The Joy of Promise

“The Joy of Promise” | Series: The Weary World Rejoices

Ron Petronicolos | December 14, 2025

I’m excited for how God wants to speak to us today. For those of you with kids and youth back in Kids’ Church, they are going to be discovering the same Scripture, so you all get the chance to talk about it together all week long!

Last week, Pastor Sandra mentioned the inescapability of Christmas music. I actually like not being able to escape it. I can listen to it nonstop. If you listen long enough, you realize the Christmas music genre is fascinatingly bizarre—it's epic choirs singing 'Joy to the World,' immediately followed by Mariah Carey, and then this odd sub-genre of sad, melancholy Christmas songs like 'Baby, Please Come Home.' Why is that?

When you think about it, the holidays aren't a happy, festive time of the year for a lot of people. There could be any number of issues people are dealing with – family issues, relationship issues, financial issues. Study after study shows that depression and alcohol and drug use all go up in December and January. Christmastime is simply not a joyful time to some people.

And then there’s another group of people who have a good time at Christmastime, but are having a tough time feeling the joy. Oftentimes, as we reach this time of year, we are simply fatigued and exhausted. We come into Advent, the season of joyful preparation and anticipation of our coming King Jesus, where we excitedly wait for our Savior to be born… and we see the new year around the corner. The thought of a new year brings to the surface reminders of all that we’ve been waiting for… the plans we’ve made for our lives and are praying for them…. – healing… breakthrough… clarity… a new love, a new job, our kids’ future, our sick parents and loved ones, reconciliation in our tumultuous marriage, our family members who’ve yet to begin following Jesus. We are burned out, disillusioned, or restless because our plans are shot, and we are tired of waiting.

I think this is where I fit in this year. To be honest, it’s just been a tough year; I’m emotionally exhausted. By my personal standards, this year has been one of the most difficult years of my adult life. My wife, son, and I transitioned out of the only church community we had ever been a part of since we moved to LA 25 years ago. My wife and I worked there, so we also lost our jobs. And it came out of nowhere and it was shocking, and honestly, a bit terrifying. I had a five-year plan heading into my son’s Senior year of high school of what things might look like, and that was completely toast.

I’m sure many of us could share plans we have for our lives that we’ve had for days, months, maybe even years or decades… and they’re just not coming to life… and this is preventing us from experiencing the complete joy that we ought to feel as we anticipate the birthday celebration of our King Jesus, the Savior of the World! This is causing us to become weary.

We all share a dangerous temptation when we are weary: we begin to lower our expectations of what God can do or what he wants to do. Our fear takes over and we become reluctant to pray for anything more because we don’t want to add another thing to the wait list.

We can see God’s call as a heavy burden. This time of year brings an incessant demand for our help—mail, emails, and calls to volunteer for church ministries. We feel God nudging us… we feel him calling us toward his plan, even as he has us waiting for what we’ve called on from him for our plans… and we just don’t know if we have what it takes to answer that call. It looks like another heavy burden, and the thought of taking it on is scary. What if I fail because I don’t have the energy to see it through? I just can’t risk it, taking on another heavy burden. I just need to keep my head down, keep trucking through, make my situation work so I can get done what I need to get done, get through this season, and I’ll figure it out from there.

This is kind of the modern-day version of what Mary, Jesus’ mother, was experiencing with her plans a little over 2,000 years ago. She experienced the tension between fear and favor; between a shattered plan and a scary new call. So, today, as we continue in our Advent series, “The Weary World Rejoices,” let’s look at Mary at a time when her life got flipped upside-down and how she tapped into the truths she knew about God to still be able to have joy in her fear and unclear understanding. Let’s look at how Mary discovered “The Joy of Promise.”

Here is today’s passage. It’s from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 26-38

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

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

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

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.”

