Luke 1:26-38

It's God's living and active word.

! What do we believe?

! We probably believe many things.

!

The thing about believing is, we find it more likely to believe when we find something plausible, isn't it?

When we can make sense of it and it fits into what we already know.

There's a name for that, it's called confirmation bias.

We believe the things that confirm what we already know.

But more than that, even often, we believe because of who tells us the things that we believe.

And you might believe the moon is made of cheese when you're three years old.

Because your parents told you the moon is made of cheese.

And parents wouldn't lie to you, would they?

But give it a few years and they work it out.

Those children, slowly but surely, what we want to believe plays a bigger role in who we believe.

There's a big word for that, it's cognitive dissonance.

We don't believe things that don't fit with what we've decided make sense.

And when we see things and hear things that don't fit with what we believe, we dismiss those things.

Because it doesn't fit with the values that we've decided to believe already.

And that's part of why the world feels so divided right now.

People won't hear each other.

They won't believe each other's bona fides.

Because they can't hear each other.

Because they won't believe the other side.

And last week we heard of a promised son, John the Baptist.

And his father, Zechariah, despite hearing this promise from the mouth of the angel Gabriel,

didn't believe the promise of a son for him and Elizabeth.

Did he?

He placed more faith in his knowledge of biology and human physiology and his experience

than a word from an angel who ministers in the presence of God.

When we don't want to believe, we find it very hard to believe.

So when we come in this passage to the second angelic promise,

the second angelic announcement of a son in as many weeks,

we're actually primed, aren't we, for another slightly disappointing experience.

Where seemingly a sceptical recipient of God's grace doesn't believe it,

when he or she cannot believe it, because they don't want to believe it.

Now Zechariah's wife was unable to conceive and they were old,

and the angel Gabriel made an unlikely promise to them.

She will conceive and bear a son, and he will be great before God,

and a prophet of the Most High.

As we saw, we had some sympathy for Zechariah, didn't we?

It is an unlikely promise in those circumstances.

And we had some sympathy for him as he struggled to believe this unlikely,

incredible promise from God.

But if that was an unlikely promise,

today we have what looks like an impossible promise.

Because of all the people,

this young girl Mary,

while in her teens,

from a backwater town called Nazareth in Galilee,

also gets a visit from the angel Gabriel.

And she's also promised a son.

And the only difficulty here is,

she's not married.

And as she reminds the angel,

verse 34,

she is a virgin.

Literally, she says,

I have not known a man.

You know,

they were not stupid in those times,

like we sometimes think,

in our arrogance.

They knew that babies didn't come by pollination in the air.

So she knows what she's talking about.

And it's enough reason for her to disbelieve the message, isn't it?

You will conceive a son,

but she has not slept with a man yet.

But there's more to the story even than that,

that makes it an impossible promise.

And look closely at what the angel promises her.

In verse 30,

she has found favour with God.

She, a young unmarried girl from nowhere?

That's not how society works, or worked.

And what does this favour entail?

She will conceive and have a son,

and she must call him Jesus.

A child named by God.

This is incredible.

Impossible enough, given her circumstances.

But there's even more.

He will be great.

He will be called the Son of the Most High,

and he'll be given the throne of his father David,

the great king.

God's first chosen king for Israel.

And the one from whom the Messiah,

the Saviour of the world,

would come.

Put yourself in her shoes.

That just sounds utterly impossible.

And not just that,

he will reign forever,

with no end to his kingdom.

We're used to governments and rulers

coming and going,

and often they stick around way too long.

And it feels like there will be no end to their rule.

But inevitably, they do go eventually.

So this is all an astonishing promise.

Even disregarding the practicalities

of how she would conceive a child

in her unmarried state.

There's a reason why immaculate conception

is shorthand in our language,

isn't it, for something that's impossible?

And because this angel's promise

is drenched in language about God,

there's no doubt that this child is God

coming to the world as a human.

Never mind the biological impossibilities.

Is Mary being the mother of God,

being born as a human being in Jesus Christ?

I think maybe the impossible promises

are the most believable sometimes.

The most impossible promises

are the most believable

if we realize who is making them.

We don't know all of what Mary understood

of what the angel said to her

and how much she grasped.

And we're looking back at this

and we know a lot more

than she did at that time.

But she understood enough

to realize this would be

a difficult situation for an unmarried girl.

And she expresses that to the angel.

How will this be,

since I'm a virgin?

And we think, when we hear that,

there's a lot of echoes

from the first passage we read,

isn't there?

Zechariah also expressed some doubt.

There's an angel, fear,

a significant child is promised and named.

There's some doubt.

And there's a sign or instruction

about what's coming next.

But really what we see

when we listen at Mary's response

to what the angel tells her

is strikingly different

to what Zechariah said.

He was afraid at the sight of the angel.

Mary is troubled at the saying,

if you look at verse 29.

Not the angel.

You could actually translate that

as well as perplexed.

She wondered at what it might mean,

what this angel is telling her,

that she is favoured.

Now you could say

she's got a natural difficulty

to understand why

she would be considered favoured

by the Lord.

But Zechariah probably

has more of an irrational fear

at the sight of the angel

in the temple,

being a priest.

And note how she

doesn't ask for a sign.

But she gets one anyway.

You know your parent cousin Elizabeth

has conceived in her old age.

There's nothing impossible

for God, Mary.

Your cousin Elizabeth,

who is in her old age

and was barren,

is already six months pregnant.

And if we look closely,

we see some differences as well

in the description

of this child, don't we?

John the Baptist

was going to be great before God.

This child will be great.

Period.

Verse 32.

And that's more Old Testament

language for God there.

