The Glory Belongs to God - Mary

Intro: Christmas is full of the frivolous - things that don’t matter and have little weight or value. It may be the decorations, the trivial presents, the very shallow conversations with people who talk too much or whatever. That is why this year we are trying to focus on bringing all the Glory To God in Christmas.

The word “weighty” is an appropriate word when talking about the “glory” of Christmas. The Hebrew word for “glory” is the word kavod. ( Pronounced kuh-vode.) Kavod not only means “glory”, but also it means “Valuable” & “weight.”

With that in mind, For God to get the glory this Christmas here has to be an aspect of weightiness or value that we place on His plans.

While this season certainly can get tangled in superficial commercialism, there is at the centre of Christmas a weightiness, an importance, a deference, a respect that is filled to overflowing with honour and majesty. Kavod …valuable...weight…glory.

If we are not careful, an unnecessary and undesirable weight around unhealthy Christmas expectations can begin to slump our shoulders and suffocate our soul. We can find ourselves feeling pressed to get everything done from decorating to shopping to baking to figuring out how to see everybody in a way that leaves family and friends feeling satisfied (or not) with the amount of face time everybody was able to “enjoy”. Meeting other peoples expectation, and even our own expectations, can rob all the glory of God at Christmas.

There can be feelings of so much to do with not enough time (or money!) to get it all done.

Today we want to briefly look at some events in Mary’s life that left her with the opportunity to Give God Glory and adjust her plans. Often we have to due the same.

It just may be that changing your plans is part of His plan for your life.

1.The Announcement

A.I’m sure that a visit with an angel was not on Mary’s day planner.

Luke 1:26–29 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

God reminds us in the Bible that He knows a thing or two about the plans for our lives. God wants to remind you this Christmas that the heaviness of your circumstances can be carried along by the truth of His words concerning the plans He has for your life.

B.While the message given was flattering, it was about the Glory of God and His plans.

Luke 1:30–33 ESV

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name 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 father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

She gets one verse and the rest of the passage is about Jesus.

2.A trip that brings God more glory!

Luke 1:39–40 ESV

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

Hasty travel could be for several reasons.

Was it because it was harder and harder to proclaim innocence while her figure suggested otherwise? verse 56 leaves many thinking it was late in Liz’z pregnancy.

Was it because she needed time away from Joseph?

Was it because she knew life would soon be vastly different and she wanted to visit a favourite aunt and uncle first?

Was it to help her aunt and uncle in their time of need?

Maybe - but we do know it was God’s plan to bring more GLORY to Himself through what we have recorded.

Mary chose to let God carry her through upcoming days of uncertainty, questions from society about her character, hardships on her husband who also would need some time to process this new change of plans.

Fetal interaction.

Luke 1:41 ESV

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

Sure babies move during pregnancy, but this movement was important enough to be recorded for all history! - and in 2 verses 41 & 44

The Apostle Paul knew well ...

Psalm 139:13 ESV

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

He may have alluded to it in...

Colossians 2:2 ESV

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,

Elizabeth acknowledges God’s plan.

She did not rip into her for being pregnant out of wedlock.

Luke 1:42–45 ESV

and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

She understands God’s plan and is eager to acknowledge it even when is would seem to go against mankind’s normal plans.

3.Mary’s reply is to bring GLORY to GOD.

Mary’s Magnificat is a great psalm of God’s glory!

Luke 1:46–55 ESV

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Look back at those verses and see again all the wonderful things they tell us about God!

Conclusion: Mary gave God GLORY in the adjustments of her plans.

A promise and a plan from God is weighty and glorious beyond all scales of measurement. God chose to invoke the plans of salvation by a divine conception into the womb of a young Jewish girl who had yet to ever experience motherhood. She would be entrusted to grow God’s glory in human form inside her body and give birth to full divinity clothed in full humanity. Only God could come up with such a plan that would lead to all who call on the name of Mary’s baby, Jesus, to be saved from their sins.

1.Do we let God interrupt our day to get instructions for those works He has in store for us?

2.When the unexpected happens, are we looking to find God’s glory or a way out?

3.Are we giving the proper weight or value to what God would like to do through our lives?