The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, February 9, 2025

Depending on your experience, you may wonder if healthy relationships are even possible. There’s a lot of brokenness in the world; therefore, it’s easy to question whether good, solid, joy-filled relationships are even possible. But here’s the good news; Jesus Christ came to heal our relationships both with God and with one another. As the Apostle Paul wrote, 

Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace. [Ephesians 2:14-15, CEV]

During this series, we’re exploring some of the Biblical keys to a healthy relationship. Over nine weeks, we'll discuss the following topics:

• January 5 - Love
• January 12 - Honesty
• January 19 - Humility
• January 26 - Communication
• February 2 - Patience
• February 9 - Acceptance
• February 16 - Affection
• February 23 - Forgiveness
• March 2 - Unity

On Sunday, February 9, we looked at acceptance. Below is a  video of the service, the podcast of the sermon and the service bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Sunday's Message - Keys to Healthy Relationships: Acceptance

Depending on your experience, you may wonder if healthy relationships are even possible. There’s a lot of brokenness in the world; therefore, it’s easy to question whether good, solid, joy-filled relationships are even possible. But here’s the good news; Jesus Christ came to heal our relationships both with God and with one another. As the Apostle Paul wrote, 

Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace. [Ephesians 2:14-15, CEV] 

During this series, we’re exploring some of the Biblical keys to a healthy relationship. Over nine weeks, we'll discuss the following topics:

• January 5 - Love
• January 12 - Honesty
• January 19 - Humility
• January 26 - Communication
• February 2 - Patience
• February 9 - Acceptance
• February 16 - Affection
• February 23 - Forgiveness
• March 2 - Unity

On Sunday, February 9, we looked at acceptance. Below is the podcast and text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Now, as I think most of y’all know, over the last month and a half, we’ve been talking about the Keys to Healthy Relationships. And for y’all who’ve either been here in person or streamed the services or maybe listened to them later on Facebook or YouTube or even Spotify, you probably know that we’ve already looked at love and honesty, humility and communication, and last week, we focused on patience. Now that’s what we’re covered to date. And since this whole series has been about relationships, I think I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the grand-daddy of relationship events is almost here, and I’m not talking about the Super Bowl. Valentine’s Day is on Friday. And gentlemen, since I’m a romantic kind of guy who would never say that my wife is not nearly as big as those women on TV...again, I have the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for you. Instead of getting her the same old card or the same old candy or the same old flowers, I’m going to make available to you, free of charge, something that will result in a huge deposit in your personal account at the Love Bank. If you let me know this morning, I will make available to you a bound copy of the first six messages in this sermon series. I know that’s what I’m giving Debbie, but don’t tell her; it’s going to be a surprise.

Now, having said that, let me assure you, I am not an idiot; I recognize that, if you got your wife this informative gift, there’s a better than even chance that she won’t accept it, which just happens to be our sixth key to healthy relationships: acceptance. Of course, I also recognize that in most relationship situations, real acceptance is pretty challenging even in the best of times. Let me explain. I think we all have a tendency to fix our minds on what we want in other people, you know, the stuff they should say and do that will make us feel comfortable, opinions that are expected and interests that sort of mesh with our own. That’s what we want. But since we’re dealing with different people, who grew up in different places, at different times, with different values, generally that just doesn’t happen naturally. And so, instead of just accepting them for who they are and maybe even learning from those differences, often we try to pretend that the differences aren’t there at all. Or we work to reshape those people into our own little Minnie Mes. Or maybe we simply walk away, because let’s get real, accepting what we don’t like is really hard, isn’t it? Of course, I don’t think it should come as any surprise that, regardless of whether we’re denying or renovating or abandoning, our relationships with those people have got to suffer, especially if they’re doing the same thing to us.

And that’s why we’re going to spend a little time this morning talking about acceptance. And as we’ve done before, we’re going to answer three questions. First, what does the Bible say about acceptance? And then, second, why is acceptance important in our relationships? And then, third, how might we become more accepting in our own personal lives? Now that’s the plan.

But of course, before we can talk about how we can do it, I think it’s important to be on the same page about what it is. And so, what does the Bible say about acceptance? Now that’s the question, and I’ll tell you, I think we can divide the answer into two parts.

