Isaiah 6:8; Luke 1:26-38 November 30, 2008
“The Christmas Gift of Hope”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
Last Sunday, I suggested three gifts we might choose to receive this Christmas – lasting gifts that will satisfy the deep longings in our souls.
First, the gift of wisdom to put first things first. At a busy time of year with family, with friends, and with our church family; with reasonable concerns about the economy; with our mailboxes full of “great deals” for Christmas gifts, we need the wisdom to put first things first.
Secondly, the gift of patience and the power to always be gracious and loving. You know the times you haven’t been gracious and loving towards others. I know the times I haven’t been either. May God grant us the gifts of patience and of his power to be more gracious and more loving this Christmas.
Finally, if we open our hearts to faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who came to cleanse us from sin and transfer our lives from the darkness of death to the light of life, we will receive the gift of the eternal presence of God himself in our lives. And we don’t have to wait in line starting at 4 a.m. in the freezing cold to receive any of these gifts!
In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus said, 7“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Ask for wisdom to put first things first, ask for patience and the power to be gracious and loving, and ask for the fullness of God’s presence. For everyone who asks receives. And here’s the thing: when we choose to receive these things in order to give glory to God and honor the dignity of others, we are able to successfully handle opposition in our lives; we are more able to live through tough times with hope in our hearts – a lesson we learn from the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament and Mary, the mother of Jesus, from the New Testament.
Now some might say Isaiah and Mary were simply living their lives, minding their own business when God broke into their lives, but that wouldn’t be true. Isaiah, who lived about 700 years before the birth of Christ, and Mary, who carried Jesus in her womb, weren’t merely minding their own business, doing their own thing. I think it’s clear that both Isaiah and Mary were minding God’s business – or I don’t believe that they would have been called by God for such astounding purposes. These two ordinary people were not ready for the task they were called by God to do. How could anyone be ready at that level? But I do believe that Isaiah and Mary were prepared to answer God’s call because they had already been listening for God’s voice, submitting to God’s will, and riding on God’s power. Listen with me to several verses from the book of Isaiah, and the Gospel of Luke.
Isaiah 6:8: 8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
Luke 1:26-38: 26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He 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 ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to 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 holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
The Israelite people had gotten far away from God; Isaiah’s heart was broken over the condition of his people. Have you ever felt your heart break within you when someone you loved was living far away from God’s peace? Isaiah knew his people needed a prophet to call them back to faith, to bring them home to hope; he heard the call from God and he responded, “Here I am, Lord; send me!”
In picture books, or posters, or in Christmas plays we see Mary, the mother of Jesus usually looking pretty calm; looking like she has it all together with a circle of light surrounding her in that cattle stall. But how chaotic must it have been for her once she said “yes” to God’s call – a call that changed her life forever?
I’ve heard about these “bionic” babies that schools are giving to students for a specific period of time – usually 72 hours. These electronic dolls are programmed to do things that a real baby does throughout those hours, and are programmed to respond or not respond depending on the care they receive. The student in charge of the baby has to wear a bracelet with a computer chip in it that makes him or her the sole caregiver of the baby. Once the baby is returned to school, the teacher can take out the recording device placed in the baby and be able to grade the student on how long it took them to respond to the baby’s needs. This program is called, “Baby, Think it Over,” and is meant to help teens realize how difficult it is to care for an infant. The hope is that this program might help teens think more carefully before engaging in “casual” sexual relations (as if there really was such a thing). One comment I read online from someone who had “Baby, Think it Over” was: I got the baby in October for a weekend. It was hard work. It would cry every 2 hours and it would bug me. You have to hold the head for the doll not to cry. It was so frustrating, and I was really mad about it. I almost started crying. All I wanted was to turn her off. I know for a fact that I don’t want kids right now. All I wanted was to ignore her. At first I was excited, but then I just wanted to get rid of it.”
Although Mary and Joseph were officially married, Jewish law commanded they not be sexually active until they lived together in the same household as husband and wife (usually about a year after the marriage). Mary was sexually pure; she was a 14 year old virgin when the angel came to her. She did not get a weekend with a pretend doll to help her think it over.
