Luke 1:26-38 God’s Faithful People Wait for Christmas: They are Humble
How hard it can be to wait. In fact, we usually don’t like to wait. We might get frustrated if we have to stand in line and wait, especially if there is someone who seems to be holding up that line for some reason. We might become irritated if we get stuck behind a slow driver on the highway – especially if we are in a hurry. And we don’t like it and might even become quite upset if we have to wait for someone who is late. Why is it so hard for us to wait? Isn’t at least a part of the problem the fact that I am focused on myself? Many times the reason we are irritated when we have to wait is because MY time is important – probably more important than everybody else that is causing me to wait. Many times I not only want what I want, but I want it right now. I don’t want to wait. We see the sinful flesh rearing its ugly head. So often I am focused on me. I think that I deserve to be waited on – at least more than others. My sinful, selfish pride desires to put me first.
But as we await Christmas, as we look forward to our Savior’s return in glory; it is a very different attitude that will characterize our waiting – humility. Humility recognizes who I am – that I am a sinner. Humility isn’t focused on me but on others. The apostle Paul encourages us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” And Peter writes, “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” Mary provides us with a good example of humility. She recognized that she was undeserving of such a special blessing from God and she humbly accepted his word. As God’s faithful people wait for Christmas – they are humble. Humility recognizes our sin and humility trusts God’s Word.
What an incredible announcement Mary received! What an incredible miracle God was about to perform! It’s no wonder that Mary reacted with surprise. She would be the mother of the Savior – God’s own Son. With this announcement, God in his grace was now brining to fulfillment centuries of promise. The time had come for the Savior to be born. What an incredible announcement - not just for Mary, but for as well. That child, born of Mary, is also our Savior. God’s grace is displayed for all people.
Why did God choose Mary to be the mother of his Son? Was there something special about Mary? Was she without sin? Was she somehow better than any other virgin in
When the angel first appeared to Mary, her first reaction was fear – until the angel calmed those fears with his words. Here was God’s holy angel, a special messenger, come to deliver God’s word directly to her, she was afraid as any sinner would be. When the Lord appeared to his people at Mount Sinai, there reaction was one of fear – even though God had just shown them his love by bringing them out of
And the same is true for us. We are sinners. Our Advent preparation includes repentance. Repentance begins as we recognize the terrible sinners that we are and the great need that we have for a Savior. We have no reason for pride. The apostle James encourages us, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
Like Mary, God has also chosen us. We have been called as his children – to serve him with our lives. It wasn’t because of who we are. It wasn’t because of how good we are or anything that we did. There is nothing in us that should set us apart from the rest of this world of sinners. As completely rotten sinners, who had disobeyed God, who by nature are his enemies, who deserve nothing but his punishment – it was only by his grace that God chose us as his own. The apostle Paul tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”
God in his grace chose Mary to be the mother of the Savior and by grace he has chosen us to be his own. What a comfort that is. God says to us through the prophet Isaiah, “I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
So in humble faith we recognize the sinners that we are, but then in humble faith, we also trust God’s word and promises. Note Mary’s reaction to the announcement. She is at first surprised. But after being reminded by the angel that “nothing is impossible with God,” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant,” ... “May it be to me as you have said.” Mary simply accepted in faith. She didn’t ask for a sign, as Zechariah had, when the angel announced the birth of John the Baptist. She simply believed. And what did the angel offer Mary as proof that he was telling her the truth? Nothing but God’s word.
God has also worked faith in our hearts and simply calls upon us to believe his promises, to place our trust in him and trust Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. Now that isn’t always easy for us. Even when it comes to salvation, we are tempted to think that there is something that we must do. Our sinful flesh wants to take a little credit. We want to be able to logically reason everything out. Or maybe we’d like to see some special sign to show us that it’s true – some miracle. But God calls upon us to simply accept his word as it is. The psalm writer reminds us about God’s word, “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.” God in grace sends his Holy Spirit to work word in our hearts through that so that we also can simply trust and believe.
Consider how difficult this announcement might have made Mary’s life. She was going to be an unwed mother. How would Joseph react when he found out she was pregnant? This unplanned pregnancy could have made things very hard for her. But Mary didn’t question God or suggest something else. She accepted God’s word and trusted him.
At times, God’s word doesn’t make sense to human reason. At times, it seems as though God isn’t fulfilling his promises to us. When trouble comes, how easy to question God and wonder why. When following his word requires sacrifice on our part, how difficult not to question. When following his word seems to make our lives more difficult or bring us into conflict with the world around us or even other Christians, what a temptation to set aside or ignore a portion of God’s Word. How easy for us to want to make God’s word fit with what we want. But humble faith simply trusts, that even though I can’t see how, God will always keep his promises and do what is best for me and all his believers.
When it came to Jesus birth, from a human perspective it was impossible. But not with God. When it comes to salvation the same is true. From the human perspective – it’s impossible. What can we do? How can we miserable sinners ever be right with God? On our own, it’s impossible. A person can’t get himself into heaven. It doesn’t matter who he is or what he has or what he does - it is impossible. But God does the impossible. Again and again, in his great love God demonstrates his grace by doing the impossible for us. We know that we can trust every one of his precious words. By his grace, he has brought us to believe.
In Christ Jesus, we see God’s power and grace. The Savior Jesus would be both true man and true God. He would not be born in the normal way. His mother Mary was a virgin - in fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus’ conception was a miracle of the Holy Spirit. As a true man, Jesus had a human mother. He could trace his human ancestry back to David and to Abraham. As a true human being, Jesus experienced the same things that we do. He got hungry and tired. He faced temptation – although with one big difference – he never gave in to that temptation and sinned. What a great comfort that is for us – Jesus our Savior is one of us. He knows what we are going through. He knows the troubles of this life and he is there to help.
Jesus had to be a true man in order to be our substitute. When you substitute, you need to have similar things. To be our substitute, Jesus needed to be a true human being, to be placed under the law to keep that law perfectly as our substitute, to go to the cross to suffer and die for us. And so God’s own Son became a true human being to take our place. As the writer to the Hebrews says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
But Jesus wasn’t just a man. He is also true God. In fact, the apostle Paul says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” What an amazing miracle. The almighty creator God takes on our human flesh and blood, yet he remains God. So Jesus was conceived in a special way by the Holy Spirit.
Again, the Savior had to be true God. If Jesus had been just a man – he couldn’t have saved us. A perfect man, if there could even be such a thing, could only save himself. His death, as innocent and terrible as it might have been, wouldn’t have counted for anyone else. But Jesus is true God. As true God he was able to be perfect and to perfectly keep the law. As true God his sacrifice on the cross was sufficient payment to atone for the sins of the entire world. Only the precious blood of God’s own Son would be a sufficient sacrifice to pay for all sin.
How can we be sure that Jesus is true God? How can we be sure that the angel’s announcement has come true? Jesus miracles testify to his divine power. Greatest of those miracles, Jesus resurrection is our assurance that he is more that just a man, more than a great prophet, he is God’s own Son and his resurrection assures us that all sin has been paid for. So we can trust the Word of God.
In humble faith, we recognize the sinners that we are and who we are before a holy God. That fact causes us fear – terror. God is serious about sin. But in humble faith, we know and trust those wonderful promises of God. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” In God given humble faith, we are able look forward to the coming of our Savior – not only as a humble baby born in