For example, as I read scripture, I think it’s pretty clear that acceptance is something God has shown to us. In other words, for reasons that we may never fully understand, God decided to love us before he laid the foundation of the universe. And without our help or permission, he entered our time and space as Jesus Christ whose life gives us an example of how we might live and whose death set us free from aspects of our past that can be like an anchor and whose resurrection reminds us that the day is coming when our lives will truly be eternal. You see, with all our faults and flaws, with all our weaknesses and warts, with all our questions and doubt, God has accepted us as his people. And I’ll tell you, I think that was exactly what Peter was getting at when he wrote this in his first letter:

But you are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things he has done. The Scriptures say,

“Once you were nobody.

    Now you are God’s people.

At one time no one

    had mercy on you.

Now God has treated you

    with kindness.” [1 Peter 2:9-10, CEV]

You see, whether we like it or not, God has accepted us. And that’s why we’ve been led here this morning.

And you know, because of that, because of his acceptance of us, I believe acceptance is what God wants us to show others, and I’m talking about with all their faults and with all their weaknesses and with all their questions. In other words, God doesn’t want us to deny the differences. And he doesn’t want us to renovate their personalities. And he sure doesn’t want us to abandon them to their fate. Although that would be really easy and comfortable, I don’t believe that’s what God wants us to do. Instead, I think he wants us to accept them with the same love and with the same patience and the same compassion that he has shown to us. Now, I understand that, sometimes, their behavior makes that virtually impossible to do. And I certainly don’t believe that acceptance demands that we enable destructive behavior. As a matter of fact, genuine acceptance can be really hard and uncomfortable and almost unnatural, not unlike what Paul challenged the Romans to do when he wrote this: 

Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you. I tell you that Christ came as a servant of the Jews to show that God has kept the promises he made to their famous ancestors. Christ also came, so that the Gentiles would praise God for being kind to them. It is just as the Scriptures say,

“I will tell the nations

    about you,

and I will sing praises

    to your name.”

The Scriptures also say to the Gentiles, “Come and celebrate with God’s people.” [Romans 15:7-10, CEV]

I’ll tell you, if Paul expected the Jews and the Gentiles, the oil and vinegar of the ancient world, if he said that they could accept one another in the ancient city of Rome, then I think we can all do the same thing as we gather here in the not so ancient city of Sligo, Pennsylvania. You see, in my opinion, according to the Bible, that’s what acceptance is all about.

And as to why it’s important in our relationships, well, I think you can also break that down into two parts. For example, I believe it broadens our appreciation of others. Let me explain. Whether you’re talking about spouses or children, family or friends, communities or congregations, the more accepting we become of our differences, the more we’re going to appreciate those unique talents and abilities that God has given to those around us, and I’m talking about talents that I might not have myself and abilities that I might desperately need. In a sense, it’s a little like what the Joker said to Batman in the movie, The Dark Knight, and I’m thinking about the scene in the police station when the Joker looks at the Caped Crusader and says, “You complete me.” You see, if we refuse to accept all those gifts that God has given the other person or persons in our lives, I mean, if we deny that those differences are real or if we try to make everyone like us or, worst of all, if we send them packing because what makes them special also makes us uncomfortable, I’m telling you, if we choose to that kind of thing, we only have ourselves to blame when our marriages and our families and our communities become incomplete and unstable. But you know, when we’re able to accept those differences, when we’re able to accept those unique qualities, in other words, when we’re able to accept those around us as God has accepted us, then I believe that what Paul wrote to the Corinthians will make a lot of sense.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do. [1 Corinthians 12:4-6, CEV]

You see, on one hand, our ability to accept others broadens our appreciation of them.

But, on the other hand, I also think it also deepens our understanding of ourselves. Put another way, our willingness to look beyond what’s comfortable and to accept differences, man, I believe that enables us to claim what God has given uniquely to us. And that just makes sense. I mean, as soon as we’re no longer expecting everyone to be like us, then maybe, all of sudden, we just might feel the freedom to be something different from what we’ve always been. In other words, maybe we’ll be able to explore ideas we’ve been afraid to consider. And maybe we’ll be able to claim talents we’ve been afraid to develop. And maybe we’ll be able to become the kind of men and women we’ve been afraid to be. I mean, just like it enabled us to understand that we’re all incomplete unless those in our relationships are doing what God has equipped them to do, acceptance just might help us see beyond those comfortable boxes we’ve created for ourselves, and I’m talking about the same kind of realization about which James wrote in his letter:

Don’t be fooled, my dear friends. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing. He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth. [James 1:16-17, CEV]

You see, acceptance can broaden our appreciation of others and deepen our understanding of ourselves, and for me, that’s why it’s important in our relationships.

