Naylor Community
Christian Church
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 1:26-38
Luke
1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to
Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man
named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel
went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with
you.”
29
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this
might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found
favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to
call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most
High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will
reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the
Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old
age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37
For no word from God will ever fail.”
38
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Then the angel left her.
-- growing up, I remember a common
trope that several TV shows at the time shared -- it was “The Greatest Moments”
-- depending on what you were watching, they would have a short segment that
would be announced as, “The Greatest Moments in Sports,” or “The Greatest
Moments in History,” or “The Greatest Moments in Science,” -- and then they
would go on to share some historical event of great significance -- such as “the
shot heard round the world” -- the start of the American Revolution -- the story
of Roger Bannister running a mile in less than four minutes -- Benjamin
Franklin discovering electricity -- Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb --
things like that
-- and the story would focus on how
revolutionary those moments were -- how they changed the course of history for
the world -- and how we still experience their effects to this day
-- well, without a doubt, one of the
greatest moments in all of history is captured here in the Book of Luke, as we
read the story of the calling of Mary -- because of her faith -- because of her
humble acceptance of the will and the calling of God in her life -- our world and
our eternity was changed forever -- apart from the actual birth of Christ, His
death on the cross and His resurrection three days later, I can think of no
more momentous event in history than this moment that we read of here
-- so, on this third Sunday of
Advent, I wanted us to look again at the story of the calling of Mary, as told
by Luke here in Luke Chapter 1
II. The Calling of Mary (Luke 1:26-38)
-- let’s look at this story again
right now -- verse 26
Luke
1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to
Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man
named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
-- as I was saying last week, we’re all
familiar with this story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus -- and if I
was to ask you to tell me the story from Mary’s perspective, all of you could
-- and I’d wager that you’d begin by saying that the angel Gabriel appeared to
Mary and told her that she was going to bear a son
-- and, honestly, I’d probably begin
the same way -- the angel appeared to Mary, right? -- but I think that misses
something here at the start of verse 26 that is important -- look back at what
it says
-- “in the sixth month” -- the sixth
month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy -- “in the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel”
-- “in the sixth month, God…sent…”
-- I think sometimes we miss what
Luke is telling us here -- when I was studying this passage this week, those
words just jumped out at me -- “God sent” -- and I think that what Luke is
pointing out to us here through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is a
reminder that this entire event -- this entire incarnation and advent and all the stories that go with it -- the
blessing of Zechariah and Elizabeth with a child in their senior years -- Mary
being chosen to bear the Son of God -- Joseph being visited in a dream
confirming what she had said -- the baby being born in a manger -- shepherds
seeing angels in the fields outside Bethlehem -- none of that just happened --
it was all planned from the very beginning and only occurred when God said, “Go”
-- so contrary to what all of us
think, the angel didn’t just appear to Mary one day -- he was sent by God on a
certain day -- on “the” day -- the very day that God had ordained
from before the beginning of time -- the very moment that God had chosen to
share His grace on this world in such a miraculous way -- the very moment that
God had chosen to step into time and become one of us
-- what Luke is reminding us of here
is that before time began -- before this world was created -- before there even
was a Mary or a Joseph or an Elizabeth or even a nation of Israel -- God
decided, “This is the day” -- and all of history and all of time marched to
that very moment -- to this very point
-- and, as the Bible says, “in the
fullness of time” -- when the time was right -- on that special day six months
after Elizabeth became pregnant -- on “the” day chosen before
time itself -- God told Gabriel, “Today is the day -- go to Mary” -- and with
that command, everything that He had planned and willed began
-- I think this is very important
for us to grasp and to understand as we’re going through this Advent Season --
as we’re preparing for Christmas -- that this is all from God -- that this is
all His plan and His timing -- and when we read
here in verse 26 that God sent Gabriel to Nazareth, we need to recognize and
know that everything that is occurring is because God willed it and put it into
motion to occur at just the right time
-- and we need to take that to
heart, because a lot of us are asking the question, “When?” in our lives --
when will the healing come? -- when will I feel better? -- when will I find the
right job? -- when will I get pregnant? -- when will the decision be made? --
when will the money come? -- when will things finally work out? -- when will
the world be made right and crime and violence and injustice be removed? --
when will Jesus come again?