Last week Riley wanted to sing me one of her children’s choir songs from church. You’ve probably heard it, “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.” She knew all the verses and the motions. But there was one problem. Here’s how she sang the first verse: Instead of singing, “The virgin Mary had a baby boy,” Riley sang, “The urgent Mary had a baby boy!” I tried not to laugh – but oh my, how hilarious! “The urgent Mary…” But in a way, isn’t it true? Mary definitely found herself in an urgent situation. She was not ready at 14 to be the mother of the Son of God. But, like Isaiah, she had been prepared for the task set before her by the choices she had made along the way:
Isaiah and Mary were people of great hope – believing God’s promises – because they heard God’s voice. Isaiah heard, “Who will go for me…?” Mary heard the angel tell her what God was asking. Too many of us see the mess of the world, perhaps the mess of our own lives, and we don’t take time to listen to God. Instead we panic, we turn away from what we know is best to do, we throw in the towel, retreat from the struggle, and give in to the sin of the closed mind. We are sure that God doesn’t talk to us because we don’t hear anything that sounds like what we want to hear. We don’t want our little world disturbed by new ideas, we definitely don’t want to change our ways, and so we tune out. We have ears, but our ears are clogged by selfish sludge. It’s hard to be people of hope if we can’t or won’t hear God’s voice.
Isaiah and Mary were people of great hope because they obeyed God’s will. Oh yes, the “obey” word – not a popular word in Bible times or in these times. In the New Testament, the word in Greek for faith is pistis – literally meaning “believing obedience.” It’s not enough to simply believe. We must also choose to obey. In a Peanuts cartoon, Linus, who was the statistician for Charlie Brown’s baseball team, brings Charlie Brown his final report for the season. “I’ve compiled the statistics on our baseball team for this last season,” Linus says. “In 12 games we almost scored a run. In 9 games the other team almost didn’t score before the first out. In right field Lucy almost caught 3 balls, and she once almost made the right play.” And then Linus says, “Charlie Brown, we led the league in almost!” Unfortunately, that’s the way many of us are with obeying God’s will.
We’re not supposed to lie, though we stretch a story for personal attention and gain. Well, we’re not really lying. Just almost.
We’re not supposed to cheat on our test, but writing an answer on our arm is not really cheating. Just almost.
We’re not supposed to worry – “well, it’s not like I have worry beads I carry around with me,” – and we say we’re not really worriers. Just almost.
We’re not really addicted to drugs. Alcohol. Nicotine. Caffeine. Pornography. We could stop today. We’re not really addicted. Just almost.
Isaiah and Mary were not “almost” disciples. They heard God’s voice and they obeyed what God said to do. They were hope-filled people whose choices made a difference for you and me.
Finally, Isaiah and Mary were people of great hope because they trusted God’s power. Both of them knew the task before them was way beyond their own power to endure. Isaiah was going to go to his friends and family and tell them that God said if they didn’t straighten up, God would allow their enemies to win battles over them. Mary was going to go home to her family, and to her husband Joseph, and tell them that God had placed a baby inside of her who would grow to be the Savior of the world. Both knew the opposition would be heavy against them. Both trusted that the voice they heard was truly God’s voice because they were already familiar with it, they trusted enough to say ‘yes Lord’, and they trusted that God’s power working in them and in the lives of the people around them would be more than enough power to see them through difficult times.
What tough decision is before you? What do you have to do that you don’t think you can do? To whom do you need to speak God’s truth this Christmas? Do you feel a sense of urgency about these things even though you know there will be opposition? Let’s learn from Isaiah and Mary. Let’s get into God’s Word, let’s get on our knees, let’s be open to God’s voice, let’s obey his will (not almost, but completely), and let’s trust God’s power. As we come to the Table together this morning, may I be able to say, and may you be able to say, “Here I am, Lord, send me.” “Let it be to me according to Your Word.” May the Lord fill us with supernatural hope for ourselves and for all the world. Amen.