And finally, how can we do it? How might we become more accepting of others and even of ourselves? In other words, within all our relationships, how can we become everything we were created to be? How can we become more accepting? Now that’s the question. And I’ll tell you, personally, I think it’s all about making three decisions that I believe can change everything. 

For example, first, we can decide to become more humble, and I’m talking about being more humble in our expectations of others and more humble in our assumptions about ourselves. Of course, since we just focused on humility a couple of weeks ago, we’ve already talked about how humility comes when we intentionally accept our own limitations and celebrate the talents of others and grow in our own understanding. But I’ll tell you, I think humility still comes down to a decision, a decision to stop talking and to start listening, a decision to accept that we may not always be as smart or as talented or as right as we think we are, a decision not to think less of ourselves, but rather to think about ourselves less. As a matter of fact, it’s claiming the kind of attitude Jesus challenged the people to have when he taught them this:

Can one blind person lead another blind person? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Are students better than their teacher? But when they are fully trained, they will be like their teacher.

You can see the speck in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the log in your own eye. How can you say, “My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye,” when you don’t see the log in your own eye? You show-offs! First, get the log out of your own eye; then you can see how to take the speck out of your friend’s eye. [Luke 6:39b-42, CEV]

If we want to be more accepting, I think we might need to be a little more humble. Now that’s one.

And second, I think we can also decide to be more open. You see, it’s really, and I mean really easy to focus on ourselves, you know, on what we think and on what we like and on what we want. And so long as our spouse or our kids or the members of our communities and congregations think and like and want the same as us, well, everything is frozen peaches and cream, right? But if they don’t, well, that’s when we often crank up the denial and we try to do a few renovations and if that doesn’t work, we subtly encourage them to find some other person or place where they’ll be more comfortable. Of course, the great irony is that we’re often confused when they finally go. Lord help us all. But you know, that doesn’t have to happen, not if we decide to be a little more open to the possibilities and to the opportunities, even if they make us uncomfortable. And I’ll tell you, when we do, I think we’ll be able to accomplish in all our relationships the same sort of thing Paul challenged the Roman Christians to do in their church:

Welcome all the Lord’s followers, even those whose faith is weak. Don’t criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours. Some think it is all right to eat anything, while those whose faith is weak will eat only vegetables. But you should not criticize others for eating or for not eating. After all, God welcomes everyone. What right do you have to criticize someone else’s servants? Only their Lord can decide if they are doing right, and the Lord will make sure that they do right. [Romans 14:1-4, CEV]

You see, if we want to be more accepting, I think we can intentionally be more open. And that’s two.

And third, we can also decide to become more forgiving. I’ll tell you, over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of couples. Of course, when they come to me, generally they have some issue that’s pulling them apart, maybe some hurt that’s unresolved or some betrayal that’s taken on a life of its own. Now sometimes these issues are huge, you know, like marital infidelity or financial misappropriation, spending money that you don’t have, while at other times these issues seem almost insignificant. But you know, it’s amazing, from my experience, it’s really not the size or importance of the issue that determines whether the marriage continues. It’s whether or not forgiveness is possible. I mean, when it is, then they can begin the process of reconciliation and healing. But if it’s not, there’s just not much left on which to build. I’ll tell you, I’m not sure acceptance is possible without the willingness to forgive. You know, it’s like Paul wrote to Colossians:

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together. [Colossians 3:12-14, CEV]

You know, along with being more humble and open, if we’re serious about being more accepting, I think we really need to be more forgiving. And that’s three.

And you know, that just might be something to keep in mind as we enter this week before Valentine’s Day. I mean, even though cards and candy and flowers are great, and I’m telling you, that bound copy of six sermons, well, maybe that’s not such a good idea, but be that as it may, even though all the stuff that fills two aisles at Walmart right now is wonderful, maybe we can do something else to strengthen all our relationships this next week. I mean, since God has accepted us, maybe we can be a little more accepting of those around us. You see, because we know that acceptance broadens our appreciation of others and deepens our understanding of ourselves, maybe it would be worth the time and effort to become a little more humble and a little more open and a little more forgiving in the next five days. And I’ll tell you, I think that just makes a lot of sense, at least it does to me, because, when you get right down to it, I believe acceptance is another key to healthy relationships. 