-- but when we ask those questions,
we need to remember what Luke is telling us here about God’s will and God’s
plan and God’s timing -- when the Bible speaks of time, there are two words
that are used -- Chronos and Kairos -- chronos is what we normally think of
when we talk about time -- it's chronological time -- it's time measured in
seconds and minutes and hours -- it's time measured in days and weeks and years
-- chronos -- chronological time
-- but the Bible also uses the term
kairos -- Kairos is God's time -- it’s how God views time -- it is not a
chronological measure of time -- it doesn’t refer to seconds or minutes or
hours -- kairos is the term that the Bible uses to express the right moment --
the perfect moment -- God’s moment
-- Kairos is that moment in chronological
time that coincides with God’s perfect time -- the moment the Bible describes
as the right time -- the fullness of time -- Kairos time is the moment when God
says, “Now”
-- that’s the moment that we’re
longing for when we ask, “When?” -- that’s the moment that we’re waiting for --
that is the moment that Luke is referring to here in verse 26 -- it is a Kairos
moment
-- in the fullness of time -- when
everything was right -- when “the day” occurred -- an angel didn’t
just appear to Mary -- God said, “Now -- it is time -- Go, Gabriel, and tell
her the news”
-- and that should be good news to
us -- because it may look to us like God is not answering our prayers -- it may
look like God is delaying His answer -- but He is not -- He is waiting for the
Kairos moment in our lives -- for the right moment -- for the moment that He has
ordained -- and when the Kairos occurs, He will speak into our chronological
time and say, “Now” -- and we will experience His presence and His hand and His
will in our lives just like Mary did so many years ago in Nazareth -- and that
Kairos moment will become one of the greatest moments in the history of our
personal lives
-- the bottom-line here is trust God
-- trust His timing -- trust that when the time is right -- God is in charge
and then, and only then, is God going to say, “Now”
-- so, on this day -- this
preordained day of God’s timing -- God’s Kairos moment coincided with Mary’s
chronological life -- and He sent the angel Gabriel to her to set into motion
one of the greatest moments in history
-- look back at verse 26
Luke
1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to
Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man
named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel
went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with
you.”
29
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this
might be.
-- regardless of all the Christmas
dramas and stories that we have heard, the truth is that we don’t know a lot
about Mary -- and a lot of what we think we know comes from the stories and the
movies and pageants that we have watched
-- the only thing the Bible tells us is
that Mary is niece of Elizabeth, who has been chosen by God to bear John the
Baptist, the forerunner of Christ -- we’re told she lives in a little backwoods
village in Galilee called Nazareth -- one of those little towns that probably
doesn’t really show up on anyone’s map -- one of those towns that you tell
people about by referencing someplace bigger -- “we live in Nazareth -- it’s
about 90 miles north of Jerusalem”
-- we know her family tree -- Luke gives
us that in Chapter 3 -- but that doesn’t really tell us about Mary, the person
-- we know she’s engaged to be
married to a man named Joseph, but we don’t know much about him, either -- all
we know about him is that he’s a carpenter who lives in the same town as her --
there’s some indication that he may be older than Mary, and some scholars
believe that Joseph passed away before Jesus began His public ministry -- but
that’s an educated guess -- not a fact
-- so, that’s what we know -- but
there’s a few things we can guess based on the traditions and culture Mary grew
up in
-- she’s probably a lot younger than you
picture her in your mind -- in that day, girls married very young -- scholars
believe that Mary may have only been around 12 to 15 years old when this story
begins -- without a doubt, she’s living with her parents, because unmarried
women did not live alone
-- and the other thing that we can
sort of be sure about is that her thoughts -- her plans -- her dreams -- were
just like all other young girls who are recently engaged -- they’re thinking
about the wedding -- they’re dreaming about their groom and their marriage and the
life they’re looking forward to
-- the Bible doesn’t tell us this, but I
think it’s a safe bet to assume that as Mary lived and worked with her mother
and the other women in her household and in Nazareth, they talked about the
wedding and the marriage and her future life with Joseph
-- so, as verse 26 opens, Mary and
Joseph's lives have been planned out -- everything is in place and it's just a
matter of time before they're living the dream -- but then Kairos happens --
and God sends Gabriel -- and Mary’s life changes forever
-- Gabriel went to Mary and said, “Greetings,
you who are highly favored -- the Lord is with you” -- Luke says that Mary was
troubled at his words -- she wondered why someone would be greeting her in this
way -- it wasn’t a normal type of greeting -- especially, to someone as young
as her who is already betrothed to someone else
-- and, just as an aside, I think
that Gabriel appeared to her here as a man, not in his angelic form -- when
angels first appear, they always say, “Do not be afraid,” but Gabriel doesn’t begin
that way -- and Luke says that Mary was troubled by Gabriel’s words, not his
appearance
-- I think that Mary was just going
through her normal day when this stranger approached her and greeted her in
such a strange way -- I think Mary experienced what the writer of Hebrews told
us about when he said that we sometimes entertain angels unaware -- God sends
His messengers to us, but they don’t always appear in angelic form --
sometimes, that person at the checkout counter or that guy who speaks to you on
the street corner or that person that stops you for a moment just to share a
good word may be an angel in disguise
-- I honestly believe that is how
Gabriel appeared to Mary here, at least at the beginning -- he didn’t want to
scare her with his angelic appearance -- the important thing was the message
-- verse 30
Luke
1:30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor
with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him
Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The
Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign
over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
-- it may have been at this moment
that Gabriel revealed who he really was to Mary -- he tells her, “Do not be
afraid,” but it’s unclear as to the potential source of her fear -- was it
being in the presence of an angel? -- or was it the message and calling Gabriel
shared?
