Year B, 4 Advent

Sermon given at St. Stephen's, Harrisburg.

Good morning!! Well, here we are, the 4th week of Advent, the 4th week of year B in our cycle. Year B is supposed to focus on the book of Mark, but last week we read from John’s Gospel, and this week the Annunciation story from the Gospel according to St. Luke, and just to make sure we don’t miss any of the 4 gospels I’m also going to talk about a section of Matthew’s gospel. Got ‘em all covered!

But let’s start by looking at today’s gospel. This takes place of course in a town called Nazareth, in the region of Galilee. Now Galilee was not at all a respected region—in today’s politically incorrect language, we’d probably think it’s redneck country—hardly the place for one chosen—or sent—by God. But that’s how God works, isn’t it. Rarely in the ways we’d expect.

And an angel named Gabriel came from heaven and appeared to Mary, a young girl, probably about 12 or 13 years old. She was engaged to Joseph, having been pledged to him sometime within the last year—an engagement that was as binding as a wedding. The angel spoke to Mary, saying, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” I’m sure Mary was amazed and even frightened, first at the appearance of an angel of the Lord. They are not some kind of wimpy cherub-like beings with clouds and harps, but God’s army—strong warriors, impressive to behold. And she also had to be troubled at his words—What kind of greeting was that? What could it mean? And the Angel said, don’t be afraid Mary. You have found favor with God—she’s the object of God’s grace. He continued by telling her she would conceive in and bear a son, and she was to name him Jesus—Yeshua. This was not an uncommon name. And like most all Hebrew names it has a meaning. Yeshua means the Lord is Salvation.

The angel continues by telling of the greatness of this child, the son of Mary—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 ancestor David He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. What an amazing announcement—all these referring to Old Testament promises and prophesies.

This promise involves the sonship promise of the Old Testament spoken about a son of David, that God would be his father (2 Sam. 7:6-16). As Son of the Most High, Jesus takes on a special relationship to God as the representative of the divine promise on earth. Once his kingdom is established, it will never end. The one who always was king will set up a kingdom where the presence of his authority and the benefits of salvation are distributed to those who ally themselves to him (Luke 1:67-79). This child will be both “Son of the Most High” and the “son of God.”[1]

And the gospels, the New Testament, explain what this means. But for now it’s important to understand that this Jesus will be a royal figure chosen by God. His human origins—the conception and birth of this child—are far from ordinary. His birth will be truly unique, born of a virgin, Mary understand what the angel is saying, but wonders how it can be that she will have a child when she has never been with a man. But with God all things are possible. God who created the universe, the sun and moon and stars, who created the earth, who separated light from darkness, and created Adam out of the dirt he had made, this same God will work his creative might by sending his Holy Spirit to Mary and she will conceive—so that the child will be holy, the Son of God.

And this is why Mary is highly favored, chosen by God’s grace to give birth to the Savior of the world—remember, Jesus, Yeshua, means God is salvation. Mary is chosen, not because of anything she has done, not because of her merit or worth, but simply because she is the vessel chosen by God for this amazing and gracious inbreaking of God. Emmanuel—God with us.

As a sign to mary that this will occur, the angel tells he that her elderly and childless cousin Elizabeth has conceived in her old age—and that she will bear a child too—again, because nothing is impossible with God.

Mary’s response is willing obedience and great character. “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

This can’t have been easy for her. “She is being asked to bear a child as a virgin without being married. In standing up for God and his power, she will probably become the object of much doubt and ridicule.”[2] Or worse—the penalty for adultery was at the very least to be disowned by her family and cast out of her village, and at most, death by stoning. But knowing she is God’s child Mary will allow God to work through her. While he may be placing her in difficult circumstances, Mary is assured that God will be with her every step of the way.

With her reputation and even her betrothal at stake, Mary becomes one in a long, long line of questionable characters, as we will see in the geneology of Jesus as found in Matthew’s Gospel. I’m not going to read the whole thing, but you have it in front of you.

Matthew’s gospel begins with “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Now Abraham was chosen by God to be the forefather of his chosen people—again not because of anything Abraham did or didn’t do, except he believed God—mostly. But Abraham wasn’t perfect. When his wife didn’t conceive the promised child, he went to his wife’s servant and produced and heir. And other times he tried to pass of his wife as his sister—not very honest. But the genealogy says that Abraham was father of Isaac—no mention of Ishmael. And Isaac was the father of Jacob—Jacob who stole the birthright and blessing of his deserving elder brother Esau. Jacob was the father of Judah—why Judah and not the great Joseph? Joseph, sold into slavery, imprisoned in Egypt, but became the salvation of his family during times of drought.

Interesting how God uses men who sell their brother into slavery, who lie their way into prominence. And what about David who had an affair with Bathsheba, and then had her husband killed—David who was a man after God’s heart nonetheless. And Matthew’s genealogy includes five women—and not very reputable women at that. Not the wives of the patriarchs, not Sarah or Rebecca or Rachel, but Tamar, a Canaanite. Tamar who dressed as a prostitute and seduced her father in law in order to have a son. Rahab, another Canaanite woman and a true prostitute. And Ruth the Moabite. And Bathsheba, the mother of King Solomon by David, is mentioned only as the wife of Uriah who David killed. And finally Mary, the mother of Jesus though a rather unconventional pregnancy.

But Jesus came for those who were troubled, for the prostitutes and lepers, sinners and tax collectors. Those who didn’t find favor with other men found favor with Jesus. The genealogy demonstrates that Jesus’ ancestors include many questionable characters—an equal opportunity ministry. And then there’s the last 14 generations between the exile and the birth of Christ—all unknown to us! All ordinary men—used by God as the human ancestors of Jesus. These people were not the stars, were not extraordinarily good or kind or honest. Some were betrayers and outcasts and liars; all were combinations of sinner and saint. Many were obscure and unknown—like us. Ordinary people living ordinary lives, used by God in an utterly extraordinary way. If God can use all of these people, all 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus, we can be assured that he can—and will—use us, with our flaws and our talents. If we could see a bigger picture, we might be amazed and astounded—like Mary—at how God is using us to fulfill some great purpose. May we be willing to be instruments for God’s work in the world. With Mary we will say “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

[1] Bock, Darrell L. The NIV Application Commentary: Luke. Zondervan, p. 57
[2] Ibid, 58.