The Bulletin for the SPC Worship Service - Sunday, February 9, 2025

Depending on your experience, you may wonder if healthy relationships are even possible. There’s a lot of brokenness in the world; therefore, it’s easy to question whether good, solid, joy-filled relationships are even possible. But here’s the good news; Jesus Christ came to heal our relationships both with God and with one another. As the Apostle Paul wrote, 

Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace. [Ephesians 2:14-15, CEV] 

During this series, we’re exploring some of the Biblical keys to a healthy relationship. Over nine weeks, we'll discuss the following topics:

• January 5 - Love
• January 12 - Honesty
• January 19 - Humility
• January 26 - Communication
• February 2 - Patience
• February 9 - Acceptance
• February 16 - Affection
• February 23 - Forgiveness
• March 2 - Unity

On Sunday, February 9, we’re looking at acceptance. Below is the bulletin for the service. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, December 4, 2022

As we move through Advent, we’re looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

In the second service, we focused on Mary and considered how she showed faith when she accepted the words of the angel. A copy of the bulletin, a video of the service and a recording of the message is below.

Sunday's Message: Mary

As we move through Advent, we’re looking at the characters of Christmas. During this five-week worship series, we'll focus on some of the main characters of the Christmas story.

• November 27 – Zechariah
• December 4 – Mary
• December 11 – The SPC Youth Christmas Youth Service
• December 18 – Joseph
• December 25 – The Shepherds
• January 1 – The Wise Men

In the second message, we focused on Mary, the mother of Jesus, and considered how she showed faith by her acceptance of the angel's message. A copy and recording of the message is below.

*******

Well, here we are, the second Sunday of Advent, and you know what that means, right? We’ve officially entered the month of December. Yesterday, Debbie started decorating the tree I set up last Monday. And since Wednesday, I’ve started to play Christmas songs in the office. And I’ll tell you, although I don’t really listen to them during the rest of the year, that’s got to include a heavy dose of Bing Crosby and Andy Williams and Nat King Cole, right? I mean, it just wouldn’t seem like the holiday season if Mel Tormé wasn’t singing about “roasting chestnuts on an open fire” and if Burl Ives wasn’t telling us to have a “holly jolly Christmas,” whatever that means. This is now where we are.

And you know, this is also the second Sunday in a series we started last week, one dealing with some of the characters involved in the Christmas story. And remember, during our last service, we talked about a priest named Zechariah, the one who would be the father of John the Baptist. And using the Gospel of Luke, we looked at who he was and what happened to him and then how he showed faith, you know, how, even though he doubted, he still wound up believing, something we might want to remember as we go about living our own lives. Now that was last week.

And this morning, we’re going to shift our focus to Mary, the mother of Jesus. And I’ll tell you, even though I think almost everyone knows something about her, the stuff we think we know is all over the place. For example, within our society, based on what we see on television and in movies, Mary may be anything from a feisty young activist who’s fighting for justice and who refuses to take any guff from anybody to a shy and retiring young woman who’s almost passive as she travels the ninety miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, pregnant, sitting on a donkey. Now that’s how she’s presented within our society. And within Christianity, while Protestants, you know, like us, generally stick with whatever cultural vision best fits what we want to believe, good night nurse, our Roman Catholic and Orthodox brothers and sisters see her as the Queen of Heaven and the mother of God. As a matter of fact, for them, the immaculate conception isn’t about Jesus; it’s about her and how she was born without sin. Now that’s a pretty big difference. But I’ll tell you, this kind of stuff doesn’t just involve us; even in the Bible, Mary wasn’t always presented in the same way. I mean, while she’s pretty important in the Gospel of Luke, in the Gospel of John, she only appeared at the wedding in Cana and at the cross. And according to Mark, this was the only time Mary showed up at all:

Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. Then they sent someone with a message for him to come out to them. The crowd sitting around Jesus told him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside and want to see you.”

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” Then he looked at the people sitting around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who obeys God is my brother or sister or mother.” [Mark 3:31-35, CEV]

Words every mother wants to hear from her son, right? And so, I think I’m safe in saying that, even though we all know her, what we think we know may not be the same.

And so, with that in mind, this morning, we’re going to look at Mary, our second character of Christmas, using what the Evangelist Luke wrote about her in the first chapter of his gospel. And like we did with Zechariah last week, as we do that, we’ll answer three questions: first, who was Mary, and second, what happened to her, and third, how did she show faith. Now that’s what we’re going to do. And by the time we finish this morning, I hope we’ll see that Mary showed her faith through her willingness to accept God’s will, something that we can also do.

