"Advent's Advice Is to Humbly Submit to God's Powerful Word"
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. [Amen.]
"Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head;
'To me be as it pleaseth God,' she said.
'My soul shall laud and magnifiy God's holy name.'
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!"
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
356:3)
Gospel Reading................................................. St. Luke
1:26-38 (esp. 38)
38And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me
according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
Prologue: When I entered active military duty and began basic training I
didn't have to wait very long to discover that the principle that governed
almost everything was "Hurry up . and wait." We would hurry to assemble in
the early morning for roll call prior to breakfast . only to wait to go to
the chow hall for any number of reasons. We would hurry to the armory to
check out our weapons . only to have to wait for who-knows-what before we
took temporary ownership of our rifles. We would hurry to the classroom for
another sleep-inducing lecture . only to wait for the instructor to show up.
Patience was an essential element necessary for success and survival . but
the United States Army didn't issue that to us!
Waiting is difficult for many, if not all, of us. Waiting
creates tension. Waiting results in frayed nerves. Waiting causes stress
and discord. Waiting makes us irritable and contrary. Waiting is not fun
in our contemporary culture ruled by impatient demand for instant
gratification and immediate results!
Of course, there's one all-important and most
spiritually-beneficial waiting activity. It's what King David encouraged
when he wrote, "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take
courage; wait for the Lord!" (Ps 27:14 ESV) Why? Isaiah answered that for
us, ". but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall
walk and not faint." (Isa 40:31 ESV)
You see, that's what we're called to do during this
pre-Christmas Advent season . wait. God's chosen people, the Israelites,
waited many hundreds of years for the arrival of His promised Messiah.
Depending on the precise date that Advent begins (always the fourth Sunday
before Christmas), we have to wait about four weeks for Christmas to arrive.
Sadly and unfortunately, the secular society in which we live rushes it by
encouraging us to spend money we don't have, buy things we don't need, eat
foods that aren't necessarily good for us, and join in activities that aren't
always beneficial all in the name of "Christmas" . and oftentimes long
before Christmas even arrives on the eve of December 25.
The Advent season of penitential preparation for the annual
formal celebration of our Savior's incarnate birth is a blessed time for
spiritual formation and re-formation in anxious anticipation and eager
expectation of His final arrival "to judge the living and the dead." We do
so by reviewing and rehearsing repentance (recognition of sin, contrition
over sin, confession of sin, forgiveness of sin, and change from sin) as
well as focusing on and thanking God for the daily arrival of the living
Word through God's written Word, Holy Absolution, and the Blessed Sacraments
of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.
So it is that today's Gospel Reading brings us face-to-face with
the reality of and at the same time reminds and encourages us to never
forget that .
"Advent's Advice Is to Humbly Submit to God's Powerful Word."
We were taught in our catechetical studies that the Scriptures
distinguish the two states of humiliation and exaltation in Christ's work of
salvation. On the one hand, His stages of humiliation are that He was
"Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried." On the other hand, His
stages of exaltation are that He "He descended into hell. The third day He
rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right
hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the
living and the dead." All in all, "Christ's humiliation was that as man He
did not always or fully use His divine powers." However, "Christ's work of
exaltation is that as man He now fully and always uses His divine powers."
(Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 2008
Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 130f. &138.)
So, as we come nearer to again witnessing our Savior's humble
birth in Bethlehem, we recall that He entered this sin-filled world clothed
in our human flesh to live for us the holy life that God demands of us but
we're not able to do; suffer for us the punishment for our sins that we
deserve but desire to avoid; shed for us His holy blood through death on
Calvary's cross that washes away the sins of all people of all time; and
arose from the dead for us in victory over sin, Satan, and death itself
thereby securing for us forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal life.
All of that emphasis on "for us" helps us, together with His mother Mary, to
realize that .
I. God Is with and Favors His Faithful Humble Servants. (26-30)
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of
Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28And he
came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort
of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid,
Mary, for you have found favor with God."