God is the only one called great

without any kind of qualifier.

Zechariah and Elizabeth

will conceive a son.

Previously impossible,

but now possible,

but still through normal means.

Mary will conceive not a son,

but the son.

And this son will have

no human father.

The Holy Spirit

will overshadow her.

And that's all, again,

Old Testament language

if you listen closely.

God dwelling with Israel

in the tabernacle.

You know, it's the same

kind of language.

And we're primed here

for this impossible promise

through all the language

and all these descriptions.

And on many levels,

it seems like the promise

to Mary is the more

impossible promise

to believe.

Doesn't it?

We know about medical miracles

and it fits with our experience.

And we chalk it up

often to something

we can't explain

and we move on.

But as I said,

we often believe

what we believe

primarily because

of who it comes from.

And Mary,

contrary to Zechariah,

realizes who this promise

is coming from.

And verse 38,

Behold,

I am the servant

of the Lord.

Let it be to me

according to your word.

Have you ever,

growing up,

had to do something scary?

Something you didn't think

you could do?

And then your father

takes your hand

and looks at you

and he tells you,

trust me,

you can do this.

What seems impossible

and like a completely

implausible promise

for Mary

becomes not just

believable

but desirable

when she takes

into account

who it is

making the promise.

Many people say

they can't believe

Christianity

because

they can't believe

the miracles

recounted in the Bible.

But that's

working backwards.

Of course miracles

don't make sense.

If there isn't a God

who can do the impossible.

But if there is

such a God

then miracles

just point to him.

He doesn't depend

on them

to be real.

And this miracle,

this arguably

greatest miracle

ever,

God becoming man,

happens in private,

out of sight,

as verse 31

reminds us

explicitly,

in Mary's womb.

But God

becoming man,

the Son of God

taking on human nature

is unheard of,

impossible

by any human standard

or story

or myth.

But it's not impossible

for a God

who created

all things

out of nothing,

is it?

It isn't impossible

for a God

who created

the first human beings

and breathed life

into them

and who raised people

from the dead

as Jesus did.

It certainly

isn't impossible

for Jesus

who himself

rose from the dead

as he promised

to do.

So when we consider

who God is,

this promise

of who Jesus is

becomes not just

not impossible

but actually

very plausible.

of course

God can promise

that his Son

will reign forever

if he is the

eternal God

who created

heaven and earth.

When the earth

was formless

and void

we read at the

beginning of the Bible

the Spirit

hovered over the water

and God spoke

and everything

came into existence.

And of course

he can create

a human being

also God

out of nothing

when the Holy Spirit

overshadows Mary.

She didn't ask

for it

she didn't desire it

she humanly speaking

had no role in it

but she is chosen

by God

to be a part

of the greatest

miracle ever seen

and she believes it

because she knows

the God

who promised it.

I don't know

if you've seen

but the supermarket

Shane Little

has a

has a Christmas

slogan

this year

a Christmas

you can believe in.

No

we have a surprise

for them

an all powerful

God

promising to provide

a saviour

for the human race

who will rule

forever

and who can create

life where there

was none

or where it's

utterly impossible

is more believable

than a promise

of happiness

because of low prices

for Christmas crackers

and stolen bites.

and I think

the problem

for us

might be

closer to home

we might even

be able to believe

that Jesus

is the son

Jesus is the son

of God

and that he

became man

that he was

the promised

saviour

Israel had

waited for

and who all

the prophets

and John the

Baptist

included

promised

but when we

hear that our

sin can be

forgiven

that this

promised son

took it all

upon him

we forget

who he is

and react

more like

Zechariah

when he

was promised

the impossible

many people

wouldn't argue

with who Jesus

is or deny

that he is

the son of God

come to be a

man

but they

won't be able

to believe

that all

they have to

do to be

saved

is to believe

that the

son of God

died for

them

and that if

they believe

in him

they too

will rise

from the

dead

they might

think

and this

might be

you today

that they'll

never be able

to break

from their

sin

never be able

to change

never be able

to be saved

because of

what they've

done

that it's

too great

too much

and too

bad

that seems

like an

impossible

promise

to many

many people

but

thinking that

forgets that

there is

right now

a man

in heaven

Jesus Christ

was born

2000 years

ago by the

power of the

Holy Spirit

from a young

virgin called

Mary

who God

himself has

promised will

reign forever

and who

even death

couldn't hold

that forgets

that he

promised

that whoever

believes in

him will be

saved

it forgets

that he

promised he

will intercede

for us

right now

it forgets

that when he

promises to

raise those

who believe

in him to

eternal life

he has

already gone

before us

all things

that seem

impossible

but it has

happened

it's natural

for us to

look at our

own hearts

and think

we can't

be saved

if we're

honest about

what we

know about

ourselves

we wouldn't

save ourselves

very often

but like

Mary

faced with

impossible

promises

we need to

look at

who makes

those promises

rather than

what we

think is

possible

because we're

rarely a good

judge of what

is possible

if we're

honest about

that as

well

Elsa Mandela

said it's

always impossible

until it's

done

to paraphrase

that

Jesus being

conceived in

this way

reminds us

that it is

impossible

unless it's

God doing

it

and then the

great

comfort to

us

as Paul

writes in

2 Corinthians

1

all the

promises of

God

find their

guess

in Jesus

so this

Christmas

let's consider

how God

has shown

us favour

us

undeserving

people

done nothing

to deserve

his favour

like Mary

by fulfilling

for us

an impossible

promise

let's believe

that promise

and say

with Mary

behold

we are the

servants of

the Lord

let it be

to us

according to

your word

Amen

let's pray