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

Last week, Pastor Sandra unpacked this time our passage is set in, where God’s people haven’t heard from God through a prophet in over 400 years. Before then, it was consistent for them to receive God’s words through prophets, but it’s been 400 years of SILENCE. The people were waiting for the Messiah… the one who would rescue and redeem them to the Father. God promised this through over 300 prophecies of how to identify the Savior. They knew he was on his way. But they were just waiting and waiting and waiting… which is what the Advent season reflects. This is what we’re honoring right now.

We see the angel Gabriel being sent to visit Mary in Nazareth. Nazareth was kind of like the "nothing zone," in Galilee. Nothing important happened there. This was Mary’s ordinary life—her comfort zone.

We see that Mary was a virgin pledged to be married to Joseph. Betrothal was legally binding in this time; it was effectively the first half of marriage. At this point, a breakup would be considered divorce, which was highly frowned upon in this time; but yet, she was to remain a virgin until they were officially married. In fact, we’re told twice in two sentences that Mary is a virgin. This is Luke identifying a major prophecy of pinpointing the Messiah:

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. -Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

When Gabriel appears and says, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary is not comforted. Look at her response in verse 29: " Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.”

Mary was greatly troubled. The Greek word that Luke uses here “diatarasso” – the definition is “utterly confused, shaken, perplexed.” She has absolutely no idea what is going on. She wondered what kind of greeting this was. Was this the kind of greeting we get before we get fired from a job, broken up with, punished… or was it something lighter and more comfortable? It's probably safe to speculate that she was thinking worst case scenario because in verse 30, Gabriel tells her to not be afraid. She was scared.

Why is this a fearful moment?

1. It seems impossible. She fears the impossibility. (slide: We fear the impossible.)

Mary was human. Fear is the natural, appropriate human response to the intense, unfiltered holiness of God. There was an angel sent directly from God standing in her living room. She was scared. God’s glory is limitless, so when we’re in the presence of it, our low limitations are highlighted. This is one such case. Mary’s probably going through her mind freaking out:

“I’m standing before pure light, and every unconfessed thought is now glaringly obvious. This is too big, too holy, and too powerful for my ordinary life!”

Picture a dimly lit room suddenly flooded with light. The room that might have had a chill vibe before… is suddenly dusty and full of imperfections we couldn’t see without the light. When we make the decision to follow Jesus we move into God's glory — and his light shines on our limitations and flaws. We see who we truly are in his presence… not to shame us… but to encourage us to embrace his transformative power. This is where we begin to identify where we are falling short, repent – turn away – from those ways, and work with him to completely remove those things from our lives.

This is a terrifying concept to Mary, and it comes with a huge cost.

2. Mary fears the cost. (slide: We fear the cost.)

The next two verses say this: 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.

This promise means an end to her planned life. Mary was probably daydreaming of her upcoming new life with Joseph as she gathered water at the well. Finally, she would be a married woman and start a family. She would raise children and be a productive member of the community. She would continue on with traditions from the past and create new ones with her family.

But now… her plans are being severely disruspted. She’s looking at a life of public scandal. Any announcement of pregnancy before marrying Joseph was bad enough, a pregnancy outside of Joseph would expose her to public shame and severe consequences. ……..

Where are those “angelic announcements” in our lives? Those unexpected changes that can be overwhelmingly intimidating? Those moments where we can make the choice to retreat into fear?

The plans we made to vacation with our friends after retirement, only to now find ourselves in a constant posture of prayer because they have become terribly ill?

The plans we have for our kids after high school, only to find out that their plans are completely different. Or a reverse for the teens in the room – how have your plans clashed with your parents’?

The plan we’ve made over and over again to confront with love our family member or dear friend who desperately needs correction – whether it be for a dysfunctional relationship, addiction, or abuse they are giving or allowing themselves to receive… but we decide not to do in order to keep the peace.

As followers of Christ, we need to give an extra effort to act with God’s character – with love and courage - when facing these challenges, but that approach can come with weird side looks, dismissal, and general negativity from others.

