You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.
Amen. Thank you all so much. Amanda especially. It's a wonderful, powerful song. It really puts
you there that first Christmas night, especially from Mary's perspective. It gives you a close-up view
of Jesus' birth. That's my heart for us this Christmas, that we would get that kind of view,
that we would really experience up close and personal this history-altering event, this
life-changing, world-changing baby. That's what I mean by what Christmas means to me. Of course,
that's a Stevie Wonder Christmas classic, but I don't mean it in some sort of new-agey,
like you-can-have-Christmas-mean-whatever-you-want-it-to-mean-to-you kind of way.
I also don't mean for us to talk for several weeks about what Christmas means to Will,
to me. That's not super helpful to you. But what I mean by it is I rather want each of us
to be able to contemplate the impact of Christmas in our lives by considering its impact on real
people, on those who were there in the biblical accounts of Jesus' birth, like Mary. As we've
just seen from Delilah and acknowledged together this morning, some of us have different experiences
with the holiday season in general. For some of us, holidays are hard.
If that's true for you, we'd love to know and be able to pray with you, care for you. There are men
and women in the prayer room following the service this week and every week. They'd love to pray with
you. If you just write your name down on one of the prayer cards in the pew in front of you and
drop it in a box back there, one of the pastors will call you this week to pray with you. You don't
have to explain. You can just tell us you'd like to pray sometime. And sometimes that can be distracting.
Those difficult emotions that we have can be distracting and they don't help us grasp the
impact of Jesus' incarnation. I think I'm on record as being a little bit different personally.
I'm a big fan of Christmas, right? You know, you've heard that from me more than once. I just show up
this week and the church is being decorated like this and we start singing songs like this and
I just love Christmas. I start to get this warm, fuzzy feeling. It's all full of sentiment and
tradition, which is my personality. I just love that. In fact, it really threw me off this year when a
stomach bug delayed our annual Christmas tree picking out trip, which happens during the Iron Bowl
every year when nobody else is there. And it just threw everything off. I love to do things the same
way. I could sing the same songs, eat the same food, watch the same shows, play the same games every
year. Lighting candles at Christmas Eve just feels like Christmas to me. That's what we do. I love
preaching about Christmas, all of it. And all those things can be good things and they can be helpful
to my heart engaging with Christmas. They can. But if you're like me, sometimes I can allow my
experience of Christmas to stop there with the sentimental warm feelings and traditions. And I've
gone many Christmas seasons with it being nothing but sentiment and exhaustion. Where all it is is
extra pressure to shop well and make all the parties. And many of my Christmas seasons, my heart has been
there. Anybody else? Spent whole months perhaps with that being what all Christmas is. And that's not
helpful either. That's why we're going to look at Christmas through the eyes of Mary and Joseph and the
kings and the shepherds and others. See, for the characters in the Christmas story, that was not a problem
for them. The birth of Jesus was not always positive, but it was way more than mere sentiment and tradition.
It was life-changing reality. They saw the extraordinary gift or the supreme disruption that Jesus' birth was.
Christmas is not to them just cute like it sometimes can be to me. Mary will help us see that it is the
culmination of thousands of years of world history in one moment. Kingdoms clash. Worlds
collide. Lives are turned upside down all because of this baby. All in that one moment.
Last thing I'll say about our series this Christmas season. Just like all the characters in this graphic,
we will focus and have our attention turned toward Jesus. I'm not interested in learning
with you merely a few facts about Mary and Joseph and so forth. The Bible gives us their stories
to help us focus on Jesus, to help us see the glory of Jesus and grasp the impact of Jesus on real people
like you and me. Understanding what Christmas means to them can help us consider what Christmas means for
each of us. And that is one Christmas tradition I don't want to apologize for. I want all of us to have
that regardless of what you feel about the sentimental stuff, whether it's painful or helpful or distracting
to you. All of us need to consider the impact of the birth of Jesus on us.
So back to Mary today. I'll read you the beginning of her story in Luke chapter 1 verse 26. God's holy word.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you.
But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
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. And Mary said to the angel,
How will this be, since I am a virgin? And 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. And 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. For nothing will be impossible with God.
And 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. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for your word, because what we need is to hear from you.
And you've given it to us that we might hear your voice.
And we might see our Savior.
And that we might be forever changed.
And so, Father, I need that this morning. We need that.
Speak to all of us by your Spirit, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
Luke famously tells us in chapter 2, that we haven't gotten to yet,
after Jesus is born and angels and shepherds and all get involved,
that Mary treasures up all these things and ponders them in her heart.
I've never been a new mom, but I've visited many a new mom in the hospital.
A really amazing, special moment.
