Luke 1:26-56 "The Birth of Jesus Through the Eyes of Mary"

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.

Amen. Thank you all so much. Amanda especially. It's a wonderful, powerful song. It really puts

you there that first Christmas night, especially from Mary's perspective. It gives you a close-up view

of Jesus' birth. That's my heart for us this Christmas, that we would get that kind of view,

that we would really experience up close and personal this history-altering event, this

life-changing, world-changing baby. That's what I mean by what Christmas means to me. Of course,

that's a Stevie Wonder Christmas classic, but I don't mean it in some sort of new-agey,

like you-can-have-Christmas-mean-whatever-you-want-it-to-mean-to-you kind of way.

I also don't mean for us to talk for several weeks about what Christmas means to Will,

to me. That's not super helpful to you. But what I mean by it is I rather want each of us

to be able to contemplate the impact of Christmas in our lives by considering its impact on real

people, on those who were there in the biblical accounts of Jesus' birth, like Mary. As we've

just seen from Delilah and acknowledged together this morning, some of us have different experiences

with the holiday season in general. For some of us, holidays are hard.

If that's true for you, we'd love to know and be able to pray with you, care for you. There are men

and women in the prayer room following the service this week and every week. They'd love to pray with

you. If you just write your name down on one of the prayer cards in the pew in front of you and

drop it in a box back there, one of the pastors will call you this week to pray with you. You don't

have to explain. You can just tell us you'd like to pray sometime. And sometimes that can be distracting.

Those difficult emotions that we have can be distracting and they don't help us grasp the

impact of Jesus' incarnation. I think I'm on record as being a little bit different personally.

I'm a big fan of Christmas, right? You know, you've heard that from me more than once. I just show up

this week and the church is being decorated like this and we start singing songs like this and

I just love Christmas. I start to get this warm, fuzzy feeling. It's all full of sentiment and

tradition, which is my personality. I just love that. In fact, it really threw me off this year when a

stomach bug delayed our annual Christmas tree picking out trip, which happens during the Iron Bowl

every year when nobody else is there. And it just threw everything off. I love to do things the same

way. I could sing the same songs, eat the same food, watch the same shows, play the same games every

year. Lighting candles at Christmas Eve just feels like Christmas to me. That's what we do. I love

preaching about Christmas, all of it. And all those things can be good things and they can be helpful

to my heart engaging with Christmas. They can. But if you're like me, sometimes I can allow my

experience of Christmas to stop there with the sentimental warm feelings and traditions. And I've

gone many Christmas seasons with it being nothing but sentiment and exhaustion. Where all it is is

extra pressure to shop well and make all the parties. And many of my Christmas seasons, my heart has been

there. Anybody else? Spent whole months perhaps with that being what all Christmas is. And that's not

helpful either. That's why we're going to look at Christmas through the eyes of Mary and Joseph and the

kings and the shepherds and others. See, for the characters in the Christmas story, that was not a problem

for them. The birth of Jesus was not always positive, but it was way more than mere sentiment and tradition.

It was life-changing reality. They saw the extraordinary gift or the supreme disruption that Jesus' birth was.

Christmas is not to them just cute like it sometimes can be to me. Mary will help us see that it is the

culmination of thousands of years of world history in one moment. Kingdoms clash. Worlds

collide. Lives are turned upside down all because of this baby. All in that one moment.

Last thing I'll say about our series this Christmas season. Just like all the characters in this graphic,

we will focus and have our attention turned toward Jesus. I'm not interested in learning

with you merely a few facts about Mary and Joseph and so forth. The Bible gives us their stories

to help us focus on Jesus, to help us see the glory of Jesus and grasp the impact of Jesus on real people

like you and me. Understanding what Christmas means to them can help us consider what Christmas means for

each of us. And that is one Christmas tradition I don't want to apologize for. I want all of us to have

that regardless of what you feel about the sentimental stuff, whether it's painful or helpful or distracting

to you. All of us need to consider the impact of the birth of Jesus on us.

So back to Mary today. I'll read you the beginning of her story in Luke chapter 1 verse 26. God's holy word.

Luke 1:26

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.

And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

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, and he will reign over the house

of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel,

How will this be, since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called

holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son,

and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.

And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.

And the angel departed from her. Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for your word, because what we need is to hear from you.

And you've given it to us that we might hear your voice.

And we might see our Savior.

And that we might be forever changed.

And so, Father, I need that this morning. We need that.

Speak to all of us by your Spirit, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Luke famously tells us in chapter 2, that we haven't gotten to yet,

after Jesus is born and angels and shepherds and all get involved,

that Mary treasures up all these things and ponders them in her heart.