“The Christmas Gift of Hope”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer
Last Sunday, I suggested three gifts we might choose to receive this Christmas – lasting gifts that will satisfy the deep longings in our souls.
First, the gift of wisdom to put first things first. At a busy time of year with family, with friends, and with our church family; with reasonable concerns about the economy; with our mailboxes full of “great deals” for Christmas gifts, we need the wisdom to put first things first.
Secondly, the gift of patience and the power to always be gracious and loving. You know the times you haven’t been gracious and loving towards others. I know the times I haven’t been either. May God grant us the gifts of patience and of his power to be more gracious and more loving this Christmas.
Finally, if we open our hearts to faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who came to cleanse us from sin and transfer our lives from the darkness of death to the light of life, we will receive the gift of the eternal presence of God himself in our lives. And we don’t have to wait in line starting at 4 a.m. in the freezing cold to receive any of these gifts!
In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus said, 7“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Ask for wisdom to put first things first, ask for patience and the power to be gracious and loving, and ask for the fullness of God’s presence. For everyone who asks receives. And here’s the thing: when we choose to receive these things in order to give glory to God and honor the dignity of others, we are able to successfully handle opposition in our lives; we are more able to live through tough times with hope in our hearts – a lesson we learn from the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament and Mary, the mother of Jesus, from the New Testament.
Now some might say Isaiah and Mary were simply living their lives, minding their own business when God broke into their lives, but that wouldn’t be true. Isaiah, who lived about 700 years before the birth of Christ, and Mary, who carried Jesus in her womb, weren’t merely minding their own business, doing their own thing. I think it’s clear that both Isaiah and Mary were minding God’s business – or I don’t believe that they would have been called by God for such astounding purposes. These two ordinary people were not ready for the task they were called by God to do. How could anyone be ready at that level? But I do believe that Isaiah and Mary were prepared to answer God’s call because they had already been listening for God’s voice, submitting to God’s will, and riding on God’s power. Listen with me to several verses from the book of Isaiah, and the Gospel of Luke.
Isaiah 6:8: 8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
Luke 1:26-38: 26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He 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 ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to 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 holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
The Israelite people had gotten far away from God; Isaiah’s heart was broken over the condition of his people. Have you ever felt your heart break within you when someone you loved was living far away from God’s peace? Isaiah knew his people needed a prophet to call them back to faith, to bring them home to hope; he heard the call from God and he responded, “Here I am, Lord; send me!”
In picture books, or posters, or in Christmas plays we see Mary, the mother of Jesus usually looking pretty calm; looking like she has it all together with a circle of light surrounding her in that cattle stall. But how chaotic must it have been for her once she said “yes” to God’s call – a call that changed her life forever?
I’ve heard about these “bionic” babies that schools are giving to students for a specific period of time – usually 72 hours. These electronic dolls are programmed to do things that a real baby does throughout those hours, and are programmed to respond or not respond depending on the care they receive. The student in charge of the baby has to wear a bracelet with a computer chip in it that makes him or her the sole caregiver of the baby. Once the baby is returned to school, the teacher can take out the recording device placed in the baby and be able to grade the student on how long it took them to respond to the baby’s needs. This program is called, “Baby, Think it Over,” and is meant to help teens realize how difficult it is to care for an infant. The hope is that this program might help teens think more carefully before engaging in “casual” sexual relations (as if there really was such a thing). One comment I read online from someone who had “Baby, Think it Over” was: I got the baby in October for a weekend. It was hard work. It would cry every 2 hours and it would bug me. You have to hold the head for the doll not to cry. It was so frustrating, and I was really mad about it. I almost started crying. All I wanted was to turn her off. I know for a fact that I don’t want kids right now. All I wanted was to ignore her. At first I was excited, but then I just wanted to get rid of it.”
Although Mary and Joseph were officially married, Jewish law commanded they not be sexually active until they lived together in the same household as husband and wife (usually about a year after the marriage). Mary was sexually pure; she was a 14 year old virgin when the angel came to her. She did not get a weekend with a pretend doll to help her think it over.