Although Christmas is filled with the pomp and pageantry of joyful
songs, colorful decorations, bright lights, generous giving, festive
celebrations, and Jolly Old Saint Nick, its proper focus is the humiliation
of the divine Son of God. That's essential because "Christ voluntarily
humbled Himself in order to 'redeem me, a lost and condemned person.'"
(Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation. Page 134.)
At the same time, we also take note of His mother who exemplifies
humility. As we do so, let's review a sampling of what God says about
humility in Holy Scripture.
In the collection of wise sayings written by King Solomon and
others we read that "humility comes before honor." (Prov 15:33 & 18:12 ESV)
The minor prophet Zephaniah encourages his readers to "Seek the
Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek
righteousness; seek humility . ." (Zeph 2:3 ESV)
The apostle Paul encourages us "to walk in a manner worthy of the
calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness . ."
(Eph 4:1 ESV) and "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count
others more significant than yourselves." (Phil 2:3 ESV) He also instructs
us to "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience . ." (Col 3:12 ESV)
The apostle Peter gave what is arguably the most explicit
statement about humility when he wrote, "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with
humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to
the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so
that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him,
because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:5-7 ESV)
And, lest we forget, Jesus Himself explicitly stated in His Sermon
on the Mount, "Blessed are the meek . ." (Matt 5:5 ESV) using a Greek word
that means humble, gentle.
Mary was certainly an example of extraordinary humility. She didn't
possess any personal worth or value that influenced God to choose her to
birth the Lord Jesus Christ. In view of such, "Reverent restraint
characterizes the dialogue between Mary and Gabriel. The initial greeting
is remarkable for its description of Mary as the 'favored one.' The word
means 'endued with grace' and thus calls attention, not to any achievement
on Mary's part, but to the fact that God had chosen to bestow special favor
on her." (Donald Guthrie in Jesus the Messiah: An Illustrated Life of
Christ. Copyright © 1972 The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, MI. Page
8.)
Mary confessed her realization of God's grace when she declared in
her song that now serves as part of the church's Vespers liturgy entitled,
"Magnificat," (a Latin word that means praise): "My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble
estate of his servant. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered
the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty
from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the
hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away." (Luke
1:46-48a, 51-53 ESV) By the way, it needs to be said at this time that "We
Christians today . honor Mary as an example of faith and service. But we do
not go beyond this and regard Mary as someone more holy than us, for she too
was sinful. The child to be born of Mary was as much her Savior from sin as
he is our Savior from sin." (Victor H. Prange in People's Bible Commentary:
Luke. Copyright © 1992 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page
13.) Thus, today's Collect was certainly her personal prayer as well, ".
come and help us by Your might, that the sins which weigh us down may be
quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy . ." In addition, even as Mary
praised God then, so we today praise Him throughout the Advent season with
the words of the Gradual, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout
aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation. Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the
Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you." (Zech 9:9 & Ps 118:26, alt
ESV)
As God was with and favored His humble servant, Mary, so also He
is with and favors us His humble faith-servants today. He does so "only out
of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in
[us]." (Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation. Pages 16 & 108.) That's
the comforting significance of Jesus' promise at His ascension, "I am with
you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28:20 NASU & NKJV)
But there's more! Even though Mary provides the almost-perfect
picture of humility, she also questioned the heavenly messenger about the
meaning of her favored status. He matter-of-factly explained that .
II. The Seemingly Impossible Fruit of the Virgin's Womb Is None Other
Than the Divine Savior of Mankind. (31-37)
31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall
call his name 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 father
David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
kingdom there will be no end." 34And Mary said to the angel, "How will this
be, since I am a virgin?" 35And the angel answered 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 called holy-the Son of God. 36And
behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and
this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For nothing will
be impossible with God."
