Text: 2 Samuel 7:4-16: 4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

Luke 1:26-38 (KJV): And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Devotional

Everybody’s searching for something, they say. Searching for money, searching for stuff, searching for life’s meaning. The question is, what do we do when we find what we want?

The Jews of Jesus’ day were searching for a Messiah; they were longing for a Messiah. The Romans had been running the show since the troubles of the 60’s decade. (There must be something about that number!). Their chief minion, Herod the Edomite, had made a mockery of their faith even as he renovated their Temple. Roman soldiers were a pain, Roman taxes were oppressive, and the Jews were fed up. Where’s the Messiah?

Jewish folklore said the Messiah would be a mighty warrior. The Messiah would come swooping down on a white charger, defeat the enemies of His people, and rule forever, serving as priest and king.

One question: Where’s the Messiah?

No one thought to look in a Galilean backwater, for a single young teenager who’d been going about her business when an angelic visit changed her life. That visit changed her life; changed her world.

That visit changed time.

Sermon

We’ve often seen movies where someone is given a special mission only they can accomplish. Fortunately, the good guy usually succeeds.

Today, we’re examining a passage describing one of the greatest missions ever given. The Virgin Mary was chosen of all women to bear the Son of God. Christmas came only because Mary submitted to the will of God.

Outline

God blesses those He chooses for special responsibilities. vv. 26-28. Gabriel’s salutation is unique in Scripture. The word translated “Hail!” actually means “Rejoice!” Mary would rejoice in due time at God’s choosing in her life.

The word for “highly favored” adds to the blessing. God’s grace was freely bestowed on Mary. She alone, of all women, would bear the Son of God and fulfill the prophesies of the Messiah’s birth.

God continues to bless those He calls, to salvation and to service. When God calls us, it is because He has a mission to entrust to us. Others may be able to fulfill the mission, but He has chosen us to receive the blessing.

God’s blessing is always greater than our plans for life. vv. 29-37. First, Gabriel had to tell Mary what every angel had to say when he appeared to a human: “Don’t be afraid.” God’s direct intervention in our lives often brings fear and uncertainty.

When Gabriel told Mary the assignment, Mary was shocked! Mary knew how her life was supposed to go: She would marry Joseph, bear his children, and live out her life in Nazareth, as had her ancestors before her. Now, everything was thrown into turmoil.

Mary would bear a son and call Him “Jesus.” The name “Jesus” is from the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which means “Anointed One.” Mary knew the significance of the name: She would bear the Messiah, the Anointed One of God.

Mary’s life would never be the same. The heretofore nameless virgin from Nazareth would never be forgotten. God’s plan for us is always greater than what we can imagine.

Do you think it’s impossible for God to do what He asks of you? With God, “nothing is impossible.” The word for “impossible” refers to something’s impossibility because one is powerless to do what needs to be done. God is omnipotent. He can accomplish what He wants in your life; He can provide for the obedient.

God’s blessing goes only to the obedient. v. 38. When Mary accepted the mission, she also accepted the blessing of God. God protected and guided her throughout the time she was the mother of His Son. If you want God’s blessing, obey when He calls.

And this brings me to another reflection on this passage.

I’ve often wondered about the God we claim to serve every Sunday. I’ve noticed that most Christians I know — including me at times — tend to believe that God always stays “within the lines” as He colors the tapestries of Creation and eternity.

Scripture, however, shows a different God.

This passage exemplifies the God we serve. First-century Nazareth was the same as 21st century west Tuscaloosa County, Alabama USA. When single teenage girls wind up pregnant, people talk. Imagine Mary trying to explain to her mother how she came to be pregnant. Remember, the gospel of St. Matthew tells us that whatever she told Joseph didn’t work; he was prepared to divorce her, and only a visit from an angel changed his mind. Did this stop God from asking Mary to carry His Son, the Incarnate Word? Did God not realize what Mary would face for her obedience?

God knew exactly what Mary would face. God knew the social code of Nazareth better than Mary. God knew the gossips in Nazareth better than Mary. God knew what He was asking of this ordinary girl, but He asked anyway.

Why? Because God knew the girl Mary really was. God knew Mary was born in sin as was every other girl in the world. God knew there was nothing really special physically about Mary. But God also knew Mary would know the risks, the consequences, and the stigma she’d carry the rest of her life — but she would obey anyway.

And know that Mary did carry a stigma for carrying the Christ. Later in Jesus’ life, when He refused to play circus healer for Nazareth, people threw out the epithet, “He’s Mary’s son.” Not Joseph’s son, but Mary’s son (Mark 6:3: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”). The gossips in Nazareth never forgot that Jesus was not Joseph’s son, that Mary was carrying Him when she married Joseph, and they never let anyone else forget it either.

God knew it would be this way — and He asked Mary anyway. Why? Because God never plays it safe.

I believe too many people in the Church today believe God would never ask them to do something extraordinary; that God will never ask them to step outside their neatly ordered lives, forsake everything, and follow Him in obedience regardless of the cost. I know differently. At least twice in my life, God has called me from the order of my life and set me on a path of uncertainty, doubt, and faith. The first time was my call to the ministry. The second time was my call to seminary. Both times, I had to decide whether I could remain a Christian and disobey my Lord and my God. Both times, the answer was obedience is not an option, for those who truly believe will fully obey, and only those who obey really believe. God calls us into chaos to demonstrate through us His order in life, His control of events.

I see one other lesson here. One way God refuses to conform to our ideas is by calling ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Many of you sitting here today think God will never call you to do anything extraordinary in your lives. You think your time has passed; you’re safe now. God won’t call you to go somewhere and do something out of the ordinary for the sake of the gospel.

Wrong! How much safer do think you could get than being an ordinary engaged teenager in a hick town called Nazareth?

God called Mary, and she obeyed. Know what? No one today remembers the gossips in Nazareth, but everyone remembers the Virgin Mary, the mother of God the Son. God still calls us today. Will we obey?