And so, let’s focus on question number one: Who was Mary? And I’ll tell you, even though folks now-a-days may have all kinds of possible answers, the Evangelist Luke was very clear and straightforward. He wrote this, and understand this is happening right after the angel had appeared to Zechariah in the Temple: 

One month later God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee with a message for a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to Joseph from the family of King David. The angel greeted Mary and said, “You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was confused by the angel’s words and wondered what they meant. Then the angel told Mary, “Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, [Luke 1:26-30, CEV] 

Now that’s what Luke wrote.

And from it, I think we can say two things about who Mary was. You see, when compared with other people, she really wasn’t particularly special. I mean, Luke never said she had a lot of wisdom nor that she was especially faithful, at least not at the beginning. Instead, she was just a girl of indeterminate age, from a small town, engaged to a guy with a noble ancestor but no contemporary influence. Man, she even had a name that was extremely common in the day. No, there was really nothing that would have set her apart from the crowd, at least not in human terms. But, of course, that wasn’t the case with God. I mean, for reasons we can never understand, because Luke didn’t tell us, she’d found favor with God. You see, she was blessed, and the Lord was with her, and God was pleased with her. Now that’s what the angel said and that was who she was.

And you know, I think that’s really important for us to remember, because I’ll tell you, that’s really who we are as well. You see, whether we want to admit it or not, in and of ourselves, well, we’re really not all that special, in spite of what our mothers may have told us growing up. We’re kind of average, aren’t we; living in the fat part of humanity’s bell curve, trying to do the best we can with what we’ve got. Now that’s just the way it is. But I’ll tell you, that’s the way it’s always been. I mean, just listen how the writer of Deuteronomy described God’s special people:

Israel, you are the chosen people of the Lord your God. There are many nations on this earth, but he chose only Israel to be his very own. You were the weakest of all nations, but the Lord chose you because he loves you and because he had made a promise to your ancestors. Then with his mighty arm, he rescued you from the king of Egypt, who had made you his slaves. [Deuteronomy 7:6-7, CEV]

Now that’s who we are too. Like Mary, by the standards of the world, we’re really not all that special.

But you know, also like both the people of Israel and Mary, we’ve also been chosen by God. Now, don’t ask me why, because I don’t have an answer. But I’ll tell you, I don’t think It’s not because of our smarts or our righteousness or even our dashing good looks. I just don’t know why God chose us. What I do know is this, as written by the Apostle Paul to the Romans:

Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. [Romans 5:6-8, CEV]

You see, we are very average people who are loved and have been blessed by God. And that’s who she was, the answer to the first question.

And that moves us to question number two: what happened? I mean, what happened to Mary after she was told by the angel Gabriel that God was pleased with her. Well, this was what Luke wrote:

Then the angel told Mary, “Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. He will rule the people of Israel forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen? I am not even married!”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God’s power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. Nothing is impossible for God!” [Luke 1:30-37, CEV]

Now according to Luke, that’s what happened.

And you know, in this exchange between the angel and Mary, I find a couple of things pretty interesting. I mean, think about it; she questioned Gabriel, didn’t she? Of course, what he said about how she was going to have a son and how his name was going to be Jesus and how he was going to be Son of God and a king, man, all that was pretty far fetched; therefore, it would seem that a few questions were in order. Still, to question an angel of the Lord, that took some guts, didn’t it? I mean, just remember what happened to Zechariah. You see, Mary questioned God. But that’s not all she did. She also listened. She listened to what the angel had to say. And she listened even though the answer the angel gave her was about as clear as mud. And so, after Gabriel made his announcement, she questioned and she listened. And that’s what happened.

And I’ll tell you, I think the same kind of thing can happen to us. I mean, even though we certainly don’t want to be known as doubters and to pay the consequences for our doubt, in our relationship with God, questions are most definitely allowed. As a matter of fact, we can still be dedicated and productive children of the Father and ask God whatever we’re thinking and feeling at the time. God has broad shoulders; he can take our questions. And if we have any doubt about whether that’s possible, I think we need to remember Habakkuk, an Old Testament prophet, who approached God with this:

Our Lord, how long must I beg

for your help

    before you listen?

How long before you save us

    from all this violence?

