Sermon Tone Analysis

Love’s Invitation

intro -

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pray

[first impression pic]

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, right?

… “You can learn so much about a person, their intentions and motives, their sensibilities, even much about their personality, from the way they greet you when they first meet you.”..I am sure there are people even in your own lives, that you formed opinions about based solely on those first impressions.

As far back as ancient Egypt, we can find letters written of people condemning other’s based on their first meeting.

You can even see that in scripture!

The most glaring example is Samuel…[thought all the other sons of Jesse should be king]

Even today, there are thousands of books available to you that would help you learn to make a great first impression!

Talk about some aspects...

Talk about my first impression with Bob Buckner

my intro was bad, but my response was worse!

“Our response to a first impression, or an invitation of any sort, can and will dictate the outcome of that relationship, and in fact, maybe even our lives!”

Luke 1:

[don’t read scripture]

And we can see this play out so clearly in our text today.

This Angel, tasked with bringing the very word of God directly down to earth, and to Mary, understood the importance of first impressions!

Talk about the angel not needing to worry about Mary’s feelings…just needed to deliver the message.

[Even so…]

maybe a brief aside about that stuff […just telling the truth…we need to follow the angel’s lead and tell the truth, but love people enough to disarm their fears and hurt as well.]

But this message wasn’t just any old message!

That is why Gabriel is sure to capture Mary’s attention and show His own good intentions right away!

Don’t be Afraid!

You have found favor with God!

Before we dig too deeply in the text, thought, let’s think about that greeting.

I want to apply it to our own situations so we can understand a little better what it means.

Have you ever met someone for the first time, and they respond to meeting you with “Oh I’ve heard about you from soandso...”?

That can be a scary moment…you never know what they might have heard.

That is exactly what is happening here, only the Angel makes it perfectly clear that they have only heard awesome things!

“You have found favor with God!” “You are special!”

Personalize that…move towards idea that those types of first impressions actually serve as an invitation.

“In those moments, we realize that there is something far bigger than just an introduction happening!

Something that could change us if we are only willing!”

[Invitation pic]

An invitation.

That is really what Gabriel’s greeting is all about.

It isn’t as much a declaration, as it is an invitation!

“Don’t be afraid, Mary! Don’t be afraid!

God loves you.

God has a huge plan for you.

God needs you.”

That is what I hear in this text.

I hear the cries of love’s invitation!

The invitation of God that comes to us all at some point in out lives!

The beautiful expectations of a loving Father, who is ready for us to open our hearts to His reality!

Do not be afraid.

Those simple words of assurance are so much more than a greeting church.

I mean, just imagine, for a second, if you heard those words!

Don’t be afraid...

It would disarm us, wouldn’t it?

Just like when someone tells us they know us, it removes the need to show them something we are not!

In this moment, God sent a message that invited Mary, and in fact, invites us all, to be who we are!

TO BE WHO HE MADE US TO BE!

[get bible] In Mary’s case, she was the very bearer of the Christ.

The hope of the world.

She was to [read vs 31-33]

That’s quite an invitation isn’t it?

If we are being honest, it is less an invitation to actually do something withing her power, and more of an invitation to the miraculous!

It turns out, that is the underlying subtext of Christmas, and especially of the Advent season!

This broken world, detached from God and yearning for salvation and peace and hope and joy and love; waiting desperately for something.

And we aren’t waiting for something we could ever get on our own, no, we are waiting on the miraculous!

And church, that is just where Mary is at this moment.

And there in the face of this unreal invitation, she has the same response that you and I likely have!

Luke 1:

To put it in my generation’s vernacular, “Whatchu talkin’ bout Willis?

To Mary, this wasn’t just an invitation to the miraculous, it was the invitation to the impossible!

And, church, I can see us, I can see me in that response!

How many times have we felt God calling us, but thought it was too hard, or even impossible, and then ignored it?

[examples] end with “how are we ever going to be able to live our lives like Jesus tells us to?”

It’s just impossible, right?

Church, God’s invitation only SEEMS impossible.

Listen, He won’t call us to something that doesn’t exist, or is impossible.

Oh it might seem impossible, but God isn’t in the business of calling us to the impossible!

No His invitation is to the miraculous!

That is what I see in this text today!

In fact, that is what love’s invitation is all about!

Just look back on your life.

Look back on all that love has called you toward.

Church, when I was in high school, there was no way I could graduate from college.

Impossible!

There was no way that Kate would ever give me the time of day! Surely she would never marry me!

And then later in college, there was no way I could get through grad school, or ever get a job!

As I felt God calling me to ministry all I could think of was how bad I would be at it, and how impossible it seemed.

And even before I came here, I just knew I would be terrible!

I knew that I couldn’t do it!

I knew that no matter what God thought He was calling me to go do, it was absolutely impossible!

And church, let me tell you, I was right!

I can’t!

But He can.

I can’t!

But He can.

But how? Mary’s question can be heard in all of our hearts.

Church, that is the thing about God, and His invitation.

Whenever He calls us, church, we need to realize that it isn’t duty, or obligation, or some other thing calling.

It is Love’s invitation.

God is love church.

And God invites us in love to participate in His plan and creation, and when we respond to that invitation of love, we find that with God, with love, all things are possible.

To take that a step further, just imagine what this world would look like if we all took God up on His invitation to join in His work!

Imagine if we heard that invitation of love in our lives - the invitation what sings out so clearly during the Advent season - imagine if we took that invitation as more than just words of assurance of our own faith!