I've never been a new mom, but I've visited many a new mom in the hospital.

A really amazing, special moment.

Many times just treasuring those special times.

Overwhelmed with emotion.

Dreaming sometimes of the future of this new child.

What will life be like now?

Never the same, certainly.

Many joys and struggles already starting within hours of birth.

And Mary is similar to that.

But even so much more than normal.

This baby that she holds really will fulfill all of her longings.

For herself.

For all God's people.

And Mary, by that moment, knows that.

And it's soaking all that in.

She's going to help us see, as she works through these months,

that Christmas means God gracing the undeserving.

Let's look at how that unfolds in Mary's story.

It starts, of course, as we just read, with an angel showing up to an ordinary teenager.

In fact, you might even say Mary's less than ordinary.

She's really clear that she is no one special.

Probably about 14, give or take a couple of years.

Very poor, we find out later.

And from nowhere, Nazareth.

Look how Luke describes it to his readers.

Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth.

Even then, many of them know where it was or what Nazareth was.

Luke's saying it's like you're saying to someone, I'm from nowhere, Alabama.

You know, it's this place where the closest town is.

Well, no, you probably haven't heard of that either.

You haven't heard of Nazareth, Luke says.

And if you have, it's probably because you know the saying,

can anything good come from Nazareth?

That was a saying back then.

So to this nobody from nowhere, the angel announces what?

Grace!

Verse 28.

Favored one, the Lord is with you.

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Favored one means graced one.

Recipient of God's grace.

God's special blessing and God's presence are promised to her.

You have found favor with God is again saying,

God has graciously determined to bless you.

That's the message Mary's getting.

These words have often been misunderstood as talking about Mary's inherent greatness.

But Mary clearly knows better.

The angel is emphasizing not her merit, but rather God's grace.

It's not so much Mary so full of grace that attracts God,

but God so full of grace that he pours out on Mary, right?

Mary hasn't won a pageant.

God has graced a peasant.

Of course, so much so that she is indeed full of grace.

She will bear the Son of God, the eternal King, the promised Messiah,

the one they've all been waiting for.

It's all a bit overwhelming and confusing to Mary, isn't it?

Can you blame her?

Me?

How?

What the angel says troubles her.

Perhaps she didn't feel much like a grand recipient of God's grace.

Suspects she felt pretty normal, even insignificant most days.

Nonetheless, the angel tells this unsuspecting young girl

that the person of greatest significance ever will come through you.

One of seeming insignificance.

She says, me?

A mother?

How is that even possible?

And the point is, nothing is impossible with God.

This is about something he's going to do.

That this birth is going to prove that to you and everybody.

That this chasm God will cross to reach all the way down to Mary

will prove no one is beyond his reach.

His grace will stop at nothing to reach the lowly.

You need to know, Mary, that God is powerful and gracious enough

to overcome your insignificance, your youthfulness, your life situation.

He rescues people because of his great power.

And isn't this just like God?

To condescend to Mary?

Isaiah tells us, God indeed is high and exalted,

dwells in high places,

but he meets with the lowly.

He meets with young, undeserving Mary in Nazareth

and gives her through Gabriel the message of grace

and through his Holy Spirit the child of grace.

Perhaps even more humbly than you or I could have ever responded,

Mary receives that grace.

Verse 38,

I am the servant of the Lord.

Let it be to me according to your word.

Boy, I need to learn a lot from her here.

I'm not the hero.

I'm not the focus.

I'm the servant of the Lord.

Whatever he says, I'll trust.

Whatever he has planned is, I want to happen.

However he will use me, I'll be willing.

And you can only imagine that there she is then,

but the weight of what's happening,

the glory of this,

the magnitude of this pregnancy,

this new role as mother of the Son of God,

takes some time to settle in.

What's happening?

What is God doing here?

In fact, I don't have time to stop here this morning,

but I love that the Holy Spirit starts opening Mary's eyes

to what God is doing and the glory of this,

that he uses Elizabeth,

a woman probably three or four times Mary's age,

to open Mary's eyes to what he's doing,

to the glory of this,

to encourage her faith in this gracious God.

God uses older women like that.

Delilah does that for me when I talk to her.

So do many of you.

If you think you're too old

to encourage the faith of someone much younger

to be instrumental in someone God loves,

knowing his glory and greatness,

you're not reading his story.

If you think you've served your time

and it's time to take it easy,

you're missing how God works

and you're robbing others of that treasure.

On the other hand,

if you young people think you're too savvy,

too busy to learn of God from someone much older,

you're missing the beauty of how God works.

You're robbing yourselves and others

of the treasure of the family of God.