Why do you make me watch

    such terrible injustice?

Why do you allow violence,

lawlessness, crime, and cruelty

    to spread everywhere?

Laws cannot be enforced;

    justice is always the loser;

criminals crowd out honest people

    and twist the laws around. [Habakkuk 1:2-4, CEV]

Now, by my count, that’s four questions in four verses. And just listen to how God responded:

Look and be amazed

at what’s happening

    among the nations!

Even if you were told,

you would never believe

    what’s taking place now. [Habakkuk 1:5, CEV]

You see, like Mary and Habakkuk, we can ask our questions.

But also like her, we can listen. We can listen for the word of God. We can listen to what he has for us to learn. As a matter of fact, we can become exactly what the writer of the Proverbs talked about when he wrote, 

My child, you must follow

and treasure my teachings

    and my instructions.

Keep in tune with wisdom

and think what it means

    to have common sense.

Beg as loud as you can

    for good common sense.

Search for wisdom

as you would search for silver

    or hidden treasure.

Then you will understand

what it means to respect

    and to know the Lord God. [Proverbs 2:1-5, CEV]

When face to face with the word and will of God, we can ask questions and we can listen for answers. You see, that can happen to us, because that was what happened to her, the answer to the second question.

And that leaves us with question number three: How did Mary show her faith? In other words, how did this average woman who was blessed by God, after she asked her questions and listened for the answers, how did she show that she really trusted the Lord? Well, this was what Luke wrote:

Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And the angel left her. [Luke 1:38, CEV]

You see, understanding everything that was about to happen to her, man, it wasn’t really relevant to Mary. In the end, she accepted her role in the cosmic drama that was about to unfold. And she accepted it with simple humility. “Mary said, ‘I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.’” But you know, her acceptance wasn’t just humble; it was also done with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I mean, when we read more of the story in Luke, we find that Mary visited Elizabeth, you know, Zechariah’s wife and soon-to-be-mother of John the Baptist. And while she was there, this was what Mary said about the one that she would deliver:

Mary said:

With all my heart

    I praise the Lord,

and I am glad

    because of God my Savior.

God cares for me,

    his humble servant.

From now on,

all people will say

    God has blessed me.

God All-Powerful has done

great things for me,

    and his name is holy.

He always shows mercy

to everyone

    who worships him.

The Lord has used

    his powerful arm

to scatter those

    who are proud.

God drags strong rulers

    from their thrones

and puts humble people

    in places of power.

God gives the hungry

    good things to eat,

and sends the rich away

    with nothing.

God helps his servant Israel

and is always merciful

    to his people.

The Lord made this promise

    to our ancestors,

to Abraham and his family

    forever! [Luke 1:46-55, CEV]

You see, it was through her humble and enthusiastic acceptance that Mary showed her faith.

And I’ll tell you, I think that same thing can apply to us. You see, when God calls us to live in our world as his own special people, we can accept that call. And we can do it with humility, remembering that James knew what he was talking about with he wrote this:

In fact, God treats us with even greater kindness, just as the Scriptures say,

“God opposes everyone

    who is proud,

but he blesses all who are humble

    with undeserved grace.”

Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can’t make up your mind. ...Be humble in the Lord’s presence, and he will honor you. [James 4:6-8, 10, CEV]

You see, we can humbly accept what we’ve been called to be and to do. 

But you know, we can also respond with enthusiasm. I mean, like Mary, we can be bold in accepting our mission, our jobs as followers of Jesus Christ. And I’ll tell you, we can be enthusiastic regardless of what the job happens to be. It’s like Paul wrote to the Romans:

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home. [Romans 12:9-13, CEV]

I’m telling you, following the example of Mary, we can humbly and enthusiastically accept the role God wants us to play in our world, because that’s how Mary showed her faith, the answer to our third question.

Of course, we might have missed all this, if we didn’t have Mary’s story in the Gospel of Luke. You see, if all we had was the Mary presented within our society or the Mary claimed within different churches or even the Mary offered in the rest of the New Testament, man, if that’s all we had, we might never understand that, like her, we’re a bunch of average people who’ve been blessed by God. And we might never realize that, like her, when faced with the Word of God, we can both ask questions and listen for answers. And I’ll tell you, we might never recognize that, like her, faith can be shown when we accept God’s will with humility and enthusiasm. You see, all this I believe we can receive from Mary, another one of our characters of Christmas.