Mary

Advent 4 - Mary: Luke 1:26-38

During Advent, this time of waiting and preparation before Christmas, our services have been themed around, “The Return of the King”. We started by thinking about the quality of our wait for the return of our King, Jesus. Are we fearful, unsure what to expect, or expectant and focussed. We went on to start thinking about our level of activity during the wait. The story of John the Baptist showed us that we are to be waiting actively, preparing the way, in our own hearts and in the world. Last week, in the context of the Christingle service, we saw that part of that preparation is for us to be Christ’s light in the world.

Today is the last Sunday of Advent, and we’re going to look at another aspect of the preparation of the way, in our hearts and in the world.

As we heard in the reading we are taking our example from Mary, the mother of Jesus. Although we are reading this story on the Sunday before Christmas Day, she would have had this experience 9 months ago. She has been waiting and preparing for the birth of her son since then, and probably is by now even more impatient for Christmas Day than we are.

The brief dialogue we have heard started Mary’s time of waiting and helped to sustain her through that wait and preparation for Jesus’ birth, and I believe that it can help to sustain us through our wait and preparation for Jesus’ return.

To explore how it might help us and, given my slightly contrary nature, I’d like to start at the end of the conversation. Mary says:

“I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.”

Imagine you were passing Mary’s door at the time and you overheard this tail end of the conversation. What questions would it spark in your mind. Perhaps you’d want to know who her Lord was, and, perhaps more importantly, what has been said that she was affirming she wanted to happen? What was she agreeing to?

Well, if we look at the conversation we heard and the passage following, we can find some answers to these questions.

Who is your Lord, Mary?

Mary’s answer to this question is summed up in one of the most famous and beautiful summaries of God’s character to be found in the Bible:

Luke 1:46-55

And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants for ever, even as he said to our fathers."

Mary’s Lord is the God who created all things, who is tender, holy, just, mighty, and lavish. Who, despite being rejected by people, has been merciful, has remembered promises made to Mary’s ancestors and has promised to be a Saviour.

This is the Lord that Mary serves.

That answers our first question, so, what was our second question?

What have you agreed to, Mary? What has been said that you want to be fulfilled?

Well, here are the statements that the Angel made:

V 28 You are highly favoured and the Lord is with you

V 30 You have found favour with God

V 31 You will have a Son, who will do great things

V 35 The Holy Spirit will work in you

V 37 Nothing is impossible with God

Now these mostly look like good things to me. They look like blessings to me. That’s because they are blessings, or promises of blessing.

However, in one of the blessings is the possibility of hardship.

You might be able to imagine Mary’s mind racing. I’m going to have a son? But I’ve never been with a man. How can this be? Will Joseph divorce me? I could be shunned from my community, I could be stoned.

Now, we don’t know if Mary felt these things. The Bible says that she was troubled by the angel’s greeting but, there is no mention of trouble in her heart at the news the angel bought. It is entirely possible that Mary, in her humility, was more concerned that anybody would favour her, than by the possibility that her Lord might not see her safely through any consequences of the news the angel bought.

That is, Mary was claiming the promises in the angel’s words and trusting her Lord to hold her and protect her in the hardships of the promises. And, actually, none of those fears that we imagine she might have had did come true. Joseph didn’t divorce her, they were married and she lived on to bring Jesus up to adulthood.

Even when hardships associated with the promises did come along, ones that she could never have foreseen, her Lord shielded her. During the greatest hardship, the crucifiction that came with the promise that her Son would reign for ever, her Lord looked down from the cross and entrusted her to the care of one of his closest friends.

So what did Mary agree to? She agreed to align her will with God’s, accepting the blessings in that will and realising that in giving control to God she would be in safe hands.

So, we’ve answered our two questions for Mary. Now, what if we ask them of ourselves?

Who is our Lord?

That is, who, or what, controls our lives?

We knew Mary’s answer because of what she said, and we know that her answer was true because we can see in the story of her life in the Bible that she followed through her words of acknowledgment of Lordship with actions of obedience.

And, we’ve got a bit more information than Mary. We don’t have to take as much on trust. Mary stated that God was her Saviour, even though she didn’t know what Jesus was going to do and say. We have the advantage of knowing the Jesus went to the cross and died there. That Jesus rose from the dead and has called us to follow.

Now it may be that you are are at a stage in your life where you’re not sure you want to relinquish control of your life. You may not feel that you need a Lord. If that’s you then I’d urge you to consider the blessings that Mary found come with obedience. I’d also ask you to consider how much control you actually do have. In asking Jesus to be in control of our lives do we actually give anything up but the illusion of being in control ourselves?

Alternatively, it may be that we do know the need for Jesus to be in charge in our lives, but we find it difficult to keep our hands off the steering wheel. Perhaps this excerpt from Hilary McDowell’s advent meditations, “On the Way to Bethlehem” captures how we feel:

“The traveller is talking to Jesus as she walks “Love as you loved? Couldn’t I just do my best not to hate? This anger is hard to control, Lord. .... Lose control - what do you mean?..... I must lose control to you. Oh, you mean let my anger go by telling you ?..... No,that’s not it? It’s more than that? .... Let my will go until you control my love? Can you actually teach me to love, Lord? ... You won’t teach? Well then, there is no hope because I.... Oh, you’re saying that you can BE love in me. I hate to tell you this, Lord, but we’re not doing too well so far.... What’s that you say? It’s because I’ve still got control?.... Yes, Lord, if only I could lose control to you..”

Our Lord can be the Lord that Mary described, the God who created all things, who is tender, holy, just, mighty, and lavish. Who, despite being rejected by us, has been merciful, remembered promises made to Mary’s ancestors and has promised to be our Saviour.

For this Lord to be our Lord too, then we have to follow Mary’s example and say, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” , and each day, in each situation, continue to allow Jesus to be in control.

So, what of the second half of this statement for us. What are we saying that we want to be fulfilled. What has been said to us?

Well, like Mary, we have received words from God, they’re in the Bible. And like the words that came to Mary, many of them are blessings and promises of blessings.

Here are some of the ones that Jesus gave us himself:

Matt 11:28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

John 4:14

Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

John 6:51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

John 11:25-26

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

John 6:40

For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and so I will raise him up at the last day."

Luke 12:32

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

John 14:1-6

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

Luke 11:13

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

In these words Jesus promises both sustenance for the journey, during the waiting time, and also provision at the destination.

For the journey Jesus promises that our burdens will not be more than we can bear. Jesus doesn’t promise that there won’t be burdens or hardships associated with these promises. But, he does promise to give us the Holy Spirit, who will comfort us, guide us, and empower us.

Jesus also promises that when he returns, at the end of our wait, we will have eternal life, with God, in the fully revealed Kingdom of God.

So, if we echo Mary’s statement, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.” what are we agreeing to?

We are agreeing to align our wills with God’s, accepting the blessings in that will and realising that in giving control to God we will be in safe hands.

However, it’s not enough to make the statement, our lives, like Mary’s, have to demonstrate that we have given over control to God. An incident from Jesus ministry illustrates this for us.

Luke 11:27-28

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

Earlier we saw the great blessings that God promised to Mary, and here is Jesus saying that greater blessing is in store for those who not only hear but who are also obedient to the word of God.

As we come to the end of Advent, and the wait for Christ’s birth ends, let’s not forget what we’ve discovered about the wait for Christ’s return.

Those who acknowledge God’s right to be in control of their lives and who obey God will be blessed in every conceivable way and will be sustained through the hardships associated with the promises.

In our waiting and preparation for the Return of the King may we echo Mary, “ I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.”

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