Christmas Eve Service

"Mary: Servant of the Lord"

Luke 1: 26- 38; text: verse 38

I am curious.  How many of you children here this evening have ever thought of a career as a movie star?  Did you know what the odds are of getting a role in major motion picture?   Last summer there was an article about the casting call for teenage boys to play the role of Tom Riddle in the upcoming film Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.  Film directors were looking for boys 15- 18 who could show proof of British residency.  But, the article warned against anyone getting too high of hopes.  Earlier they had needed two girls to play the roles of Luna Lovegrove and Cho Chang in last summer's film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  15,000 girls answered the casting call. 

Now, if sports is your thing and you would like play professional ball, your odds of getting on a team aren't much better.  Let's take football, for example. About 5.7 percent, or approximately one in 17, of all high school senior boys playing interscholastic football will go on to play college football at a NCAA member institution. About 1.8 percent, or approximately one in 50, of NCAA senior football players will get drafted by a National Football League (NFL) team. Approximately eight in 10,000, or approximately 0.08 percent of high school senior boys playing interscholastic football will eventually be drafted by an NFL team.  Odds are slightly better for baseball and hockey, but worse for basketball.  It really is quite an honor to be chosen.  I'm sure if one of you were chosen for a role in a film or to be on a professional ball team it would make front page news in The Citizen. 

But, now, think about this.  Of the billions of women who have lived on this planet and who ever will live God chose one young woman to bear his Son.  And what a son she bore!  In her body the second Person of the divine Trinity-the God who made everything-from the tiniest electron to the 125 billion galaxies that make up our universe- became a one of us.

Now why did God come to choose Mary for this honor?  Did she have certain great abilities?  Was she smarter or better looking or have a more winsome personality.  When we examine our scripture we find nothing mentioned about any of these qualities. And it doesn't seem from the scriptures that she had tremendous leadership ability.  In fact, outside of her role as Jesus mother, she isn't mentioned much at all.   And while certainly the scriptures portray her here and elsewhere as being a woman of faith and character, nowhere is she particularly commended for it.  Whatever criteria God used to choose Mary, we can't find it in the Bible. 

Instead, we read that angel Gabriel greeted her simply with these words,

"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."  And later he says.  "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God."  The Greek word that is here translated favor is the work charis-  the same word that in other places is translated "grace."  Now, grace is "undeserved favor."  It is the favor, love, and privilege that God gives to those who have done nothing to merit it.

In the first century Corinthian church, people were all in a tizzy about who was a better Christian-who was more gifted, who followed the right leader-that kind of stuff.  At one point in his letter to this church Paul reminds these ego centric people,

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him.  (1 Corinthians 1: 27)

And so God chose to give this great honor to a young woman of nondescript abilities, from a working class family from the little despised town of Nazareth.  Remember Nathaniel's words, "Can any good come from Nazareth?"   Certainly, great good came.  But it didn't come because Nazareth was so great or even because Mary was so great.  Rather it came because God is so great.

For our devotions after supper my family and I are reading from the book of Judges.  We just finished the story of Gideon.   If you remember that story, you might recall the Israelites turned away from the true God and started worshiping idols, so God allowed the Midianites to oppress them.  Midianite marauders would come and steal their crops and livestock, even their daughters.  The people cried out to the Lord to rescue them.  So God sent an angel to tell Gideon that he had appointed him to lead an army against Midian.  Listen to Gideon's response,

"But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

Now maybe he was being modest, but the angel certainly did not contradict him.  Later in the story we read that the Midianites came with a huge army to fight against Israel.  Gideon managed to gather a much smaller army together and went out to meet them.  But, before the battle God came to Gideon and said,

You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'"  And after 2/3 left God still said Gideon's army was too large.  And had the men go down to river to drink.  Based on the technique they used in drinking, God selected those who would go up against Midian. In the end he whittled down Gideon's army to only 300 men.  And with those 300, he defeated the Midianites.