Many times just treasuring those special times.
Overwhelmed with emotion.
Dreaming sometimes of the future of this new child.
What will life be like now?
Never the same, certainly.
Many joys and struggles already starting within hours of birth.
And Mary is similar to that.
But even so much more than normal.
This baby that she holds really will fulfill all of her longings.
For herself.
For all God's people.
And Mary, by that moment, knows that.
And it's soaking all that in.
She's going to help us see, as she works through these months,
that Christmas means God gracing the undeserving.
Let's look at how that unfolds in Mary's story.
It starts, of course, as we just read, with an angel showing up to an ordinary teenager.
In fact, you might even say Mary's less than ordinary.
She's really clear that she is no one special.
Probably about 14, give or take a couple of years.
Very poor, we find out later.
And from nowhere, Nazareth.
Look how Luke describes it to his readers.
Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth.
Even then, many of them know where it was or what Nazareth was.
Luke's saying it's like you're saying to someone, I'm from nowhere, Alabama.
You know, it's this place where the closest town is.
Well, no, you probably haven't heard of that either.
You haven't heard of Nazareth, Luke says.
And if you have, it's probably because you know the saying,
can anything good come from Nazareth?
That was a saying back then.
So to this nobody from nowhere, the angel announces what?
Grace!
Verse 28.
Favored one, the Lord is with you.
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Favored one means graced one.
Recipient of God's grace.
God's special blessing and God's presence are promised to her.
You have found favor with God is again saying,
God has graciously determined to bless you.
That's the message Mary's getting.
These words have often been misunderstood as talking about Mary's inherent greatness.
But Mary clearly knows better.
The angel is emphasizing not her merit, but rather God's grace.
It's not so much Mary so full of grace that attracts God,
but God so full of grace that he pours out on Mary, right?
Mary hasn't won a pageant.
God has graced a peasant.
Of course, so much so that she is indeed full of grace.
She will bear the Son of God, the eternal King, the promised Messiah,
the one they've all been waiting for.
It's all a bit overwhelming and confusing to Mary, isn't it?
Can you blame her?
Me?
How?
What the angel says troubles her.
Perhaps she didn't feel much like a grand recipient of God's grace.
Suspects she felt pretty normal, even insignificant most days.
Nonetheless, the angel tells this unsuspecting young girl
that the person of greatest significance ever will come through you.
One of seeming insignificance.
She says, me?
A mother?
How is that even possible?
And the point is, nothing is impossible with God.
This is about something he's going to do.
That this birth is going to prove that to you and everybody.
That this chasm God will cross to reach all the way down to Mary
will prove no one is beyond his reach.
His grace will stop at nothing to reach the lowly.
You need to know, Mary, that God is powerful and gracious enough
to overcome your insignificance, your youthfulness, your life situation.
He rescues people because of his great power.
And isn't this just like God?
To condescend to Mary?
Isaiah tells us, God indeed is high and exalted,
dwells in high places,
but he meets with the lowly.
He meets with young, undeserving Mary in Nazareth
and gives her through Gabriel the message of grace
and through his Holy Spirit the child of grace.
Perhaps even more humbly than you or I could have ever responded,
Mary receives that grace.
Verse 38,
I am the servant of the Lord.
Let it be to me according to your word.
Boy, I need to learn a lot from her here.
I'm not the hero.
I'm not the focus.
I'm the servant of the Lord.
Whatever he says, I'll trust.
Whatever he has planned is, I want to happen.
However he will use me, I'll be willing.
And you can only imagine that there she is then,
but the weight of what's happening,
the glory of this,
the magnitude of this pregnancy,
this new role as mother of the Son of God,
takes some time to settle in.
What's happening?
What is God doing here?
In fact, I don't have time to stop here this morning,
but I love that the Holy Spirit starts opening Mary's eyes
to what God is doing and the glory of this,
that he uses Elizabeth,
a woman probably three or four times Mary's age,
to open Mary's eyes to what he's doing,
to the glory of this,
to encourage her faith in this gracious God.
God uses older women like that.
Delilah does that for me when I talk to her.
So do many of you.
If you think you're too old
to encourage the faith of someone much younger
to be instrumental in someone God loves,
knowing his glory and greatness,
you're not reading his story.
If you think you've served your time
and it's time to take it easy,
you're missing how God works
and you're robbing others of that treasure.
On the other hand,
if you young people think you're too savvy,
too busy to learn of God from someone much older,
you're missing the beauty of how God works.
You're robbing yourselves and others
of the treasure of the family of God.
And Mary meets Elizabeth,
hears words from God through Elizabeth,
and look what Elizabeth prompts in Mary.
