Part of the Plan – December 12, 2021, the Third Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 11:1-9, Luke 1:26-38
December 12, 2021, the Third Sunday of Advent

As I said last week, this story, the story of the angel’s visitation with Mary, is contained within the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Go back and read this entire chapter some time, and you’ll see how it all unfolds.  And when you do, you’ll see that the common character in this chapter is the angel Gabriel.

We talked about him last week.  We read the story of how he appeared to Zechariah and told him that he had Elizabeth were going to have a baby.  And you may remember that Zechariah questioned him on that.  Because they were both “advanced in years!”  And then Gabriel got all indignant and he struck Zechariah mute.  (That still doesn’t sound correct to me, but that’s what he did!)

So, Gabriel then leaves Zechariah, and he makes his next “stop.”  And, in our story for today, he appears to Mary.  And actually, even then he wasn’t finished making his “rounds!”  Because he would also appear to Joseph.  But you have to turn to Matthew’s Gospel to find that story.  And we will do that next week.

In the meantime, here in Luke, while Zechariah is going through his “silent time” – and while he is trying to explain to his wife what’s going to happen (Can you imagine that!) – In the meantime, Gabriel makes this visit to Mary.  And we know this story.  We read it every year at this time.  He appears to Mary, and he says, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”  And we’re told that she was “greatly troubled” when she heard that, and she “considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.”

I’m sure she was greatly troubled!  Again, angels were fearsome beings.  And by the way, I think that means more than just being “ghostly.”  Anybody might be scared if they saw a ghost, right?  I would!  But I think it’s more than that!  Angels were powerful and terrifying!  So, even though Gabriel doesn’t say the usual words here, “Be not afraid,” I’m sure Mary was afraid!

And I’m also sure that she did wonder what this meant.  Certainly, this was a unique greeting.  I don’t think any other angelic visitation began with these words!  “Hail O favored one!”  She had to be thinking, “Favored?  “Why is he saying this about me?”  Why am I favored?”  And of course, the great thing about this story is that we know why!  But she doesn’t!  So, Gabriel tells her.  He says she’s going to have child – a son.  And then, before he addresses that baffling statement, before he answers the same question Zechariah had, “how can this be?”, he tells her about this child.  And what he says here is even more amazing than what he told Zechariah about the son he would have!

Gabriel said to Mary,

“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!”

That sounds like it came right out of the Psalms, doesn’t it?! – or maybe out of the prophecy of Isaiah!  “Son of the Most High!”  “Throne of David!”  “House of Jacob!”  “Eternal Kingdom.”  Even if it’s not actually a quote from the psalms, those are still some amazing statements about this child.  Gabriel didn’t actually use the word “Messiah,” but I wonder if that’s what Mary was thinking!

Well, whatever she thought, what she heard was Gabriel telling her about what was to be “God’s plan!”  And whatever she thought about herself, Mary, this young peasant girl from a small village, was about to be part of that plan.  She was about to become arguably one of the most famous women in all of history!  At the very least, I dare say that no other woman in history has had more statues made of her.

We protestants don’t always get that. We don’t “revere” Mary the way our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters do.  We don’t give her the same status they give her.  We don’t offer prayers to her as they do.  But sometimes I think in reaction to that, we also don’t give her the credit she deserves.  Sometimes I think we miss seeing her as a person who is unique in all of history.  She was to be the mother of the Messiah – the mother of the Christ!  She was “part of the plan,” the plan that God had for all the earth!

That’s what I’ve used today as my sermon title.  “Part of the Plan.”  Because Mary was definitely that!  And we see her that way, don’t we?  She was definitely part of the plan – part of the story!  She was right there, along with the angels and the shepherds and the wise men!  But I also wanted to use that as my title today, because I want us to see that we too are part of the plan.

Again, Christmas is about Jesus coming into the world and into our lives!  That’s the plan – especially that last part, the part about him coming into our lives!  That’s where we are part of this story!  Otherwise, this is just a history lesson, isn’t it?  And yes, it’s a nice history lesson!  It’s an inspirational history lesson!  But, it’s just a history lesson!  It only makes a difference when we know that it’s our history!

Do you think about that during Advent?  It’s very easy to get caught up in the season, isn’t it?  It’s very easy to be so “into” the preparation for the event, that we neglect the meaning of the event we’re preparing for!  And that’s so ironic!  But it happens all the time!

So, I remind you, I urge you, to think about the meaning of this event we celebrate.  I urge you to think about why you’re doing what you’re doing this time of year, rather than just doing it.  I urge you to think about the “reason for the season,” and I urge you to give thought to these things every day of Advent!

Think again about this ancient story.  Think about the players in this story.  Think about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Imagine what this must have been like for her!  And I think that’s very hard to do, by the way!  But try!  Think about her story.  And think along with her, as she pondered in her heart all of the things that were happening around her and to her.

And may each of us, truly prepare our hearts for, and anticipate the celebration of, Jesus coming into this world, and into our lives, once again!

Prayer

Eternal God, help us this Advent season to draw closer to Jesus, our Lord.  Help us to feel your spirit moving in and through all we do to prepare for the celebration of his coming.  As we think of his story once again, like Mary, may we keep all these things pondering them in our hearts.  And may we feel your blessing upon us.  For we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.