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Refresh the Joy of Your Call This Christmas!

The Christmas season is a very busy time. There are greeting cards to send to faraway friends; presents to buy, wrap and deliver—although online shopping is very helpful there; decorations to put up, social events to attend; meals to plan & prepare; and baking!  Lots of baking!  Pastors and their families have all of those demands on their time, in addition to the added tasks of their ministerial responsibilities of reminding their congregations that the true reason for the season has very little to do with any of that exhausting activity. 

I want to remind us that Christmas is about God’s plan to redeem mankind and all of creation from the corrupting power of sin and evil.  The traditional themes of the Advent Season:  Hope, Peace, Joy and Love, point believers toward a future time when God restores all of creation to its original condition.  Christmas is a celebration of the launching of God’s redemptive plan, the birth of the Messiah.

 For centuries, the prophets foretold of a Messiah, sent by God to lead Israel to freedom from oppressive foreign empires and to establish God’s Kingdom on Earth.  The common expectation was that Messiah would be a powerful warrior, of royal descent, who would accomplish God’s promise by military conquest.  No one considered that God might have another idea for establishing His kingdom.

Yes, Messiah would come from royal lineage, but from a poor, obscure branch of the family who lived in the regrettable town of Nazareth.  The royal birth would be announced by a heavenly host of angels— to shepherds, not to Herod’s palace or the Sanhedrin.  Nor would the Messiah be born in the comfort of a wealthy home in Jerusalem, in whose grand temple God resided.  Instead, Immanuel, God with us, would be born in an animal shelter in the easily forgotten hometown of King David, Bethlehem.  His mother Mary would be attended by her husband Joseph and a few farm animals that didn’t seem to be too bothered by their presence.

No one, apart from the immediate family, and the local shepherds, were aware that God had stepped into human history that night.  And perhaps none, except Mary, truly understood the significance of Jesus’ birth.

The first chapter of Luke’s gospel describes the events leading up to the first Christmas, the birth of Jesus.  There is a passage at the end of chapter one that is referred to as “Mary’s Song.”  It captures her understanding of what is occurring in her life, and the profound significance of this event for God’s people.  Let me read it, beginning at verse 46.

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” (NIV)

The experiences Mary has had over the previous weeks are the most profound, life-changing events of her young life.  To be visited by an angel? Frightful!  To receive word that she will become pregnant out of wedlock?  Unthinkable!  To be told she has been chosen by God, out of all the women on the planet, to become the mother of the long-awaited Messiah!  Priceless!

It’s hard to imagine what life experiences could have prepared this teenage girl for such overwhelming news.  And yet, her response to the angel speaks to the depth of her faith in God and her humble, unquestioning trust in Him: “I am the Lord’s servant.  May your word to me be fulfilled.”

At the point in time of our text, some time has passed since the angel’s visit.  Mary is now pregnant and is visiting her Aunt Elizabeth who is also miraculously pregnant with Jesus’ cousin John.  She has had time to reflect on the significance of her situation, what her future holds, and what God is doing through her and her unborn son.

She realizes her life will be both common and singular in human history.  She will be a wife and mother, like millions of other women.  She has no promise from God about increased wealth or prominent social status.  But unlike any other woman ever, she will birth, nurture and rear the Messiah.  She will be recognized and honored throughout history for this honor, bestowed by God.  She also realizes that God’s plan for the promised, and long-awaited redemption of Israel is unfolding.  She will have a featured role in God’s plan.

Her response is to lavish praise and honor on God: “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

There are parallels to this period of Mary’s life for every minister of the Gospel.

We have all received a calling to Christian ministry.  Just like Mary, God has chosen us to serve Him.  Our calling may not carry the same historical significance, but each of us has been called to serve according to the Father’s will.  Our service may be in pastoral ministry; para-church ministry; or Christian education, preparing ministers for God’s work in various professions or businesses.  No matter the specifics, to be called into God’s service is both an honor and a privilege.  Our response should be that of Mary’s: “I am the Lord’s servant.  May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Perhaps your first response to God’s calling wasn’t as eager as Mary’s.  Some may have followed Jonah’s example and have taken the longer road to Nineva, by way of the sea.  But God never quit calling, and you surrendered.  Like Mary, you answered by faith and you are here at NBC, diligently preparing yourself for faithful service to the Lord.

Another parallel between our lives and Mary’s is the surety of her future.  Despite the unknown future we face in this life, we can trust that the one who is faithful to begin a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.  From that trust, we can have confidence that if we seek the face of God and seek to do His will in our ministry, we will one day hear those joyful words, “well done, good and faithful servant.”  God doesn’t promise life suddenly will become carefree when we obey.  In fact, speak with any pastor and they will tell you that ministry can be discouraging sometimes. Nevertheless, they will also tell you about God’s unwavering faithfulness to guide and sustain them and their families.  Their response, and yours, I hope, will be to lavish praise and honor on God.

Perhaps the closest parallel our lives might have to Mary’s is the realization that God’s plan for the promised, and long-awaited redemption of Israel is unfolding.  Mary had no inkling at that time what being the mother of Jesus, the Christ, would entail.  Did she ever imagine the joy and amazement of watching Jesus perform miraculous healings; or the inspiration of hearing him teach and preach?  

How could she anticipate the horror and heartbreak of one day hearing her nephew John, Elizabeth’s son, had been beheaded by Herod; or seeing her own son, the Messiah, rejected by her family and friends in Nazareth, hunted and arrested by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy, of all things; and then turned over to the hated Romans to be tortured, humiliated and hung on a cross to die in agony.

All of that, capped by the wonder of His resurrection and eventual ascension to heaven!

Through it all, Mary remained faithful to God; trusting that there was eternal purpose in what was happening.  Jesus himself must’ve helped her remain faithful by calling out how events in his life were fulfilling the words of the prophets.

What Mary could never have imagined, we can look back on with historical accuracy and see God’s plan of redemption for mankind inaugurated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Based on that, we know a day is coming when Jesus returns—the Day of the Lord!  The Parousia, when triumphant Jesus returns to vanquish evil and those who are asleep in the Lord will be raised and those believers living will be taken up with Him to a resurrected life in a restored creation.  That is the promise and our hope for the future.  We know it’s coming, but we don’t know when.  We are to be watchful and prepared for the return of the King.

Just like Mary, we have a featured role in God’s redemptive plan.  Our role is to evangelize—to tell the Gospel story and disciple fellow believers. We are to introduce people to Jesus and nurture their relationship with Him.

This Christmas, don’t let the whirlwind of activity overwhelm you.  Carve out time to spend in Scripture and prayer; not to prepare a sermon, but to refresh your love for the Lord.  Contemplate the birth of Jesus, and the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption. Reflect on your important role in His plan.  If you do, I’m confident your response will be like Mary’s.  The joy in your heart of serving the Lord will overflow into lavish praise for Him and you too will sing, “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

- Rev. Miles Trumble serves as adjunct professor at Nazarene Bible College.