Last week Riley wanted to sing me one of her children’s choir songs from church. You’ve probably heard it, “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.” She knew all the verses and the motions. But there was one problem. Here’s how she sang the first verse: Instead of singing, “The virgin Mary had a baby boy,” Riley sang, “The urgent Mary had a baby boy!” I tried not to laugh – but oh my, how hilarious! “The urgent Mary…” But in a way, isn’t it true? Mary definitely found herself in an urgent situation. She was not ready at 14 to be the mother of the Son of God. But, like Isaiah, she had been prepared for the task set before her by the choices she had made along the way:
Isaiah and Mary were people of great hope – believing God’s promises – because they heard God’s voice. Isaiah heard, “Who will go for me…?” Mary heard the angel tell her what God was asking. Too many of us see the mess of the world, perhaps the mess of our own lives, and we don’t take time to listen to God. Instead we panic, we turn away from what we know is best to do, we throw in the towel, retreat from the struggle, and give in to the sin of the closed mind. We are sure that God doesn’t talk to us because we don’t hear anything that sounds like what we want to hear. We don’t want our little world disturbed by new ideas, we definitely don’t want to change our ways, and so we tune out. We have ears, but our ears are clogged by selfish sludge. It’s hard to be people of hope if we can’t or won’t hear God’s voice.
Isaiah and Mary were people of great hope because they obeyed God’s will. Oh yes, the “obey” word – not a popular word in Bible times or in these times. In the New Testament, the word in Greek for faith is pistis – literally meaning “believing obedience.” It’s not enough to simply believe. We must also choose to obey. In a Peanuts cartoon, Linus, who was the statistician for Charlie Brown’s baseball team, brings Charlie Brown his final report for the season. “I’ve compiled the statistics on our baseball team for this last season,” Linus says. “In 12 games we almost scored a run. In 9 games the other team almost didn’t score before the first out. In right field Lucy almost caught 3 balls, and she once almost made the right play.” And then Linus says, “Charlie Brown, we led the league in almost!” Unfortunately, that’s the way many of us are with obeying God’s will.
We’re not supposed to lie, though we stretch a story for personal attention and gain. Well, we’re not really lying. Just almost.
We’re not supposed to cheat on our test, but writing an answer on our arm is not really cheating. Just almost.
We’re not supposed to worry – “well, it’s not like I have worry beads I carry around with me,” – and we say we’re not really worriers. Just almost.
We’re not really addicted to drugs. Alcohol. Nicotine. Caffeine. Pornography. We could stop today. We’re not really addicted. Just almost.
Isaiah and Mary were not “almost” disciples. They heard God’s voice and they obeyed what God said to do. They were hope-filled people whose choices made a difference for you and me.
Finally, Isaiah and Mary were people of great hope because they trusted God’s power. Both of them knew the task before them was way beyond their own power to endure. Isaiah was going to go to his friends and family and tell them that God said if they didn’t straighten up, God would allow their enemies to win battles over them. Mary was going to go home to her family, and to her husband Joseph, and tell them that God had placed a baby inside of her who would grow to be the Savior of the world. Both knew the opposition would be heavy against them. Both trusted that the voice they heard was truly God’s voice because they were already familiar with it, they trusted enough to say ‘yes Lord’, and they trusted that God’s power working in them and in the lives of the people around them would be more than enough power to see them through difficult times.
What tough decision is before you? What do you have to do that you don’t think you can do? To whom do you need to speak God’s truth this Christmas? Do you feel a sense of urgency about these things even though you know there will be opposition? Let’s learn from Isaiah and Mary. Let’s get into God’s Word, let’s get on our knees, let’s be open to God’s voice, let’s obey his will (not almost, but completely), and let’s trust God’s power. As we come to the Table together this morning, may I be able to say, and may you be able to say, “Here I am, Lord, send me.” “Let it be to me according to Your Word.” May the Lord fill us with supernatural hope for ourselves and for all the world. Amen.