And Mary meets Elizabeth,

hears words from God through Elizabeth,

and look what Elizabeth prompts in Mary.

It's one of the great songs of praise of all time.

Bach calls it the Magnificat.

And Mary shows us the glorious vision

of God through this baby,

gracing not merely one undeserving person,

but truly a myriad of undeserving people.

Listen to it.

It's beautiful.

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.

This is her story, Mary's story,

how God has graced undeserving me.

And then, and then Mary turns

and invites all of us

into the same experience of God

that she's had in this unique way.

Verse 50,

And his mercy is for, not just me,

for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm.

He has scattered the proud

and 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.

God, gracing the undeserving.

It's not new with Mary, is it?

In fact, Mary says this goes

all the way back to Abraham.

The gracing of the undeserving

is so much of who God is

that it's what he's been doing

for thousands of years

with all sorts of people

leading up to this moment,

this climax of the whole thing

through this baby in my womb.

He faithfully makes promises

and now fulfills those promises,

and he does it in such a way

that you can't miss

that he graces the undeserving,

that he meets the lowly,

that he treasures the insignificant.

Commentator James Edwards

says it this way

about the Magnificat.

It's beautiful.

He says,

It is a hymn not of the proud,

but of the powerless.

Not of just desserts,

but of unexpected grace.

Not of a world fully controlled

and determined by human powers,

but overturned by divine comedy.

He continues,

God does not turn away

from want and oppression,

but toward both in compassion

and rescuing intervention.

I love this part.

In most religions,

a meeting with God

requires the low to ascend high,

sinners to become saints.

The Magnificat reverses

all protocol and expectations.

God, who is high,

becomes low.

God, who is high,

becomes low.

Yes.

Yes, that's what's going on here.

Let me briefly show you how

God does this

in ways I think will meet our hearts

where many of us are.

This great song that Mary gives us first,

God notices.

He has looked

on the humble estate

of His servant.

Most of us,

most days,

feel mostly ordinary.

But if the God of the universe

sees me,

that changes things,

doesn't it?

Have you ever felt invisible?

Like, no one sees

your situation?

Like Mary in the middle of nowhere,

like Israel in captivity

day after day.

Does anyone realize

how hard this is?

Does no one else

see how unfair

this is?

God does.

God notices.

God looks.

God sees.

Sending His Son

confirms

He has noticed

us

and our need.

because God never stops

with merely looking

and noticing.

God also

defends.

He fights

for us.

He pursues

justice.

He rights

wrongs.

Are you feeling

vulnerable?

Stuck

in a bad spot?

Powerless?

Voiceless?

You can't change it.

Maybe like Mary

and the rest of

Israel under the thumb

of Roman oppression.

unable to change

much of anything

about their lives.

Can't seem to find

a godly leader

anywhere around.

He has scattered

those proud

in their hearts

and brought down

the mighty

from their thrones.

Those who

wield authority

that's not theirs.

The bully

at school.

The manipulative

friend.

And those who

unmercifully

and abusively

use the power

that they rightfully

have.

A parent,

a politician,

a boss,

a preacher.

All of them.

Both

kinds

of high

and powerful

people

God

is taking

down.

Why?

Because He

exalts

the humble.

they are the

ones

He fights

for.

The ones

He defends.

And Jesus

enters into

this unjust

world

to turn

things upside

down

and make them

right again,

doesn't He?

The ordinarily

insignificant

are treasured

and defended

by Him.

Next,

God satisfies.

He has

filled

the hungry

with good

things.

You ever feel

empty?

Be honest.

No deep

sense of

purpose

or fulfillment?

Longing to be

significant in

some way that

you feel like

you ought to

be?

Mary knew

that and

she found

God to be

the only

one who

satisfied

her longings.

We often

try to fill

ourselves other

ways,

don't we?

And Jesus

comes because

He knows we

will keep

coming up

empty,

chasing every

other drug

looking for

satisfaction.

He meets

our deepest

needs.

God

satisfies

the hungry.

Finally,

here,

God

delivers.

He has

helped

His servant

Israel in

remembrance

of His

mercy.

He actually

keeps His

promise to

His people,

not just

makes it,

He keeps

it.

Do you

feel helpless

somewhere?

Maybe you

feel you

don't have

what it

takes to

save your

marriage.

Maybe you

feel like you

want to

give your

kids some

relief,

but it's

beyond you.

You can't

help.

Maybe you're

confused about

the next

steps in

life and

you're

exhausted from

trying everything

you can think

of to try to

regain control

of things.

This is the

grace of God

coming to

you.

He not only

notices,

He not only

defends,

He not only

satisfies,

but He

also fully

and finally

forever

delivers.

