Operation Restoration: Mary of Nazareth

Offertory

Gracious and loving God, as we begin Advent, let us remember all that we have to give thanks for. Lord, we know that all that we are and all that we have come from the blessings that you have poured out upon us. Lord, this morning, through our tithes and offerings, we pray that we might pour blessings upon others who have not been as fortunate as we have. We pray that these offerings be a sign to all the world of our love for you and our love of our neighbor. We pray these things in the name of the one who is coming into the world, Jesus. Amen.

Introduction

Good morning Wesley family! I hope you had a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Friends, in case you haven’t noticed, we have a big problem. People die. Obviously this is not new information, but this year it seems like death has been looming over us like a huge dark cloud. What if I were to tell you that this is not how it is supposed to be? What if I were to tell you that humans were not created to die, but to live forever in the presence of God.

If we’re to take Scripture at its word, this was how it was supposed to be. We have no idea how long Adam and Eve were in the garden before they did the one thing they were told not to do. They could have been there for thousands upon thousands of years. Scripture doesn’t say. But death was not in the picture.

Genesis 2:16–17 (NIV)

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

How long they were in the garden before they decided to eat from that tree we don’t know. What we do know is that they did, and when they did, death entered the world. God exiles Adam and Eve from the garden and from that point forward, death becomes the norm. From there the story just gets worse, but God will not be content to leave things the way they are.

Genesis 6:5, 8 (NIV)

5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time...8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

God begins “Operation Restoration.” Restoration begins with one man, Noah, who found favor in the eyes of the Lord. It then moves from one man to one family. The family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Genesis 12:1–3 (NIV)

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”

And God does make Abraham a great nation. And that nation, Israel, becomes the third phase of Operation Restoration.

Exodus 19:3–6 (NIV)

3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

And then there is the promise that God made to King David...

2 Samuel 7:4–5, 16 (NIV)

4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

Noah, Abraham, Moses, David. These are key figures in God’s plan of restoration; His plan to reverse the effect of Adam’s disobedience in the garden; His plan to defeat death. And what do we know about these people before God called them? All we know about Noah is that he was a righteous man and had three sons. That’s it. With Abraham we know he was a nomad from a family of nomads. He was not from a famous family, not from a family of kings. It is God who made his name great. We know more about Moses. He was a Hebrew who became an Egyptian prince, and then a murderer. He was shepherding his father-in-laws flocks in the middle of nowhere when God called him in a burning bush. David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons; a simple shepherd, but this is the one God chose to be king of Israel and he is considered their greatest king.

Operation Restoration: The Final Phase

Today we look at the beginning of the final phase of God’s Operation Restoration. Where and with whom does this final phase begin? Is God going to call upon a great world leader? No. Is God going to call upon a great nation? Kind of. He is going to work through Israel, but by the time we get to this final phase, Israel is no longer a great nation. They are a vassal nation of the Roman Empire. Nope, God is going to begin this final phase of restoration with a young girl in a backwater town. Her name is Mary.

Luke 1:26–38 (NRSV)

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Nazareth

“God send the angel Gabriel to Nazareth.” This is like saying God sent the angel Gabriel to Sarita, TX. Where? What’s there? Not much. The population was probably between 200-400. Their primary occupation was likely making wine and olive oil. However, King Herod Antipas’ capital city of Sepphoris was just three miles away. Archaeology shows that Herod was building up this city in the early part of Jesus life. Some residents of Nazareth, including Joseph who we’ll discuss next week, may have worked as tradesmen in this much larger city. Nazareth must have had some kind of reputation because the Gospel of John records this exchange between Philip and Nathaniel...

“Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.” (John 1:45–46, NIV)

Mary

It is in this small, no frills town in the middle of Galilee that Gabriel is sent to Mary. And what do we know about Mary? We know she lived in Nazareth. Hmm. Okay. We know she was young; probably around 13 years old. We know that she is pledged to be married to Joseph.

Betrothal at this time was a two stage process. The betrothal itself was a witnessed formal contract of marriage in which Joseph would have had to pay Mary’s parents a bridal dowry (or price). At this point, Mary is legally Joseph’s wife. About a year later, the actual marriage would take place and Joseph would move Mary into his home.

