Alba 12-4-2022
THE SUBMISSION OF MARY
Luke 1:26-38
Did you know that Virgin Mary gave birth to a 7 pound 11 ounce baby Jesus on Christmas Day, December 25, 2008, in Peru. That is what a Reuters news agency reported. It said, “Virgin Mary, a 20-year-old Peruvian woman, gave birth to a baby boy on Christmas day and named him Jesus.
“The baby’s father, Adolfo Jorge Huamani, 24, is a carpenter. Religious Peruvians compared him to Joseph the Carpenter in the Bible.
“The mother, Virgen Maria Huarcaya, delivered the 7.7 pound (3.5 kg) boy, Jesus Emanuel, in the early hours of Christmas at the central maternity hospital in Lima, the capital.
“'A few days ago we had decided to name my son after a professional soccer player,' the father said. 'But thanks to a happy coincidence this is how things ended up.'”
According to reports, the boy wasn't placed in a manger. But the child who was placed in a manger, now more than two thousand years ago, changed everything.
Each Christmas helps us to remember the events that brought our Lord and Savior to this earth. Because of one young Hebrew girl who was willing to submit to God's will for her, we have a way for our sins to be forgiven.
The girl's name is Mary, and the story is told in Luke 1:26-38.
“26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by 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. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'
“29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then 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 bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give 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.'
“34 Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'
“35 And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.'
“38 Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her.”
Who was this Mary? Well when Mary was born, the golden age of Israel’s proud history was past. No king of David’s family had ruled in Jerusalem for over 500 years.
But the Jews were still waiting for the Messiah, the ruler promised throughout the pages of the Scriptures, promised through the prophets. The one from David’s family who would sit on David’s throne and rule forever.
Mary would have been a young girl, engaged but not yet married. We don’t know what her parents did, but chances are her father was some sort of laborer. Most men in Nazareth worked for the people in the nearby larger city of Sepphoris. Most women married young if possible and worked at home, raising their children.
Mary was probably younger than we would expect. If their parents were able to arrange a marriage, most girls married around age 14 or 15. The custom was that a girl would be betrothed for about a year and then the marriage would take place. Betrothal was a legal arrangement, not a simple engagement as we know it today.
Living in or near the town of Nazareth was not a thing to brag about. Nazareth is mentioned time and time again in the New Testament, and Jesus is referred to numerous times as “Jesus of Nazareth”.
But it seems to have been just this small village, with little or nothing to call attention to itself, until a young couple became parents to the One who would change the world. Even Jesus’ contemporaries weren’t that impressed with the community.
There is an interesting conversation in the Gospel of John recorded in John 1:45-46.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Nazareth certainly hadn’t seemed to make much of an impression on Nathanael. But God chose this insignificant little town as part of fulfilling His greatest work on earth.
That tells us something about how God works. Often He chooses the most out-of-the way places, the most insignificant people, the most unexpected methods to accomplish His purposes.
And God chose to use Mary for a very special purpose, to bring His Son into the world and for her to be His mother. It is interesting to note that there was really nothing special about Mary.
Why did God chose Mary? It wasn't because of her education, because she didn't have any. It wasn't because of her wealth, because she was poor.
It wasn't because she was mature, because she would have been just a teenager. Not once in the Bible does it say we are to worship her. It does not say she was perfect or sinless.
But of course from the scripture we are informed of her character. She was sexually pure and moral, a virgin. She was a woman of faith, and a willing servant with an attitude of praise.
So the reason God chose Mary? Mostly because she trusted God.
In many ways she was as ordinary as you or I. God chose a plain ordinary peasant girl to become the mother of His Son. Even though she was ordinary, God used her in an extra-ordinary way.
And the reason is that she was willing to submit to the will of God. This is what we need to understand. God wants to, and can, use us too when we are submissive to His will.
When the angel Gabriel appeared he said to Mary: “You are highly favored.” How amazing, to be told by an Angel, straight from God’s throne, that God is highly impressed with you!
The greeting Gabriel gave was actually a one-word title, and part of that word means “grace.” The word “favored” means to receive grace. The greeting literally would be, Mary, you are “one who has been filled with grace”.
Grace is defined as “goodness that we don’t deserve, kindness, salvation, forgiveness, blessing – all these things as a pure gift.”
Grace is at the center of what God was doing at Christmas. Mary was chosen because she found favor with God. And the child born to her would be grace in the flesh.
Mary didn’t find out she was pregnant by a pregnancy test she bought at the pharmacy, an Angel came and told her it would happen. And then he outlined who the child was that she was carrying and what he would accomplish.
Gabriel gave Mary the promise from God that she would become pregnant as a virgin and have a child – Jesus – the Messiah – the Son of the Most High who’s Kingdom would never end.
I’m sure a million thoughts ran through Mary’s head in that moment. How can this be? Why me? What will my parents think? What will Joseph think?