He is

faithful.

Our

Father knows

what we

need, yes,

and He

makes sure

we get it.

He's promised

and He

remembers

His mercy.

Mary rejoices

in this,

doesn't it?

That's why she's

praising Him

and we can

too.

Mary is

telling us

not merely

that God

is like

this

generally,

but that He

has done

this actually

in her life

and through

this baby

is doing

it for you

and me

for generations

of people.

God is

coming

through.

This baby

is the

answer

to all

the hopelessness

and confusion

of people

generation

after generation.

I don't

know in

what way

you feel

undeserving

of God,

but that's

where His

grace shows

up for

you.

At

Christmas,

He enters

in there,

comes to

us so that

we don't

have to

climb the

ladder

ourselves,

we don't

have to

figure

ourselves

out and

get life

straight.

He shows

up to

save so

each of us

can say,

my soul

magnifies

the Lord.

See,

if you're

a non-car

guy like

me,

who barely

knows where

the gas

goes in,

and you're

broken down

on the side

of the

parkway and

there's smoke

coming out

from under

the hood,

it's a nice

thing to be

able to call

a friend

and have a

friend say,

have you

checked the

starter?

What does it

sound like

when you turn

the key?

that's

nice,

but it's

quite another

thing altogether

to have a

friend say,

where exactly

are you?

And then

show up a few

minutes later

and crawl

under the

hood with

you,

right?

If you've

ever been

lonely and

hurting,

you know,

it's nice to

hear a

politician or

preacher or

teacher talk

about caring

for people,

but it's

quite another

thing altogether

to have one

knock on your

door,

sit down and

listen to your

struggle for a

while.

If you've

ever felt life

falling apart

and spinning out

of control,

it's nice to

have a friend

say,

I believe in

you and hope

you succeed.

It's quite

another thing

altogether to

have that friend

show up and

say,

how can I

help?

What can I

pray for?

How can I

walk with you

in this?

I want you

to go back

to Mary as

a new mother

one last

time.

She's heard

from an

angel.

She's praised

God in this

beautiful song.

She's given

birth to the

Son of God

and now she

sits holding

her newborn

and treasures

up all these

things,

pondering them

in her heart.

What does

she see?

uniquely her.

Mary as

his mother,

she sees

that God

graces the

undeserving

by entering

in,

in our

place,

becoming like

us,

getting under

the hood

with us

as it were.

Think about it.

As his mother,

she swaddles

him in a

poor manger.

she nurses

him when

he hungers.

She soothes

him when

he needs

help.

She sees

better, I think,

than anyone

else, that God

is not merely

calling out from

heaven that he

cares for the

undeserving,

the weak,

the insignificant,

which would be

nice to know,

good information

to have,

but no,

God is doing

quite another

thing altogether.

God has

become like

the weak

and insignificant

to deliver

his grace

to them.

At Christmas,

in a lowly

manger,

in too little

Bethlehem,

God declares

once and for all,

my grace

will find

you.

No matter

what mess

you're in,

no matter

how little

you deserve

it,

it will

find you.

And you

can count

on it

because he

enters in

and becomes

like us

there.

When God

graces the

undeserving,

it is according

to his

promises.

It is beyond

and even at

times against

our expectations,

but especially

it is at

great

personal

cost

to himself.

He doesn't

pronounce grace

from a distance.

He enters

in,

becomes like

us,

sacrifices

himself,

takes our

pain

to bring

us

grace.

Jesus

starts in

the manger

what he

does when

he goes

to the

cross,

doesn't

he?

I'll

take their

place

to bring

them grace.

I'll be

rejected

for those

who deserve

to be.

I'll suffer

for those

who've earned

every bit

of it.

I'll die

for those

facing

certain

death

so they

can be

welcomed,

beloved,

and live

forever.

He comes

into our

place to

bring us

his grace.

Praise God.

May Christmas

mean to you

wherever you

know you

don't deserve

it,

that God

loves you

so much

that he

enters into

your place

that you

might know

his incredible

grace for

you.

Let's pray.

Father,

your love

like that

is amazing.

the fact

that in

time and

space and

history you

came and

entered into

the pains

of this

life for

us.

It's

amazing.

Thank you

for how you

love weak

and lowly,

ordinary

people like

us.

Thank you

that the

glory of

your grace

is such

that you

can share

it with

us,

that your

glory far

surpasses

anything we

comprehend and

that you

invite us to

be a part of

it with you

forever.

We don't

deserve it.

I guess that's

why it's

grace.

And so we

just thank you

for it.

We rejoice

in Jesus.

Amen.

For more

information,

visit us

online.

at

southwood.org.

Thank you.