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Sermons

"MARY, MOTHER OF THE FAITHFUL"
GOSPEL SCRIPTURE TEXTS:
LUKE 1: 26-38 (open), 46-55 (close)

DAVE RING, PASTOR
LOS ALAMOS 1ST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 29, 2009

OPENING SCRIPTURE TEXT: 26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God." 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

MESSAGE: Over the next several weeks, during Advent and beyond, I'm going to preach to you a mini-series of messages concerning exemplary people of faith. The first of these is Mary. Mary is clearly the most important woman of the Bible. She's the most significant woman in human history. Mary is the mother of God on earth. The original believer, the archetype, the matriarch of all who have faith in Jesus. Mary, mother of the faithful.

As related by the gospel writer Luke, Mary was from the town of Nazareth in Galilee. Nazareth, back then, was a small, off-the-beaten-track village situated amid rocky hills about 50 miles north of Jerusalem. Because Nazareth lacked water - there was only one reliable well - it had for centuries been a minor place, barely noticed amid the many better-known cities, towns and villages which abound throughout the Holy Land. Mary, although her ancestry - as well as that of her fiancé, Joseph -- dated back to the great King David 1,000 years before, was an ordinary peasant girl. She was most probably no older than 14 and very possibly just 12 years of age at the time Luke begins to chronicle her life. She was pledged to be married to Joseph, which meant that they had, together, gone through a Jewish ritual called "betrothal," not unlike engagement in our society -- except for the fact that their parents, not they, had set up the marriage plan. Betrothal was a year-long period designed to allow the bride and groom to "get to know each other" before being formally wed.

We have no idea why God chose Mary as the human mother of His Son. Ten thousand scholars and theologians have advanced that many and more ideas on the subject; it remains one of the great mysteries of Christian faith. As Luke unfolds the narrative, we are presented with an early teenage girl from a nondescript village - and an angel appearing before her. The Scripture says that Mary was "greatly troubled" by this.

I think that's putting it somewhat mildly. Can you imagine what Gabriel's appearance -- and his words, must have done to Mary's until-then simple, slow-paced life? I'm a pretty worldly-wise person with a big-city background - and I'd have been scared out of my wits if an angel had appeared to me back when I was 13 or 14 years old. Frankly, I'd probably still be frightened now, at 62.

But although we have no idea why God chose Mary, her response to this angel visitation and announcement proves that God, as always, has made a right choice. After only one minor question for clarification, Mary's response is open, faithful acceptance. "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."

That's amazing. No, it's more than amazing - it's incredible. And yet it's 100% true. After being told by an angel that God is going to complicate her life in ways no human woman has ever before experienced, Mary simply answers, "I'm the Lord's servant. May it happen just as you've said."

The "rest of the story" as told sometimes by Luke and at others by Matthew, Mark, and/or John, is one of a wild roller-coaster ride through life for Mary. After Jesus' birth, she's rarely in the center of events - but she is always present at the periphery. She proved her faith in her Divine Son many times over. After strange events in Bethlehem - with stables and kings mixed together, she and Joseph had to flee the country, exiling themselves to a foreign land, hiding the Child in Egypt for four to five years. Then, following one Herod's death, there was relative quiet back in Nazareth -- for quite a long time. But once water became wine at the wedding feast in Cana, life again began to take strange turns for Mary.

Being mother to the Son of God was a singularly difficult task -- and Mary was equal to it. She watched proudly as His popularity rose, then worried as that lofty status quickly declined a short three years later. But she loved Jesus unconditionally, believing completely in Him no matter what the world around her might be saying.

Because Mary had such total faith in Jesus, she was one of a handful or fewer who stood by Him after His arrest, mock trial, and crucifixion. Indeed, although the Scripture plainly says that most of his disciples deserted him, it is quite clear that Mary remained with Jesus throughout his ordeal - probably at the foot of the cross. Jesus was fully aware of her presence - enough so that, despite the agony of His suffering, He made special provision for her care, by John, after his death.

Yes, Mary believed in Jesus. She stuck by Him through all the "up's" and "down's" of His earthly sojourn. And because her total faith in Jesus kept her with Him even to the very moment of His death, she was probably the only human to hear His final words from the cross - words not of defeat, but of victory: "It is finished! Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit."

It's interesting to note that at least two Mary's were present for the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning. But Mary the mother of Jesus was not one of them. Mary His mother did not need to be there - she already knew the good news. Her faith in Jesus was sufficient to allow her to claim the Resurrection - even before it happened. She was one of those blessed believers of whom He spoke when addressing "doubting Thomas" - one who did not need to personally "see" or "touch" in order to believe.

Mary, mother of Jesus. Mary, the mother of all who truly believe in Jesus.

Some months ago I preached two messages to you on the first recorded man of faith in all history -- Abraham. Abraham was at the opposite end of life from young Mary when God broke into his existence - he was a 75-year old man when God called him. But his response, almost exactly like that of Mary, was simple acceptance. No muss, no fuss. "Just go ahead, God. Use me in whatever ways You see fit."
Faith, at its core, is simple. All it requires is letting go - and letting God really be God in one's life. Abraham understood that. Mary likewise understood. Both were, and are, models of genuine faith.

CLOSING SCRIPTURE TEXT: 46And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. 50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

Amen.

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