-- he tells Mary that she is going
to become pregnant and bear a son -- that she is to name Him Jesus -- Yeshua
-- Joshua -- a name that means “God Saves” -- that this son will not be an ordinary
child, but is to be called the Son of the Most High -- The Lord God was going
to give Him David’s throne -- and He would reign over the house of Jacob
forever -- His kingdom would never end
-- those would certainly have been
scary words to a child of only 12 to 15 years of age -- “Hey, Mary -- you’re
fixing to be pregnant and the child you carry is going to be the Savior of the
World and the King of Kings -- God Himself -- it’s your job to bear Him in your
womb and to raise Him to be the King of all creation and to take care of Him
until He’s ready to start His ministry and take His throne -- oh, yeah, by the
way, this is going to happen now, while you’re still a virgin and before you
get married, so you’ll need to let Joseph know, too”
-- yeah, no worries -- no biggie -- you
can see how that would be scary, whether it was an angel or someone else
telling that to you
-- honestly, Mary handled this a lot
better that any of us would
-- verse 34
Luke
1:34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the
Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old
age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37
For no word from God will ever fail.”
38
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Then the angel left her.
-- remember the story of Zechariah
and Elizabeth that we looked at a couple of weeks ago? -- Gabriel appeared to
Zechariah when he was ministering in the Holy Place and told Zechariah that his
prayers had been heard -- that it was finally God’s timing -- and that he and
Elizabeth would have a son, who would go before the Lord to make straight paths
for Him
-- and Zechariah says, “Yeah, right
-- How can I be sure of this? -- give me a sign” -- and Gabriel struck
Zechariah speechless for his lack of faith
-- well, Mary asks a similar
question here, but her question is different in one major aspect -- she isn’t
questioning whether it’s going to happen or not -- she doesn’t say, “I don’t
think this is possible -- how can I be sure of this?”
-- no, look at what she says: “How will
this be?” -- she believes -- she has heard the message of God from Gabriel and
she accepts it in complete and total faith -- she believes him -- she knows it
will happen -- she’s just not sure of how it’s going to happen -- “How will
this be, since I am a virgin?”
-- earlier, I pointed out that most
of us ask the question, “When?” of God a lot in our lives -- but do we ask it
like Zechariah or like Mary? -- are we asking in doubt or in faith?
-- Mary heard the word of God and
immediately believed -- she trusted God with her whole heart -- she trusted Him
with her life -- she trusted Him with her dreams -- because from this very
moment, everything changed -- all those dreams of the wedding and the marriage
and the life after with Joseph changed -- and Mary looked at it -- she heard
what God said -- and her response was, “I believe -- Thy will be done, and not
mine”
-- that is the mark of a true
believer -- that is the mark of a mature believer -- and, as young as she was,
Mary believed and had faith and total trust in God
-- may we reflect the nature of Mary’s
faith in our lives when doubt and fear assail us
-- Gabriel explains how the
incarnation is to happen -- that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the
power of the Most High would overshadow her -- and that the very Son of God
would come to life in her womb
-- and even
though she didn’t ask for a sign -- even though she didn’t need proof of the
veracity of God’s word -- Gabriel gave her a sign anyway -- “even though she
was considered barren and too old to have a child, your relative Elizabeth is
also going to have a baby -- for with God, nothing is impossible”
-- the point that Gabriel is making
is clear -- God did the impossible in Elizabeth, and He will do the impossible
in you -- just as we read last week from Isaiah, “The virgin will
conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
-- and Mary
heard the word of God -- she trusted and believed in Him -- and said, “I am the
Lord’s servant -- may it be to me as you have said”
-- and with
that, history was changed forever
III. Closing
-- the
theological term for what we just discussed is called “The Annunciation” -- the
announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive the Savior of
the World
-- but
behind the theological term -- behind the scholarly dissertations -- behind the
interpretations and discussion of the meaning of the original Greek words Luke
uses here -- behind all of that stands a scared little girl whose life has
changed forever
-- we
sometimes gloss over this event in the life of Jesus -- we skip straight to
Christmas -- to the manger and shepherds and the wise men -- but in doing so,
we miss this story -- one of the greatest moments in all of history -- the
moment when the fate of this world -- the fate of all eternity -- depended on
the faith of a child
-- but when
Kairos meets faith -- when we hear the word of God proclaimed -- when we
believe in His word and trust in His calling and respond, as Mary did, “Lord, I
am your servant” -- then our lives are changed forever
-- In a Peanuts comic strip,
Lucy said that Christmas is a time for kindness and a time to forgive one
another. -- Charlie Brown replied: "Why do that just at Christmas? Why
can't we have the Christmas spirit the rest of the year?" -- Lucy turned
to Charlie and said, "What are you, some kind of religious fanatic?"
-- that’s exactly what we should be
-- that’s exactly what Mary was -- for her faith and humility were the key
ingredients in God choosing her to bear His Son at Christmas
-- I pray that all of us can become
religious fanatics like Mary -- that we learn to trust in God’s will and His
timing in our lives -- that we learn to trust in His word -- to accept what He
says -- to do what He tells us to do -- to trust Him and His plan for our lives
-- regardless of whether it makes sense to us or not
-- Mary trusted and believed in God
-- I pray that we would do the same
-- let’s pray
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