Mary responded, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” It was like she was saying, “But how can this happen? Hold on, there’s a small problem here and that is that I have never been with a man.”
She was making it clear that she was a virgin. There was no hesitation in her question to the angel. She knew there was only one way to make a baby, and she knew that that had not happened.
The angel told her that the baby would be conceived of the Holy Spirit and her baby would be the Son of God. Then the angel gave Mary some evidence to reinforce the truth of God’s message to her.
He told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was going to have a child in her old age, and that she who was said to be unable to conceive was already in her sixth month of pregnancy.
You see, God doesn’t demand “blind faith.” The Angel didn’t scold Mary for asking questions. He provided answers and evidence because Mary’s questions didn’t come from rebellion, they were honest questions, and God gave her honest answers.
And then Gabriel told Mary something we all need to hear. When we face difficult or confusing situations we need to be reminded of the words the angel spoke. Words that give us assurance that there is hope in any circumstance.
The angel said these words: “With God nothing will be impossible.”
Oh, Mary didn’t understand how the Angels message could come true, but she totally believed that God could do whatever He promised. And Mary was ready to do her part.
Her answer was simple and profound: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
Faced with a task beyond her ability to know all that it would require, she submits to God and His will for herself and says, “I am the Lord's servant.” If it was what God was calling her to do, she was willing.
And when Mary submitted in obedience to God’s will she did experience many blessings. But we know she also experienced pain. Mary experienced blessings when she witnessed her Son provide the fresh wine for the wedding feast.
She was undoubtedly blessed by His help in the family business for thirty or so years. But then at the crucifixion scene we find Mary standing near the foot of the cross where Jesus was giving His life because of our sin so that we could be forgiven.
Pain and blessings were going to come. But it all started with this visit from the angel Gabriel. What an amazing experience. There’s nothing to indicate that Mary’s life, up to that point, was anything but ordinary. She was going about her normal life. Perhaps helping her mother clean the house or going to fetch water.
Mary’s life was fairly routine and normal until an angel of the Lord showed up. Mary was looking forward to a normal wedding and starting a family after marriage.
Then without warning, an angel appears and everything changed.
Because Mary said “yes” to Gabriel’s message. She said “yes” despite the fact that this announcement literally came out of the blue.
Mary said “yes” even though according to the law she could be stoned for an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
She said “yes” knowing that it would mean the end of personal dreams for her wedding day, and would very likely force Joseph to call off the wedding altogether.
Within Mary’s decision to be fully submissive to the call of God was her willingness, if need be, to suffer ridicule and contempt and loneliness. Do we have that willingness as we follow God?
God certainly didn’t force this choice on Mary; she willingly embraced what God had for her. But the decision was made with no assurance that anyone except God would ever fully understand.
It’s amazing to realize how the cooperation of this ordinary young girl played a crucial role in the salvation of the human race. God’s plan to step into our world hinged on what Mary would say to the angel Gabriel.
With her heart pounding, filled with surprise and confusion, excitement and fear, Mary made her choice: “I am the Lord’s servant.”
That’s the way we are all meant to live.
CLOSE:
Kenneth Saur, a minister in Tennessee told this story about himself:
All my life I had heard Jesus knocking on the door of my heart. I had felt the call to go into the ministry as early as four or five years old. I even entered college believing that I would become a minister.
I remember thinking “I don’t know how I’ll do it” “I’ll have to change my whole way of life.” Well, I didn’t become a minister after graduating from college. I became a TV news reporter, and I was miserable, and I was stuck in the self-depreciating pattern of
sin.
Then I opened my own business, a rock and roll T-shirt shop. I had given up on God. I had forgotten the One Who loves me. Here I was selling Marilyn Manson tee-shirts to 14 year old kids, and low and behold the Lord came to me and in essence said: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
I was blown away! When I received my faith at first, I was a bit frightened and troubled. I owned a business that was doing pretty well. I was my own boss but I was being called to do something else. I started reading my Bible again, and attending church again. My entire perspective on life changed.
I remember walking up to a friend and saying: “You know, life is worth living after-all!” I started selling sweaters instead of rock tee-shirts. I let the lease run out on my store.
And one day I thought to myself, “For some reason God has been calling me, little old me, little sinful me, to be a minister and I have been ignoring Him or trying to ignore Him for my entire life!”
I was so grateful to God for not giving up on me, even after I had given up on myself and Him. And I said, “I am finally going to go ahead and do what I have been called to do my entire life!”
And I have never been so grateful and happy ever since. I never knew that life could be so meaningful and full! Sure, I’ve got a long way to go, but I am the clay, and I must allow God to be the potter!
This is a daily exercise for all who follow Christ. Gabriel told Mary: “Nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be as you have said.”
What is God calling you to do with your life? Are you doing it? Are we allowing God to be the potter as we are the clay?
Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
Have we heard God’s voice?
When we submit to His will, we will be blessed.
