Christmas Midweek | Waiting...

INTRODUCTION

It is in this pre-Christmas season that we find ourselves stuck on a certain element of the holiday that we really just don’t like: the waiting.

WE

Think back to Christmas as a young child, if you can remember back that far! Knit together with the awe and wonder of the seemingly magical time of Christmas is the sharp pain of having to WAIT! You know Christmas is coming…because we all count down the days! Maybe you have a calendar somewhere in your house where you open a little door to reveal the next number in your countdown to the big day. However you countdown, all of us are all aware of the waiting process leading up to Christmas Day.

YOU

Have you ever found yourself waiting for something or someone before?

Maybe you have found yourself waiting for:

· God to answer one of your prayers.

· God to answer one of your prayers.

· Our dinner to get ready.

· That one person to text you back (side note)

Waiting on God is no rare thing in the Bible. Many times, in many different situations, we find people in the Bible waiting on God to do what He said He was going to do. In the middle of the Christmas story we find our girl Mary. May loved the Lord and knew her Bible! She knew the promises of God, especially the ones like and that spoke of the Messiah coming to restore all things. The girl knew what it meant to wait. In our lives we find ourselves in the same spot: waiting.

As Christmas is approaching, we are going to “zone in” on the Christmas story tonight. We are going to do so by narrowing in on Mary’s perspective. Most of you know that Mary was the mother of Jesus.

As we look into the Christmas story from Luke’s gospel, we are going to find out that a woman named Mary and her relative Elizabeth knew a lot about waiting. In the middle of the Christmas story is the following,

Luke 1:45 ESV

45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

GOD

400 years of silence from the prophets. Unlike the years before, there was no evidence of God speaking. It was as if God had removed Himself from the world He made according to His chosen people. But He wasn’t distant. God had not removed Himself; He was very near. At the right time, God spoke. All over the Old Testament, God foretold by the prophets the Messiah would come and restore all things. But until then, God’s people were waiting on Him while living their lives serving the Lord. God first spoke to Zechariah & Elizabeth

Explain

400 years of silence from the prophets. Unlike the years before, there was no evidence of God speaking. It was as if God had removed Himself from the world He made according to His chosen people. But He wasn’t distant. God had not removed Himself; He was very near. At the right time, God spoke. All over the Old Testament, God foretold by the prophets the Messiah would come and restore all things. But until then, God’s people were waiting on Him while living their lives serving the Lord. God first spoke to Zechariah & Elizabeth, then to Mary.

Then to Mary from Nazareth.

Luke 1:

Luke 1:26–28 ESV

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

There is an important thing to notice at this moment, which is the way the angel sent from God greeted her,

"Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." (v. 28)

There was nothing Mary did to earn God's favor. I'm sure Mary had her shortcomings, struggles, and doubt. I am not naïve enough to believe that Mary was perfect. I believe that she desired to love her Lord with all her heart and trusted her soon to be husband, Joseph. As we begin to unwrap this story, one thing is clear: this story is saturated with the grace of God. As the angel begin to speak to Mary the message sent from God, I get the feeling that this was a very emotional moment for Mary as she took in all the angel was telling her. The truth that God had favor on her wasn't by anything Mary had done, but from who God is. She is the object of God’s unmerited, graciously provided goodness. In fact, Mary is totally perplexed by the sudden announcement. She did not ask for or seek this role in God’s plans; God has simply stepped into her life and brought her into his service out of His grace and plan.

"Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God." (v. 30)

There was nothing Mary did to earn God's favor. I'm sure Mary had her shortcomings, struggles, and doubt. I am not naïve enough to believe that Mary was perfect. I believe that she desired to love her Lord with all her heart and trusted her soon to be husband, Joseph. As we begin to unwrap this story, one thing is clear: this story is saturated with the grace of God. As the angel begin to speak to Mary the message sent from God, I get the feeling that this was a very emotional moment for Mary as she took in all the angel was telling her. The truth that God had favor on her wasn't by anything Mary had done, but from who God is. She is the object of God’s unmerited, graciously provided goodness. In fact, Mary is totally perplexed by the sudden announcement. She did not ask for or seek this role in God’s plans; God has simply stepped into her life and brought her into his service out of His grace and plan.

How did she respond to this news from God? Even though she knew what God had told her, you know she had questions and concerns. How would she tell Joseph? What would the town think when they see her pregnant before her and Joseph got married? How will the nine months play out? During a time of significant change of plans, confusion, and uncertainty, there was one thing that changed it all: faith. Let's see how Mary responded.

1:38

"May it be to me according to your word, I am yours."

Mary knew that God was faithfully to see her through what He called her to do. Yeah, there was probably some times of discouragement, but she was committed to follow her Lord trusting in what He told her, "Nothing will be impossible with God." Man. May we learn from Mary this morning.

The wait was over. Trusting God was worth it. This is not more evident in the testimony of Elizabeth and Mary. Verse 45 is crucial for us today.

1:45

And blessed is she who BELIEVED that there would be a FULFILLMENT of what had been SPOKEN TO HER BY THE LORD.

In the times of waiting for Mary, one thing is true: God delivered. He delivered according to His plan. As we take a big glance through Mary's eyes, we discover one thing about her. In her waiting, she embraced it. What she embraced was God Himself. She trusted His Word, His plan, His control.

Mary's anthem was:

It was worth it; waiting on the Lord was worth it. God is so faithful. Because He is faithful, may it be done to me according to whatever You say oh God.

During her waiting, she clung to the God of grace & mercy; whose love endures forever. She did not cling to her own righteousness, but trusted her identity in God. In her waiting, Mary embraced all the more the God of her salvation. God alone was enough was enough for her.

YOU

Students, in your waiting, God is enough. Embrace Him. In those times of waiting on God, know that He will do what He PROMISED. A small, but important truth we find deep in the Christmas story is that there is peace in those moments we feel like God is distant. There’s peace because God actually is not distant or far away, but extremely close.

God is always doing something and in that gap of waiting, and God is wanting you to cling all the more closer to Him.

Because during Mary’s waiting, God was actually constructing His story.

Mary’s story became God’s story in a moment least expected. God showed up.