. Mary is the "Anti-Eve." She is in Nazareth, not paradise. She had her whole future mapped out—a wedding, a quiet life. Saying 'Yes' to God, meant taking a match to her five-year plan. She was surrendering her future to a God she couldn't control. But instead of grasping, instead of saying, "No, not my plans, not my timeline, not my way" she opens her hands. She says, "Behold the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me as you have said."

Eve grasped and it brought death. Mary surrendered and it brought Life.

But the story doesn't end there. Because Mary is just the vessel.

There is a Third Garden.

Thirty-three years later, the King in Mary’s womb would be in Gethsemane. He wouldn't be facing a pregnancy; He would be facing a cup of wrath. Facing the torture of the cross and the weight of our sin. And the True King, Jesus, sweating blood, fell on His face and said the exact same words of His mother: “Not my will, but yours be done."

Do you see it? We are born like Eve—grasping for control. But we are born again when we become like Mary—when we stop fighting, open our hands, and surrender to the King who surrendered for us.

This is the Big Idea: We recover our royal identity not by seizing the throne, but by surrendering to receive it.

CONCLUSION: THE CORONATION

So, what does this mean for a blue-collar life in 2025?

It means we have to stop the "Herodian" hustle.

I want you to identify one area where you are acting like Herod. One area where you are white-knuckling control because you are terrified that if you let go, you won't matter or you won’t be ok.

Maybe it's your kids' behavior and you're terrified because you can't force them to make the right choices.

Maybe it's a project at work and the results are out of your hands.

Maybe it’s a diagnosis and you can't control the prognosis.

Think of whatever it is that’s causing you stress and anxiety. It's almost always a place where you are grasping the crown of control trying to be Sovereign instead of being a Steward in the hands of the Sovereign.

Think of that thing and now, hear these words: Greetings, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you!

Now, make two fists and then, I want you to unclench them. Literally, do it right now. Open your hands in your lap upward towards heaven.

And pray Mary’s prayer over that situation: 'Behold, I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word in Jesus Christ!'

Dear ones, stop trying to secure a future that is already held in God’s hands. When we try to Crown ourselves, we are trying to ensure we are safe tomorrow. But the King has arrived. Your future is secure if you are in Him. You can rest today because He holds your tomorrow.

So tomorrow morning, when you look in the mirror, you don't need to hype yourself up. You don't need to "Slay." You don't need to post the perfect picture to prove you are a Queen or a King.

You can simply look in the mirror and say, "I am a servant of the Most High. I have nothing to prove, and I have nothing to lose, because the Crown has already been won for me."

This Advent, let’s trade our anxiety for His authority. Let’s trade our hustle for His peace. The King has come to claim His throne—so you can finally get off of yours and rest with Him on His!

We recover our royal identity not by seizing the throne, but by surrendering to receive it.

Let's pray.