Two Couples, One Promise: God’s Plan to Save Christmas
Christmas Saviours • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
Christmas Saviours. We have already considered how Christmas has not been an event without opposition.
The main reason why the people of Israel experienced attacks and persecution throughout their history can be traced back to the divine promise of the coming of the Messiah.
God had chosen Israel as the instrument through which humanity's Redeemer would enter history.
Two couples. While in the first sermon we considered the story of the two courageous midwives, Shiphra and Puah, today we want to consider two couples whom God will use to fulfill His plan of salvation for humanity.
We are talking about: Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary. They are today's "Christmas Saviors."
Two profoundly different couples, yet united by obedience to God's plan. Different because:
Zechariah was a priest, while Joseph was a humble carpenter (Matthew 13:55);
Elizabeth was a barren woman, while Mary was a young virgin betrothed;
Joseph and Mary lived in Galilee, while Zechariah and Elizabeth lived in Judea;
While Joseph and Mary were about to begin their married life, Zechariah and Elizabeth had been married for many years.
These two couples, profoundly different from each other, so insignificant in the eyes of men, will be the instruments God will use to fulfill Christmas.
Application. Young or old, poor or inexperienced, weak or insignificant, let us not forget that God is the One who can and wants to use each of us, despite our limitations.
The apostle Paul reminds us that:
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Sermon’s outline. Each of these four characters experienced the challenges that the first Christmas brought with it.
Each of them played a fundamental role in the realization of God's plan, and each of them can provide us with useful insights for blessing our lives. Of these I would like to consider:
Zechariah’s Correction;
Elizabeth’s Sensitivity;
Mary’s War Song;
Joseph’s Reflection.
N.1 - Zechariah’s Correction
N.1 - Zechariah’s Correction
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Correction. The evangelist Luke presents Zechariah as a faithful priest, a priest dedicated to serving God in His temple.
Just as he was serving God in the temple, the Angel Gabriel announced to him:
But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
Application. If you are waiting for an answer from God, there is no better place than the temple, the Church, to receive God's answer.
If we come to church sporadically, we will miss many precious opportunities like Zechariah's experience.
Disbelief. Even though Zechariah was a priest, even though he was in the temple serving God, after receiving the promise of a son, the priest expressed disbelief.
Because of his lack of faith, Zechariah will remain silent until his son will born (Luke 1:20).
The first of the "Christmas Saviors" teaches us the value, power, and benefits of God's discipline.
In fact, when his wife Elizabeth gives birth to little John, Zechariah writes his son's name on a tablet, and God heals him:
Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.
Application. Zechariah's story teaches us to accept divine correction.
1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Discipline, Purpose Of
A young child accidentally took sleeping pills from the family’s medicine cabinet. The doctor instructed the parents to keep the child awake by any means necessary for the next four hours—including the pain of slapping if necessary. That pain was necessary for the child’s survival. So, too, in the Christian’s journey.
Just like Zechariah, even though we are in the right place and performing our service for God, our hearts lack that burning faith.
The Lord wants to correct us. God's discipline serves to ignite the fire of faith in God, even if divine correction is not pleasant at first:
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Perhaps you too are experiencing a silent Christmas? Do not rebel against God's discipline, for this time of correction will rekindle your passion and zeal to serve God.
N.2 - Elizabeth’s Sensitivity
N.2 - Elizabeth’s Sensitivity
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
Sensitivity. Elizabeth is the second "Christmas Saviours." She is the wife of Zechariah and was six months pregnant when Mary went to visit her in Judea.
Now, Luke does not mention whether Mary had already reveal her condition to her family in Nazareth. It's not hard to imagine how many times Mary rehearsed her speech to Elizabeth: "I am pregnant, but I am still a virgin... the angel Gabriel told me."
Yet, Elizabeth needed no words, no explanations, no additional details; a simple greeting was more than enough.
This woman, moved by the Holy Spirit, was able to perceive the miracle of Incarnation that was happening in Mary.
Elizabeth understood the special meaning of that pregnancy, exclaiming:
But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Application. Elizabeth's sensitivity, her perception, is not human, but comes from the Holy Spirit:
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes, rivers of words aren't enough to understand one another: even within families, we often witness hours and hours of arguments that only create deeper rifts, leaving people even more isolated in their problems.
This Christmas, we want to seek Elizabeth's sensitivity and experience that spiritual connection with those who need encouragement:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
N.3 - Mary’s War Song
N.3 - Mary’s War Song
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
A Song of War. Mary's response is a song, known to all by its Latin title: "the Magnificant."
Beyond demonstrating Mary's familiarity with the Scriptures (21 Old Testament references), "The Magnificant" is a declaration of war that Mary proclaims against sin, death, and hell.
This song narrates the revolution that God had promised Eve in the Garden of Eden:
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
This is how one writer describes Mary's song: "It's the gospel before the gospel, a fierce, bright shout of triumph thirty weeks before Bethlehem, thirty years before Calvary and Easter... It's all about God, and it's all about revolution." (Wright, N. T.)
Application. Forget about "Silent Night." All the protagonists know that, thanks to the coming of Christ, humanity can declare war on sin and corruption.
Christmas is the event that marks the beginning of a spiritual revolution; At Christmas, Heaven rejoices and Hell trembles because God's promise has been fulfilled for humanity.
Today we too can and must sing our war song against sin and death: do not be intimidated, but together with Mary, declare:
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
N.4 - Joseph’s Reflection
N.4 - Joseph’s Reflection
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.
Reflect. The Jewish marriage process can be divided into three stages:
A man and a woman were matched together, usually by their fathers;
The Betrothal (a contract) was the time established to prepare the house for the couple;
The Wedding Ceremony.
It was during the Betrothal’s time, when the contract had been signed, that Joseph learned of Mary's condition: his future wife was pregnant.
What Matthew highlights is Joseph's reaction: the carpenter does not act impulsively, but reflects (Matthew 1:20).
The term "considered” means "to consider well, to reflect on, to think deeply about something."
Application. The last of our "Christmas Saviors," Joseph, teaches us the importance of not jumping to hasty conclusions, but of meditating, reflecting carefully, and allowing the Lord to clarify the next steps:
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Two Caples. These two families remind us that Christmas was an extraordinary event, brought to life by God with ordinary couples.
