Humility

Announcements

Christmas Eve service will not be in person. We will be posting our Christmas Eve service on Facebook and YouTube on Christmas Eve.

If you are interested in our book club beginning on January 17th, you can order “Another Gospel?” by Alisa Childers through Amazon. A link is in this week’s addition of the Methodist Messenger.

Opening Prayer

In the rush of preparation for holiday celebration, we come to this place to be fed by God. We need the peace, hope, love and joy that this season represents. We need to listen again with wonder at the magnificent words of Mary as she proclaims her faithful participation in God’s most miraculous gift. Open our hearts this day, Lord, to receive the words and the blessings, to be fed and then to be those who will share with others as you have shared with us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN.

Lighting of the Advent Candle

Songs:

PG - “O Come All Ye Faithful”

Bailey - “

Chrismon Tree ornament

Pastoral Prayer

One week left, Lord, just one week left. Can we get all the things done that we have set before us? Have all the cards been mailed, the greetings extended, the gatherings coordinated and placed in our calendar for this last rush before the BIG DAY? Have we forgotten anything? Have we forgotten anyone? It would be easy to say, we have forgotten the reason for the season....that phrase which is imprinted on key chains and coffee mugs. We think that if we post the note that says "Jesus is the reason for the season", we will truly be fulfilling our Christmas commitment. How foolish we are! Placing the words on the wall, taped to a bulletin board, on a refrigerator, does not place the words in our hearts. We replace the glorious story of God’s Incarnate word, with tinsel and wrapping paper and believe that we are ready to celebrate. When will we learn? Come to us now, comforting God, with your powerful words of healing. Help us to remember the witness of Mary, a young girl, who never expected to play such a role in salvation history. Put the brakes on our rushing and sit us down to hear the story of your absolute Love for us. Get us ready for the birth of your Son who will become our Savior. Move us from the focus of our festivities to a focus on witnessing about your love through serving others. Challenge us to reach out to people in need, not only with a check to support a particular endeavor, but with actual contact in ministries of sacrifice and service. In such times as this remind us that we are called to proclaim your love through witness and service. AMEN.

Songs:

PG - “In the Bleak Mid-winter”

Bailey -

Scripture Reading

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.

Introduction

During this season of Advent, we have been talking a lot about the mess we find ourselves in during 2020. We have talked about how God can use the mess to bring blessing. And today, as we all have our minds set on Christmas Day, we turn to a story that we are all familiar with - the Annunciation.

This is when the birth of Jesus is announced to Mary. Gabriel comes to her not in a dream like Joseph but in full glory for her to see. This young girl who is probably around 14 or so has been given this great task of being the bearer of the Messiah, God himself. In the Greek, the term is “theotokos.”

She is not who we expect to be the one that brings God into the world in the flesh. But God has chosen her. We are not exactly sure why. The Bible doesn’t give us an explicit reason. We can infer what it might be. But that is as much as we can get. I think that part of the point that God has in using Mary is that it continues an example of what God has done in the past. God never uses the rich and powerful to bring good news or deliverance. It is always the one that no one else notices. We see that in our passage this morning from our Advent candle reading with David. He was not chosen based on outward appearances but on his heart.

I am a big fan of British comedies that come on PBS. One of my favorites, and most others favorite if they are fans, is “Keeping Up Appearances.” If you are not familiar with the show, it is about a woman named Hyacinth Bucket, but it is pronounced “bouquet.” She is trying to climb the social ladder by having candle light suppers and impressing the vicar. She doesn’t want anyone to know about her sisters Daisy and Rose nor her brother-in-law Onslow because they are not up to par. Her father is senile and always chasing after women. Her other sister, Violet, is married to a turf accountant or what we would call a bookie for horse races. She is well to do but her husband is more than a little odd. She always wants those on the outside to think that the only reason why she isn’t aristocracy is an accident of birth. She is always wanting things to appear much better than they actually are and part of the comedy is that she fails to hide her and her family’s flaws.