3. Mary fears the effort: (slide: We fear the effort.)The next couple of verses are this:

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.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

Who knows what Mary was thinking when she was told she would become pregnant? I’m sure she was very knowledgeable of Scripture. She knew God was called the Most High, the God who kept promises to King David… but she had experienced her part of the 400 years of silence just like everyone else.

And now… this is a HUGE ASK, Lord! Of all who could be called to this—the most consequential task in history—it’s ME?... I don’t know if I can muster up that strength and energy to do this.

For the tired, disillusioned soul, the fear isn't just being unworthy; it's being called to do something impossible, to risk another failure, and to expend more energy than we have left. We are troubled because God's plan doesn't fit our control or our bandwidth.

This is where Mary found herself. A future mapped out, and then divinely busted. All the while, God’s messenger delivers the message that he highly favors her.

As exhausted Christians, we can fall into the trap of believing that we have to earn God’s favor, and since there is no way to do that, it becomes an impossible burden… that we still try to manage. It’s a recipe for letdown, burnout, and deep disappointment.

And that’s where we see the shift in Mary’s focus. She didn’t let her fear control her; instead, she let the favor of God overwhelm her.

Listen to Gabriel’s words again in verse 30: “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

Our fear and God’s favor can coexist. In fact, it can create greater faith. It does so here in this passage.

Mary is shown that God loves her so much through his favor, through his grace and mercy. As undeserving as she is, she is favored by God.

And so am I. And so are you. You have God’s favor. God loves you so much that he sent his son – announcing it this very day we are studying – to die on the cross for you, for the forgiveness of your sins, so that you may once again be close to God, who created you on purpose and who loves you so very much. You have his grace, you have his mercy, you have his favor.

When Mary asked, “How will this be?” she does not doubt the power of God; she questions the process. She didn’t ask, “Can you?” she asks, "How will you?" We can ask the same question which is rooted in faith, not fear.

This is the cry of the weary Christian: I believe you can, Lord, but how will this work in my real life? How will you fulfill this promise when the circumstances are impossible? This is a legitimate question of faith, not a failure of faith.

Gabriel answers in verse 35, “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.

The answer to "How?" is the Holy Spirit's active presence. That’s his job! God will provide the power for what he requires. Joy rises when we surrender the need to control the process and trust the unseen power of the Spirit.

Maybe she heard, “Mary, let go. It’s time to lay down the burden of the process. Allow God to do his thing. You may not fully know how, you may not know why, but you know he’s got you.” And like Gabriel says in verse 37: “For no word from God will ever fail.”

God is saying the same to us today. Lay down the burden of “How.” Receive his grace, his mercy, his love, his favor, his provision and his power. Let the certainty of his word—which never fails—be the foundation of our identity, replacing the exhaustion rooted in fear.

Let’s say “Yes” like Mary. Ultimately, we are seeing the first declaration of Christian faith in history; as we study this, let’s renew our faith! Let us find joy in the Lord’s promise, just like Mary.

1. Mary found joy in the unfailing certainty of God’s Word (slide: “Joy is found in the certainty that God’s Word never fails.”)

Mary anchored her faith in Gabriel’s promise, “For no word from God will ever fail.” And because God is love, he is also the ultimate source of certainty. This promise stands even when our best-laid plans are history.

In the Biblical book of John, 1:14, John writes, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

King Jesus is the living, eternal Word made flesh. Jesus’ presence is always among us; he doesn’t run out of energy and doesn’t grow weary. His favor is eternal… it’s not a prize for being worthy; it’s a guarantee where we can find the hope we need to trust him, even when the ”how” looks impossible.

……………….

Last week, Pastor Sandra said that hope has a name, and it’s Jesus. When we put our true faith and trust in him as our Savior and King, we receive the hope and joy that is found in the certainty that is the Word of God.

2. Mary also found joy in the rest that comes from surrender. (slide: “Joy is found in the rest that comes from surrender.”)

