From Luke 1:39-56. We read in the KJV,
Notes from Pastor John's sermon: What have you believed as a child that you believed w/o question? In the Scripture, Mary has just gotten the message from Gabriel that she will be the mother of Jesus. Pastor John supposed they were expecting a warrior to come and deliver them from the event happening in the country; instead the baby Jesus comes. My thoughts: We could say the same for this country right now. We are praying for the evets that are unfolding and pray that God would deliver us. In a sense we are asking for a warrior, when I believe it is the God in us that is to rise up and take back what we have allowed to be stolen by evil on our watch.
Mary was a sinner just like us. She had to risk being an unwed mother, risk that Joseph would divorce her; probably saying "Why me, Lord?" Then she praised Him. She believed what the Father told her. Mary was a sinner just like us--just like Eve and Haggar to name two more from the Bible. I thought of them because it reminded me that when we call out to God he answers without telling us that he already knows what we've been up to and gives us his opinion about it, he allows us to tell him as much as we understand and in the telling the truth usually hits us. No condemnation, more like honor. I will listen to you and let you tell me where you are before I tell you what I think about it. Not to judge because I end up doing the same thing I am judging.
The beautiful song was sung during communion: "Mary did you know?" And of course the question then comes, would I go forward if I knew what was coming. Probably not, but I can know that I are not and will not be alone, as long as I let HIm be with me.
And the last point, what we celebrate has nothing or not much to do with the manger anymore. How true and how much more simply we could live if we regained our focus.
My end note: Each one of us has a special purpose on this earth for the glory of God and while we are either getting eady, in it, or finishing up--God is working in us. I really don't believe what we do specifically is the issue with God but that our vocation is often the vechile for His work in us. After all it is the people around us that push our buttons to show us the work God would have us tend to in ourselves. We can run from them and go the other way, but there will be another sent by divine appointment to irritate, confront, or love us out of the situations we've experienced in the past. God is unstoppable, unchagneable, unshakeable and His intent is to make us Christlike. So cooperate or not Thy Will Be Done. Rose.