What we find in our scripture today is that Mary comes to us as one who has been who has been called much like David. She is not called for her appearances but because of her humility. That is where we find ourselves today. As the King is coming, He comes to us in humility.

1. Our great example of humility is found in Mary. (vs. 26-29)

Luke 1:26–28 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.”

Matthew 5:5 NRSV

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

In Matthew 5:5, the blessing of the meek is easily misunderstood in contemporary society. Meekness did not mean weakness in the biblical world. The Septuagint version of the Old Testament describes Moses as a meek man in Numbers 12:3. Moses was not weak. Rather, meekness portrays the person who has learned to trust God. The word was often used in the Old Testament as a synonym for the poor. This third beatitude adapts Psalm 37:11 in the promise that the meek will inherit the earth. This suggests that God rewards the faithfulness of those who trust in Him rather than in themselves by fulfilling the ancient promises He made to His people.

Mary is no weak woman. She is not shy and turning away. She boldly hears what the angel is saying to her. However, her heart is open to what Gabriel says.

In 1 Samuel, we find the story of Hannah Samuel’s mother praying in the temple over and over again to be able to have a son. It is finally done, and she gives her son to the Lord.

This time, the miracle was not the result of prolonged prayer. In fact, this miracle might not be viewed as a blessing. The birth announcement was delivered to a virgin, whose name was Mary (1:27). Being unmarried and pregnant would pose a very disgraceful, critical problem. If an unmarried woman became pregnant, the only conclusion would be that she was immoral and should be stoned to death as prescribed by Jewish law. If she were to claim her innocence by saying she was a virgin whose pregnancy was caused by the Holy Spirit, the charges of lying, insanity, and heresy could be added.

The angel said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” (1:28). Why was Mary so highly favored? Why was the Lord with her in some special way? Why did God choose her to bear His only Son? Mary was certainly a remarkable young woman. There is no indication, however, that she was immaculately conceived herself, as some suggest, or that because of her role in God’s plan she should be the channel through which our prayers reach God. She was chosen by the sovereign decision of God—separated out from others to be God’s servant for a special task. God often works out His sovereign will by favoring common people like Mary—and us—to accomplish His purpose. The focus should never be on us but on the purpose of God that is being accomplished through us.

Mary was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph (1:27). Mary and Joseph were not yet married—only pledged to each other. In that culture, pledging or betrothal lasted for a year and was as binding as marriage. It could only be dissolved by divorce, which is why it was said of Joseph that because he “was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matt. 1:19). Joseph was identified as being a descendant of David (Luke 1:27). Both of the genealogies of Jesus, recorded in Matthew and Luke, traced His lineage back through David, fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would be of the house of David.

2. We must approach God with humility. (vs. 30-34)

Luke 1:30–34 NRSV

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?”

Psalm 40:17 NRSV

17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.

In Psalm 40 is a psalm of David that is for deliverance and help. There is a cry to God and a desire to be in an intimate relationship with God. It is when we approach God with this kind of humble heart as one who is poor and needy that we are able to truly find deliverance. Just as it says in Philippians 2:10-11, “every knew will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Unless we come with a humble heart, we are not going to be in the presence of God. When we are not humble, we we lack a complete trust in God and rely on ourselves, we find that we are actually farther away from God not closer. A lack of humility keeps our hearts filled with self rather than with God.

Just as Gabriel had done with Zechariah and Elizabeth, he communicated God’s choice for the child’s name: “You are to give him the name Jesus” (1:31). The name Jesus is a form of the name Joshua (Yeshua) and means “Savior.” The angel said that Jesus would be a king on the throne of his father David (1:32), and that He would be great and called the Son of the Most High. But of all of the names given to God’s Son, the name Jesus most captures the heart of those who follow Him. It is not a name of heavenly royalty but of identification with humanity and its needs. It is at the name of Jesus that “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10–11). We must first know Him as Savior before we can know Him as Lord.

3. When we are humble, the Holy Spirit can fully dwell in our lives. (vs. 35-38)

Luke 1:35–38 NRSV

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.