It's one of the great songs of praise of all time.
Bach calls it the Magnificat.
And Mary shows us the glorious vision
of God through this baby,
gracing not merely one undeserving person,
but truly a myriad of undeserving people.
Listen to it.
It's beautiful.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on,
all generations will call me blessed.
For he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
This is her story, Mary's story,
how God has graced undeserving me.
And then, and then Mary turns
and invites all of us
into the same experience of God
that she's had in this unique way.
Verse 50,
And his mercy is for, not just me,
for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered the proud
and 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 away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel
in remembrance of his mercy
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham,
and to his offspring forever.
God, gracing the undeserving.
It's not new with Mary, is it?
In fact, Mary says this goes
all the way back to Abraham.
The gracing of the undeserving
is so much of who God is
that it's what he's been doing
for thousands of years
with all sorts of people
leading up to this moment,
this climax of the whole thing
through this baby in my womb.
He faithfully makes promises
and now fulfills those promises,
and he does it in such a way
that you can't miss
that he graces the undeserving,
that he meets the lowly,
that he treasures the insignificant.
Commentator James Edwards
says it this way
about the Magnificat.
It's beautiful.
He says,
It is a hymn not of the proud,
but of the powerless.
Not of just desserts,
but of unexpected grace.
Not of a world fully controlled
and determined by human powers,
but overturned by divine comedy.
He continues,
God does not turn away
from want and oppression,
but toward both in compassion
and rescuing intervention.
I love this part.
In most religions,
a meeting with God
requires the low to ascend high,
sinners to become saints.
The Magnificat reverses
all protocol and expectations.
God, who is high,
becomes low.
God, who is high,
becomes low.
Yes.
Yes, that's what's going on here.
Let me briefly show you how
God does this
in ways I think will meet our hearts
where many of us are.
This great song that Mary gives us first,
God notices.
He has looked
on the humble estate
of His servant.
Most of us,
most days,
feel mostly ordinary.
But if the God of the universe
sees me,
that changes things,
doesn't it?
Have you ever felt invisible?
Like, no one sees
your situation?
Like Mary in the middle of nowhere,
like Israel in captivity
day after day.
Does anyone realize
how hard this is?
Does no one else
see how unfair
this is?
God does.
God notices.
God looks.
God sees.
Sending His Son
confirms
He has noticed
us
and our need.
because God never stops
with merely looking
and noticing.
God also
defends.
He fights
for us.
He pursues
justice.
He rights
wrongs.
Are you feeling
vulnerable?
Stuck
in a bad spot?
Powerless?
Voiceless?
You can't change it.
Maybe like Mary
and the rest of
Israel under the thumb
of Roman oppression.
unable to change
much of anything
about their lives.
Can't seem to find
a godly leader
anywhere around.
He has scattered
those proud
in their hearts
and brought down
the mighty
from their thrones.
Those who
wield authority
that's not theirs.
The bully
at school.
The manipulative
friend.
And those who
unmercifully
and abusively
use the power
that they rightfully
have.
A parent,
a politician,
a boss,
a preacher.
All of them.
Both
kinds
of high
and powerful
people
God
is taking
down.
Why?
Because He
exalts
the humble.
they are the
ones
He fights
for.
The ones
He defends.
And Jesus
enters into
this unjust
world
to turn
things upside
down
and make them
right again,
doesn't He?
The ordinarily
insignificant
are treasured
and defended
by Him.
Next,
God satisfies.
He has
filled
the hungry
with good
things.
You ever feel
empty?
Be honest.
No deep
sense of
purpose
or fulfillment?
Longing to be
significant in
some way that
you feel like
you ought to
be?
Mary knew
that and
she found
God to be
the only
one who
satisfied
her longings.
We often
try to fill
ourselves other
ways,
don't we?
And Jesus
comes because
He knows we
will keep
coming up
empty,
chasing every
other drug
looking for
satisfaction.
He meets
our deepest
needs.
God
satisfies
the hungry.
Finally,
here,
God
delivers.
He has
helped
His servant
Israel in
remembrance
of His
mercy.
He actually
keeps His
promise to
His people,
not just
makes it,
He keeps
it.
Do you
feel helpless
somewhere?
Maybe you
feel you
don't have
what it
takes to
save your
marriage.
Maybe you
feel like you
want to
give your
kids some
relief,
but it's
beyond you.
You can't
help.
Maybe you're
confused about
the next
steps in
life and
you're
exhausted from
trying everything
you can think
of to try to
regain control
of things.
This is the
grace of God
coming to
you.
He not only
notices,
He not only
defends,
He not only
satisfies,
but He
also fully
and finally
forever
delivers.