Listen again to why God reduced the size of Gideon's army,

 In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her

God wanted Israel to know that they could not and did not save themselves.  They had to know that it was the Lord who saved them.  People of God, look again at our scripture.  This is not a chapter about what Mary did.  It is a chapter about what God did. 

Sometimes when we talk about having the Christmas spirit our conversation is all about spending time with our families, giving to others , doing nice loving things, about not being a Scrooge.  And we say that this is what it means to have the Christmas Spirit.  Friends, our scripture is telling us that the real Christmas spirit comes from first of all focusing on what God did.  The real gift of Christmas doesn't come from us; it came from him.  It is the gift of his Son.  Without that gift, nothing we give makes any difference.  What God accomplished in Christ is the only way that we and our world can be saved. 

Outside of that gift, the good things we do accomplish nothing. The Bible says that even our best works are as filthy rags.  Unless we do what we do because we are trusting in Jesus and his salvation, our works will do neither us nor our world any lasting good.  Oh, in the short run God can use them for good, but they accomplish nothing for eternity.  Let us not forget Peter's words,

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Without God's grace in Christ nothing we do here will last.  It will all be destroyed. 

But also remember on that day that Master will say, "Whatever you have done for the least of these my brothers and sisters you have done for me."

The small acts of kindness to insignificant people, if they are done by his grace and in his name, they will be honored and will accomplish much.

Listen again to Mary's response to the angel's message.  Verse 38,

I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."

We have heard the word servant so much that it probably has lost some of the punch it had back then.  The legislators who raise our taxes are called public servants, as is the police officer who gives us a ticket for speeding.  And I certainly believe they are public servants.  But, being a servant back in Jesus time and in that part of the world had expectations that our government officials and policeman certainly would not think are part of their job description.  And it had certain connotations that few of us living in democratic America would accept.  To be a servant back then meant that you belonged to your master.  Master and mistresses could do anything they pleased with you.  They could beat and starve you.  They owned your children and often sold them.  They set the agenda for your life:  For example, you had been working long and hard and had just sat down to grab a bite to eat when your mistress called.   Well, you had drop your bowl and see what she wants or you would be in big trouble.  As a servant you had few more rights in that house than the master's horse.  You were there to serve his needs.

People of God, listen again to what Mary is saying,

I am the Lord's servant,". "May it be to me as you have said."

 Lord my life is yours to do with what you will.  That's what it means to be a servant.  Listen to what Jesus told Peter,

I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."  (John 21: 18)

I will lead where you do not want to go.  Think about what that meant to Mary. She would be pregnant and who would the father be?  Think about how it impacted her relationship to Joseph.  He would have left her, had God not intervened.  He could have demanded that she be stoned.  Think about the gossip.  Think about the trip to Bethlehem-about giving birth in a barn.  Think about the quick flight to Egypt.  Think of what it meant to Mary at the foot of the cross.  As Simeon the aged prophet predicted, for Mary being a servant meant that a sword would pierce her own soul. 

Throughout history people have used the Christian faith and their belief in God for their own agendas.  Kings and despots have used it conquer and enslave.  Nations have used it to exploit other nations.  Religious hucksters who parade as evangelists have used it to become millionaires.  Church leaders and pastors have used it to exert their own authority and will.  People have misused scriptures to lull themselves into believing that they are saved while they live their lives like the rich man, building bigger barns and planning for retirement.. 

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

"Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."'

"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

.All that planning-all that working all for nothing.

Beloved in the Lord, tomorrow is Christmas.  It's a good time to again reflect on God's plan to save his world through his Son.  Mary trusted in that plan and committed her life to it.  Today she is honored not just here, but in heaven.  You see in the end life is not about who we are or the great abilities we have or even our own goodness, it's about who we belong to and who we are working for.  God, the great Creator gave himself and that is the only gift that has or ever will make any ultimate difference in the destiny of our world or in our own destiny.  And the only way it will make a difference for us is for us to give to give ourselves to him.  AMEN!