It is in-between the betrothal and marriage that Gabriel breaks the news to Mary that she is going to have a son. Let me tell you friends, this would have been a scandal! Let’s hope Mary’s parents haven’t already spent her dowry! Can you imagine it? Your daughter comes home and tells you, “I saw an angel today and he told me that I’m pregnant and am going to have a son.” Somehow I just don’t imagine them saying to Mary, “Oh, that’s nice dear.” Oh No, my imagination in a totally different direction. WHAT! WHO DID THIS TO YOU?! WHERE’S MY SHOTGUN?! Luke does not tell us what Mary’s parent’s reaction was, at least not explicitly. Next week, we’ll discuss Joseph’s reaction. But today, we need to take note of Mary’s reaction.

“And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.' But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Can you blame her for being perplexed and wondering why she was greeted this way? “Hey Mary, I’m Gabriel, an angel of God. First, let me say, ‘God loves you like crazy! Now, don’t freak out, but you’re going to have God’s son.’” Okay? Of course, Mary is somewhat confused and asks the angel, “How is that possible since I have not been with a man before?” Gabriel tells her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, but I’ll come back to that in a minute. At this moment, let’s look at Mary’s reaction to Gabriel’s news. “Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38, NRSV) Mary says, “Let it be.” Amazing! She has to know this is going to disrupt her life in ways she may not even be able to imagine, and yet, her response is, “Let it be.”

Gabriel Said

Why did I start this morning talking about Adam and Noah and Abraham and Moses and David? There are two reasons. The first is one we’re probably all familiar with and that is God always seems to choose the least likely people to fulfill his purposes. Who was Noah before God called him? We really don’t know. With Abraham, it seems God just plucked him right out of the middle of nowhere. A nomad from a nomadic family. Yes, Moses had been an Egyptian prince at one time, but when God calls him, he is shepherding his father’s flocks. God didn’t choose David because he killed Goliath. Nope, God had Samuel anoint David as king before that event even occurred. Now God has chosen Mary. A young maiden in a backwater town called Nazareth. God constantly uses those we least expect. As the apostle Paul told the Corinthians, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” (1 Corinthians 3:19–20, NRSV)

The second reason I started the way I did is that I want us to see how this story ties to all that has come before. Today, as we begin the season of advent, I think it is important for us to understand that what God is doing here is not on a whim or because what he had done before had not worked. This was part of the plan from the very beginning; part of Operation Restoration. Much of what Gabriel tells Mary subtly points back to what God has done before.

The prophet Isaiah, speaking to the Hebrews exiled in Babylon, says, “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). And now Gabriel says, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” (Luke 1:30–31, NRSV). Immanuel means “God with us.” But Mary is to name her child Jesus. This is interesting. Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name “Yeshua”. This name, “Yeshua” is a bringing together of two Hebrew words; “Ya,” which is the beginning of God’s name Yahweh and “yasha” meaning to save. Put the two together and you have “Yeshua” which means “God saves.” Yahweh is the name that God gives to Moses at the burning bush...

“But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’ ”” (Exodus 3:13–14, NRSV)

“I Am Who I Am.” In Hebrew...Yahweh. Tell them, “Yahweh” has sent you. Prior to this moment, God has not divulged his name. At least not that we know of. Abraham knew God as “el elyon,” God Most High. Isn’t that interesting. Gabriel tells Mary that her son will be called “Son of the Most High.” Furthermore, Gabriel tells Mary, “and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32–33, NRSV). Remember that Scripture I read at the beginning about God’s promise to David? “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16, NIV).

There is one more subtle allusion Luke makes. When Gabriel says, “and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy.” This alludes back to God’s presence filling the tabernacle, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34–35, NIV). The presence of God “overshadowed” the tent of meeting in the desert. The same thing happens when the temple in Jerusalem is dedicated. Now the power of the Most High will overshadow Mary.

Conclusion

Friends, today is the first Sunday in Advent. It is the beginning of the Church’s calendar year and it is the beginning of the final phase of what I have called “Operation Restoration.” As we journey through Advent, we’re going to be looking at the characters and places God will use as this final phase of his grand plan begins. God’s grand plan, “Operation Restoration,” is to defeat death and restore not just humanity but all of creation to its original intent. One of peace, harmony, and community with God. We will not see this final phase completed until Easter, Pentecost, the End of the Age, but this Advent season we seen its beginning.

Brothers and Sisters, we have a role to play in Operation Restoration. We know God’s plan, and we know he will be victorious. Advent is the season where we see the beginning of that victory. In this time of pandemic, where death seems to be hovering over us like a large dark cloud, there is hope. And people need to hear that message of hope: death will not conquer us. God is already victorious. That victory comes through Jesus, Yeshua, God saves. The presence and power of God Most High will overshadow a young girl named Mary in a small town called Nazareth. Restoration of all things and victory over death begins now!

Benediction

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20–21, NIV)