He is
faithful.
Our
Father knows
what we
need, yes,
and He
makes sure
we get it.
He's promised
and He
remembers
His mercy.
Mary rejoices
in this,
doesn't it?
That's why she's
praising Him
and we can
too.
Mary is
telling us
not merely
that God
is like
this
generally,
but that He
has done
this actually
in her life
and through
this baby
is doing
it for you
and me
for generations
of people.
God is
coming
through.
This baby
is the
answer
to all
the hopelessness
and confusion
of people
generation
after generation.
I don't
know in
what way
you feel
undeserving
of God,
but that's
where His
grace shows
up for
you.
At
Christmas,
He enters
in there,
comes to
us so that
we don't
have to
climb the
ladder
ourselves,
we don't
have to
figure
ourselves
out and
get life
straight.
He shows
up to
save so
each of us
can say,
my soul
magnifies
the Lord.
See,
if you're
a non-car
guy like
me,
who barely
knows where
the gas
goes in,
and you're
broken down
on the side
of the
parkway and
there's smoke
coming out
from under
the hood,
it's a nice
thing to be
able to call
a friend
and have a
friend say,
have you
checked the
starter?
What does it
sound like
when you turn
the key?
that's
nice,
but it's
quite another
thing altogether
to have a
friend say,
where exactly
are you?
And then
show up a few
minutes later
and crawl
under the
hood with
you,
right?
If you've
ever been
lonely and
hurting,
you know,
it's nice to
hear a
politician or
preacher or
teacher talk
about caring
for people,
but it's
quite another
thing altogether
to have one
knock on your
door,
sit down and
listen to your
struggle for a
while.
If you've
ever felt life
falling apart
and spinning out
of control,
it's nice to
have a friend
say,
I believe in
you and hope
you succeed.
It's quite
another thing
altogether to
have that friend
show up and
say,
how can I
help?
What can I
pray for?
How can I
walk with you
in this?
I want you
to go back
to Mary as
a new mother
one last
time.
She's heard
from an
angel.
She's praised
God in this
beautiful song.
She's given
birth to the
Son of God
and now she
sits holding
her newborn
and treasures
up all these
things,
pondering them
in her heart.
What does
she see?
uniquely her.
Mary as
his mother,
she sees
that God
graces the
undeserving
by entering
in,
in our
place,
becoming like
us,
getting under
the hood
with us
as it were.
Think about it.
As his mother,
she swaddles
him in a
poor manger.
she nurses
him when
he hungers.
She soothes
him when
he needs
help.
She sees
better, I think,
than anyone
else, that God
is not merely
calling out from
heaven that he
cares for the
undeserving,
the weak,
the insignificant,
which would be
nice to know,
good information
to have,
but no,
God is doing
quite another
thing altogether.
God has
become like
the weak
and insignificant
to deliver
his grace
to them.
At Christmas,
in a lowly
manger,
in too little
Bethlehem,
God declares
once and for all,
my grace
will find
you.
No matter
what mess
you're in,
no matter
how little
you deserve
it,
it will
find you.
And you
can count
on it
because he
enters in
and becomes
like us
there.
When God
graces the
undeserving,
it is according
to his
promises.
It is beyond
and even at
times against
our expectations,
but especially
it is at
great
personal
cost
to himself.
He doesn't
pronounce grace
from a distance.
He enters
in,
becomes like
us,
sacrifices
himself,
takes our
pain
to bring
us
grace.
Jesus
starts in
the manger
what he
does when
he goes
to the
cross,
doesn't
he?
I'll
take their
place
to bring
them grace.
I'll be
rejected
for those
who deserve
to be.
I'll suffer
for those
who've earned
every bit
of it.
I'll die
for those
facing
certain
death
so they
can be
welcomed,
beloved,
and live
forever.
He comes
into our
place to
bring us
his grace.
Praise God.
May Christmas
mean to you
wherever you
know you
don't deserve
it,
that God
loves you
so much
that he
enters into
your place
that you
might know
his incredible
grace for
you.
Let's pray.
Father,
your love
like that
is amazing.
the fact
that in
time and
space and
history you
came and
entered into
the pains
of this
life for
us.
It's
amazing.
Thank you
for how you
love weak
and lowly,
ordinary
people like
us.
Thank you
that the
glory of
your grace
is such
that you
can share
it with
us,
that your
glory far
surpasses
anything we
comprehend and
that you
invite us to
be a part of
it with you
forever.
We don't
deserve it.
I guess that's
why it's
grace.
And so we
just thank you
for it.
We rejoice
in Jesus.
Amen.
For more
information,
visit us
online.
at
southwood.org.
Thank you.