Ezekiel 36:26–28 NRSV

26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28 Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36 gives us a snap shot into the problem that Israel had prior to their exile to Babylon. They had shown a continuous disregard for the commandments of God. They were drifting towards or even sinking below the wickedness of their neighbors who were not in covenant with God. But it was not just their behavior that was the problem. It was a condition of their heart and spirit.

So when Ezekiel begins prophesying for after the exile is over, he points back to a metaphor that is found in Deuteronomy 30:6:

Deuteronomy 30:6 NRSV

6 Moreover, the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.

But now there is something much more radical that has to happen. God must remove their heart of stone and turn back to a heart of flesh - a heart that is ready to receive the fullness of God. The purpose of this transformation is for there to a a whole-hearted obedience to God.

Later in the New Testament, Paul talks about this transformation in terms of life in the Spirit in Romans 8. He says that the Spirit sets us free from the law at one level, in relation to sin and death and the inability of our fallen nature to obey God. Yet the very purpose for which Christ died, and for which we are granted the indwelling Spirit, is “in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature (the flesh) but according to the Spirit.”

So in order for the Spirit to fully dwell in us, we must have a humble heart of flesh and not a heart of stone. This only happens when Christ comes into our lives.

Mary gave us this example because the fullness of the Spirit came upon her and dwelled with in her.

Mary’s response was, “How will this be?” (1:34). She would have every reason to question the validity of the message. Yet her question seems to be more for understanding the process than of accepting its truthfulness—“Given what you say, how will it happen, since I am a virgin?” We may believe and accept the Word from God, but when viewed through the lens of our circumstances and our understanding of the laws of nature, the plan and promise of God can appear impossible. The word given to Mary needs to be spoken into the life of every follower of Christ: “Nothing is impossible with God” (1:37). Our circumstances may make the transition difficult, but this Word needs to move from being intellectually believed to being the conviction of our hearts. We will face things in our lives that have no resolution, and we will see them as impossible. But when God is included in the equation, possibilities show up. Nothing is impossible with God!

Mary’s response to the plan of God was remarkable. Knowing the potential for personal embarrassment and disgrace, she said, “I am the Lord’s servant … May it be to me as you have said” (1:38). Though Mary was favored by God, it did not insulate her from difficulty and hurt. In fact, obedience to the plan of God would lead her into the potential of experiencing serious problems. But she viewed herself to be the Lord’s servant, and servants serve their masters.

After delivering his message, the angel left her. Times of divine visitation are wonderful, but the moment comes when we are left alone. There are no angels. There is no further word from God. There is no one else with whom we can share our thoughts or questions. No doubt Mary would wake up tomorrow with a new set of questions, but who would answer them? Who would walk with her through the days of uncertainty that lay ahead? The words of the angel would become her assurance: “The Lord is with you.” When we follow the plan of God, we experience the presence and receive the provisions of God.

Conclusion

On this final Sunday of Advent as we approach Christmas in just a few days, we need to remember the example that Mary gives us on what it means to be humble. This does mean that we are weak. It means that we lose ourselves in the presence of the Lord knowing that it is not about us but about him. It is about being enveloped in the fullness of God not for ourselves but for the witness of bring Christ to the world for all to come to him.

We are reminded by David in his psalm of confession in Psalm 51:

Psalm 51:17 NRSV

17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

It is with that kind of heart that the following happens when David says earlier in the psalm,

Psalm 51:10–12 NRSV

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

May God create a clean and humble heart within all of us, and may we live as the example of Mary to bear Christ to all the world. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Closing Song:

PG - “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”

Bailey - “Let There Be Peace on Earth”

Benediction

God of Light and Hope, in whom there is no darkness, cause your light to shine on us and through us to others, that they may know of you and of your Love. Let us witness to your gift of Jesus who came and taught us how to live as children of Light. Go in peace, dear friends, and know that the God of light, hope, peace, and joy goes with you. AMEN.