Advent 4 December 23, 2019 The Sunday of Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth
Advent 4
Luke 1:39-56
December 23, 2018
“Most Highly Favored – Gloria!”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
- You’ve probably been the recipient of something in your life (an award, an honor, a recognition) that you probably felt you didn’t deserve at all
- In a couple days, you’re probably going to get a bunch of gifts that you don’t really deserve
- That’s the thing about Santa—he’s supposed to only give gifts to people who deserve it.
- Yet somehow, mysteriously, everyone seems to get a gift. Santa needs to check his sources. I think he’s getting some fake news.
- Mary was a recipient of one of the highest honors the world has ever known.
- To be the mother of the Messiah
- What does she say? I don’t deserve this.
- And she’s right.
- What does she say? I don’t deserve this.
- To be the mother of the Messiah
- Her cousin Elizabeth – “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.”
- And Mary’s saying, “What? I don’t deserve this.”
- And she’s right.
- And Mary’s saying, “What? I don’t deserve this.”
- Mary starts going through this list…
- Let’s see. Am I famous? No, nobody knows who I am…
- Let’s see. Am I rich? No, dirt poor.
- Let’s see. Am I from an influential family? No.
- From a great city? No.
- Am I stronger than everybody else? No. I’m a teenage girl.
- Am I a better person than everybody else? No.
- Do I deserve this? No, I don’t.
- Yet Mary would carry around the Son of God in her womb for nine months.
- She would go to visit her older relative Elizabeth who would shower her with praise and call her blessed among all women.
- Mary would forever now be known as the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. She is THEE most highly favored lady in the history of the world. What an honor!?
- Did she deserve it? No.
- And now look in the mirror.
- We spend so much time convincing ourselves that we really deserve the things we have in our life. But we don’t.
- Do we really deserve the family God gave us? No.
- Do we really deserve the job God gave us? No.
- Do we really deserve the husband or wife God gave us? No.
- Do we really deserve the respect other people give us? Their kindness? Their love? No, we don’t.
- We spend so much time convincing ourselves that we really deserve the things we have in our life. But we don’t.
- But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
- Here’s what we really don’t deserve…
- You and I, like Mary, don’t deserve to bear God’s Son
- Yes, for the women in here, you definitely don’t deserve to be the mother of Jesus
- But that’s not what I’m talking about
- Yes, for the women in here, you definitely don’t deserve to be the mother of Jesus
- You and I, as Christians….maybe I should say that word again…as Christ-ians, we bear the Son of God. We bear Christ in our very bodies.
- You and I, like Mary, don’t deserve to bear God’s Son
- That’s what Baptism is exactly. We put on Christ.
- Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. [lives in me!!!]. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
- Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
- Do you and I deserve to carry around Christ? No, we don’t.
- But we do. We come up here to this altar and eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And then we’re told “Depart in peace.”
- Go and bear the Son of God in your bodies.
- Do I deserve this? No, I don’t.
- Go and bear the Son of God in your bodies.
- But we do. We come up here to this altar and eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And then we’re told “Depart in peace.”
- Here’s what we really don’t deserve…
- Let’s see here. Am I famous? No, I’m nobody.
- Let’s see here. Am I rich? No, I’m nobody.
- Let’s see. Am I from an influential family? Not really.
- From a great city? No.
- Am I a better person than other people are? No, I’m not.
- If anything, I’m worse than most people.
- Let’s see. Is there anything about me, anything in me, anything I’ve done, that would in any way qualify me to bear Jesus Christ, God’s Son?
- No, there isn’t.
- Okay, then, there’s one thing you’re worthy to do then.
- You’re worthy to sing with Mary her song—called the Magnificat.
- Because what her song is all about is that she’s not worthy (just like you and me) and yet God has highly favored her and she will magnify His name above all else
- That hymn we sang at the beginning of church today has the refrain at the end, “Most highly favored lady.” And then the response, “Gloria”.
- Which means “Glory!”, of course
- Which is what Mary gave to God.
- So if you put that all together it’s just a retelling of when Mary visits Elizabeth.
- Elizabeth calls her, “Most highly favored lady” and Mary responds, “Gloria”. That is, she sings the magnificat, “My soul magnifies the Lord….”
- So if you put that all together it’s just a retelling of when Mary visits Elizabeth.
- Which is what Mary gave to God.
- Which means “Glory!”, of course
- What do you do when God has highly favored you and you don’t deserve it in the least? You magnify Him. You sing Gloria to Him. You praise Him for His great mercy.
- You’re worthy to sing with Mary her song—called the Magnificat.
- So here’s the difference.
- Are you and I most deserving? No.
- But are we most highly favored? Yes.
- If you want to boast, boast in the Lord, Paul says.
- But are we most highly favored? Yes.
- You are most highly favored.
- God has called you to be the bearer of His only Son
- All of your sins are gone and you know have Jesus
- You obviously know where you’re headed because you have Jesus and He will lead you to your home in heaven
- You obviously have nothing to fear because God is with you
- What greater honor could the world ever give you than this?
- You are, truly, most highly favored
- What greater honor could the world ever give you than this?
- You are a Christ-ian.
- You get to be a Christ to your neighbor
- To be a Christ to your friends
- To be a Christ to your husband
- To your wife
- To be a Christ to your children
- You carry Christ around with you wherever you go…
- Which is to say….
- You forgive others wherever you go
- You love others wherever you go
- You show mercy to others wherever you go
- You are patient with others wherever you go
- You show kindness and gentleness to others wherever you go
- (Most highly favored…)
- Which is to say….
- God has called you to be the bearer of His only Son
- Are you and I most deserving? No.
- Look again at Mary’s words and see how they belong to you and me also
- My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Why?
- Because he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. Yes, God has looked on your humble estate. He has seen your sin and wretchedness and sorrow.
- So what then?
- For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
- Yes, from now on—from my Baptism into Christ, from the moment of God’s grace and favor, giving me faith in Jesus Christ and saving me from my sins—Yes, all generations will call me, and you, blessed. Why?
- For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
- So what then?
- Because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.
- Yes, because God has done great things for us.
- He has taken away my sins.
- He has loved me with an everlasting love.
- He has lifted me from the depths of this world and seated me with Christ in the heavenly places.
- Yes, because God has done great things for us.
- Because he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. Yes, God has looked on your humble estate. He has seen your sin and wretchedness and sorrow.
- My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Why?
- Most deserved? Not a chance!
- Most highly favored? Yes.
- And what do we say to that?
- Gloria!
- We’ll sing it with Mary and all the angels tomorrow night, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo!”
- In Jesus’ name. Amen.
- Gloria!
- And what do we say to that?