december 7 2022
2022 Midweek Advent I, Wednesday December 7th
Old Testament: Malachi 2:17-3:5 “He will purify them … refine them like good and silver”
Psalm: Psalm 24:1-6 “The earth is the Lord’s”
Epistle: 2nd Peter 3:8-14, 18 “The Lord … is patient … not wishing any to perish”
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38 “Do not be afraid … How will this be”?
Sermon Text: Luke 1 or 2nd Peter
Sermon Title: “I am the Servant of the Lord”
Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and OUR Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”. This is what we believe, teach, and confess in our church body/denomination. It is what we just confessed in the words of the Apostle’s Creed; and the coming of the Christ is what we just heard announced by the angel Gabriel in the Gospel reading from Luke. Later in this season, we will hear Luke’s account of the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. We believe these miraculous testimonies of Holy Scripture that, “nothing will be impossible with God”. (Luke 1:37)
This account of (what is called) the Annunciation to Mary of Jesus’ birth is according to CFW Walther, “the greatest, most wonderful, most incomprehensible of all the mysteries of the Christian religion … there is nothing more important for us; than for God Himself to reveal how mankind could be reconciled with Him … which was revealed in the incarnation … God became man in Christ, order to save fallen mankind”. (Sermon on Luke 1:26-38)
Luke begins our account, “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary”. (Luke 1:26-27) The sixth month is referring to Gabriel’s appearance to Mary’s relative Zechariah. Keep in mind that Elizabeth and Zechariah were way beyond the normal age of childbearing, and yet the same angel announced to her that she would give birth to the forerunner of the Christ; John the Baptist.
Also, Joseph and Mary’s hometown of Nazareth was a small town of no reputation. It was so despised that one of Jesus’ disciples asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth”. (John 1:46) In this town of no reputation, Mary and Joseph were likely among the poorest of the poor, and Luke has already mentioned (the important fact) that she is a virgin. “And he (Gabriel) came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you”! (Luke 1:28) So, what does it mean that the Virgin Mary is a “favored one”?
Mary is a favored one, not because of any merit or worthiness in her, but rather because the Lord is already with her. She is the recipient of the grace and mercy of God, in order to perform this special calling/vocation of being the mother of our Lord. It is all God’s doing. Therefore, Mary is not, as some Roman Catholics believe, able to dispense grace to others.
“Now, Mary was greatly troubled at this saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be”. (Luke 1:29) She did not know what to make of this (already) miraculous situation of seeing an angel from the Lord. It is only natural that she was initially confused, troubled or afraid; any of us here tonight would have been too.
Knowing her state of mind, “the angel said to her, do not be afraid Mary, (and then he tells her for the second time) you have found favor with God, Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus”. (Luke 1:30-31) We have to go to Matthew’s Gospel to find out that the meaning of His name Jesus is; “He will save His people from their sins”. (Matthew 1:21b)
Next Gabriel describes to Mary more about this miraculous child to be born to her. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most-High. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there will be no end”. (Luke 1:32-33) These words of the angel echo what Moses wrote, “the scepter shall not depart from Judah … and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples”. (Genesis 49:10)
This child will be unlike any who has ever been born, before or since; for He will have two natures. He will be both true man; born in the normal way all of us are born, but He will also be true God; whose kingdom will have no end. This was in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy; “Your house and Your kingdom … and Your throne shall be established forever”. (2nd Samuel 7:16a) The prophet Isaiah also predicted His birth saying “the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14b) “which means, God with us”. (Matthew 1:23b)
Now, there had been many unusual births in the Old Testament history of God’s people; such as Hanna (mother of Samuel) and Sarah; and Mary had heard these accounts from her childhood. Soon, she would also hear of the miraculous pregnancy of her elderly relative Elizabeth. But what was Mary’s first reaction to the news that she would give birth to the Savior of the world? “Mary said to the angel; How will this be since I am a virgin”? (Luke 1:34) She knows that for this to happen to her; it would have to be a miracle.
Do you recall how Zechariah acted when the angel announced the birth of his first-born son in his old age? He asked, “How shall I know this”. (Luke 1:18a) On the surface, his question seems similar to that of Mary, but looking a little deeper, we see the difference. Zechariah asked a question because he doubted saying, “I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years” (Luke 1:18b) and he was unable to speak until John was born. On the other hand, Mary asked her question in humble faith, not doubting, but simply wondering “How”; and she soon broke into song, praising God. Mary knew that “even though this was contrary to nature” (Luther) God is able to do what He promises.
Gabriel then answers Mary according to her faith, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most-High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born to you will be called holy; the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth, in her old age, has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren”. (Luke 1:35-36) The same Holy Spirit who “hovered over the waters” (Genesis 1:2b) at the creation of the world now overshadows Mary and God becomes a child growing inside her.
All of this is impossible, of course, except of course for divine intervention; and that is exactly what happened, as Gabriel declared, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37); not even a virgin birth. For the child that is inside of Mary is also her God, her creator and her Savior. As we confess in the Nicene Creed, “Jesus was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man”. All that the Scriptures declare about these miraculous events is true; God’s Word never lies.
“And Mary said (to Gabriel); Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her”. (Luke 1:38) By the power of the same spirit that caused her to conceive; Mary is able to respond in faith to the message of the angel. She seems to have no concerns what those around her will think or say about these unusual circumstances; she simply accepts them by faith in the Word of the Lord through the angel Gabriel.
This faith of Mary is one of the miracles of the Advent/Christmas season that we often forget; but even our own faith in Christ is a miraculous gift of God for we confess in the Small Catechism; I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel”; the Word and promises of God.
This is the Gospel; that God sent His only Son into our sin-sick world; becoming man, being born of the Virgin Mary; to be our Savior from sin, eternal death, and the devil; dying on the cross to atone for our sins and rising bodily from the dead. Our Lord did this because of His great love for all mankind. Even though many/most will reject His gracious gifts, that is not His desire; for Peter declared, “the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some count slowness, but He is patient towards you, not wishing any to perish, but that all should reach repentance”. (2nd Peter 3:9)
Knowing and believing the gracious promises of God in His Word, in this Advent season, we look back in joy at Jesus’ first coming as a child in Bethlehem; we look forward to His coming again in glory to take His people home; “for we are waiting for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”. (2nd Peter 3:13b) While we wait, we will heed Peter’s exhortation, taking every opportunity to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and forever. Amen”. (2nd Peter 3:18)
The peace of God …