The problem for the weary heart is the heavy burden of managing the process. We spend all our energy trying to force our plans to fruition, only to feel guilty and ashamed when those plans fail or when God calls us to something new, because we’re tapped out. That cycle of effort and failure, effort and failure is endless and exhausting, but it is broken the moment we choose Mary’s surrender.

Mary had to give up control of her reputation, her upcoming marriage, and the “how” of it all. Her rest came from letting go of the impossible burden she was never meant to carry. She saw that the answer to her question, "How will this be?" was not her effort, but God's Spirit.

The “how” is not meant to be our responsibility. Joy is the profound relief we experience when we let God be God and surrender our failed plans, our weariness and exhaustion, and our fear of the next burden into his power, which can handle it all.

Finally,

3. Mary found joy in her obedient expectation. (slide: Joy is found in the obedient expectation.)

The last verse of our passage, 38, states, "I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

This is not resignation, settling, disgruntled agreement; it is a declaration of active, trusting consent. This is faith in action. Mary is making the intentional choice to align her entire identity and future with the word she had just heard. She knows it’s going to be extremely difficult, to say the least, but she is putting her life in the hands of God and his favor, not into the hands of fear.

And she really has nothing to show for it, yet. She doesn’t even have a baby bump. All she’s got is a word from God, but when she becomes obedient in it is when the joy begins to rise.

I know I often wait for visible evidence before even thinking about feeling joy. My wife’s constantly telling me that God will take care of us financially; let’s give here and here and here. And I’m here like, “Show me the money!” But even if he did show me the money, that’s not joy. Maybe that’s a little happiness mixed with a touch of relief, but it’s not joy.

Mary teaches us that quiet, steady joy is available in the moment we say "Yes" to God's unseen word, no matter how intense it is to do so. Why? Because this obedient expectation is the final stage of rest. It’s the freedom from having to perform the miracle ourselves. It’s when we get to experience his promises kept and his presence. That’s where joy is built, where endurance is strengthened, and our foundation in God is made even more solid.

The painful truth is that Advent, for many of us, is not a season of easy joy. We are weary because our personal plans are toast, and we are terrified of accepting God’s new calls because they feel like new heavy burdens.

That’s where Mary was; she was caught at a crossroads of being highly favored and deeply afraid. Exciting wedding plans turned to potential scandal and a seemingly impossible task. But in her fear, she shifted her focus from her own limitations to God's certainty.

Mary was experiencing the very Gospel she helped bring into the world.

Years later, the baby born from Mary's surrender stood up and gave the ultimate invitation to every soul struggling with exhaustion and impossible burdens. He spoke the final word on the heavy yoke:

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”- Matthew 11:28-30

The heavy burden we are invited to put down is the burden of performing God’s will, the burden of managing the outcome of our destroyed plans, and the burden of earning God’s favor.

The easy yoke we are invited to take is saying, "I choose the rest of surrender." It’s partnering with our gentle and humble King Jesus, who truly carries the burden, no matter how heavy, so that we may simply obey his direction.

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If you are here today feeling burned out, restless, or terrified of taking on one more burden, Jesus offers you a profound rest right now.

1. Let’s name our heavy burdens. What are our unrealized plans, our unmet expectations, our scary "how"s that we’re still carrying? For me, it was the severe confusion I felt after losing the ministry position that I was so powerfully called to. Name that specific heavy burden right now.

2. Now let’s choose Mary’s simple declaration. Pray this: "I am your child, Lord. I lay down the burden of my plans and my process. Let it be to me according to your word, which never fails."

3. Let’s walk out of this space together today, knowing that God's favor is not a call to work harder; it is a call to rest in the certainty of his promise. The joy is waiting for us in that surrender.

May the hope that has the name Christ Jesus, the light burden he brings, and his unfailing promise be the true joy with you this Advent season. Let’s pray.