God has been, is, and forever will be in the business of
miracle-working, that is, making the seemingly impossible to happen. The
Israelites discovered that when He parted the Red Sea to allow them safe
passage to escape from the charging Egyptian soldiers. He also made
believers out of them when He caused water to flow out of a cold, hard,
solid rock to quench their agonizing thirst. Abraham and Sarah, Elkanah and
Hannah, and Zechariah and Elizabeth are three well-known couples in the
Bible whom God blessed with the conception and birth of a son when it seemed
unlikely at best and impossible at worst.
And now we read that Gabriel informed Mary that she would bear the
Christchild . while still a virgin! That was undoubtedly the greatest
"Mission Impossible" to ever occur . matched only by our Redeemer's
resurrection from the dead. Notice that both His birth and His resurrection
are all about life! He lived then and still lives now so that we might live
forever with Him in heaven.
In response to Mary's innocent inquiry about the "how" of this
reason-defying event, the angel explained that "God would here make an
exception, He would set aside the usual course of nature. The Holy Spirit
[third person of the Trinity], the Power of the Highest, the miraculous
life-producing Power, would here exert an influence which would produce a
child without fleshly defilement, out of the flesh and blood of the virgin
only. The creative power of God would come upon her, overshadow her, and so
the child which would be born would be called holy, the Son of God." (Paul
E. Kretzmann in Popular Commentary of the Bible: The New Testament Volume I.
Copyright © Unknown Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 265.)
Although Gabriel's explanation was sufficient, "Its full sense
would not dawn on Mary's mind until she would see the Messiah fulfilling His
mission. Only then would she realize that he who could die for His people's
sins and could vanquish death by His own resurrection must have a
supernatural birth." In addition, "Those looking for a scientific
explanation of the Virgin Birth will not find one here. This event was
unique. Unlike any other child, the Messiah was to be holy, the Son of God.
In the light of this announcement, which serves as a preface to His birth,
the life and teaching of Jesus must be understood." (Donald Guthrie. Pages
8f.)
In summary, "Gabriel makes it clear that Mary's conception will be
the result of a divine activity. Because of this the child to be born would
be holy, the Son of God. We should not miss this explanation of what the
Son of God means." (The Rev. Canon Leon Morris in The Gospel According to
St. Luke. Copyright © 1974 Inter-Varsity Press, London. Page 73.)
In conclusion, "God's Word" may refer to either the Holy Bible or
God's verbal speaking. "Because God the Holy Spirit gave to His chosen
writers the thoughts that they expressed and the words that they wrote
(verbal inspiration) . the Bible is God's own Word and truth, without error
(inerrancy)." (Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation. Pages 48f.) God
verbally spoke to people in both the Old and New Testament times as recorded
throughout the Bible. But the most powerful of all His verbal speakings was
when He spoke the heavens and the earth and all that inhabits them (except
mankind) into existence. He did so when "in six days he created all things,
out of nothing, simply by His word." (Ibid. Page 110.) Mixing spiritual
and material meanings, today's Introit states praise for His creation with
the words, "Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down
righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear
fruit. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims
his handiwork. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like
a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course
with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the
end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat."
We rejoice that we also will be greatly blessed when, like Mary,
we heed the fact that .
"Advent's Advice Is to Humbly Submit to God's Powerful Word."
That powerful word includes God's Messianic promises such as what
the prophet Nathan told King David in today's Old Testament Reading, "And
your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your
throne shall be established forever." (Sam 7:16 ESV) Like Mary and us, so
also King David realized that .
I. God Is with and Favors His Faithful Humble Servants. (26-30)
At the same time let's also realize and prepare to once again
formally celebrate that ...
II. The Seemingly Impossible Fruit of the Virgin's Womb Is None Other
Than the Divine Savior of Mankind. (31-37)
We can do so by echoing St. Paul's benediction in today's Epistle
Reading, "Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel
and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and
through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, . to the
only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen." (Rom
16:25-26a, 27 ESV)
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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