The Faith of Mary

Pastor Burcham's Sermon

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Teenagers think differently than any other age group I know. They just have a different perspective on life. They have a different viewpoint of life. They just approach life differently. Unlike children in how they approach life, certainly unlike adults and how they approach life, even different than 20-something's and how they approach that. They are their own unique person. And they have their own unique viewpoint of why. I personally like it. I like teenagers, and I like how they look at life. In fact, they react to life and they react to news and stories about our world differently than anyone else.

Case in point: I was reading about a story that was on NBC, an interesting story. The story said we waste 4 million gallons of gas a day every day. “Oh, that's disturbing. Okay.” But what was interesting about the story is how it claimed we waste that much gas each day. According to this guy from the Alaskan Wilderness League, Lenny Kohm, he says we waste that much gas each day because of under-inflated tires on our vehicles. Right. 4 million gallons of gas per day every day because of under-inflated tires on vehicles. According to the story, research suggests up to 85% of the vehicles on the road have under-inflated tires and so I guess they did the math and the loss of gas mileage because of the under-inflated tires and you multiply that by the billions of cars on the road and you come up with about 4 million gallons of gas that are wasted a day every day because, of all things, under-inflated tires.

Now I know how I reacted to that story. I'm not sure how you'd react to that story. My reaction was to go, “Hum, well, that's interesting. A little disturbing even.” I went out to the garage and I checked the air pressure in the tires on the truck. “Alright, they're okay. Well, I guess I better do the same thing for the wife's van to make sure it was okay.” And then it was gone. I didn't give it another thought. It was disturbing. It was concerning we would waste that much fuel because we have under-inflated tires but, after all, what are you going to do about it? It is what it is.

Ah, but a teenager, they don't look at it that way. You see, they don't see things that way. They don't just let it go. Case in point here is Savannah Walters of Odessa, Florida. Savannah found out that startling news about how much gas we waste because of under-inflated pressure in the tires of all the vehicles and she decided not only just to tell her parents about it, but she was going to do something about it. So she grabbed her tire gauge and she went out in the neighborhood and she offered to check the tire pressure of anyone who would let her. And as she's checking the tire pressure, she'd fill them with all these kinds of facts about how it's wasting fuel and how you could actually save 3% on your fuel bill each year if you had properly inflated tires and the impact it would have on the environment. But she doesn't stop there. She gathers her friends together and I saw a snapshot of her in the paper where she has signs held up saying, “Get your tire pressure checked here for free.” And cars are lining up to get their tire pressure checked. But it doesn't stop there, Folks. See, this is the power of a teenager who looks at things differently. She launches a web site, creates her own web site. I barely make it on the web. She creates a web site, and she's 13. The web site she called “Pump ‘Em Up.” It's her campaign to make sure all the tires in America have proper inflation. Get this: Ten other states have picked up on it. Ten other states have “Pump ‘Em Up” activities on it. But that's still not enough for Savannah . She goes to Washington , D.C. and there's a little video clip of Savannah on the steps of the Capitol. She had just returned from lobbying on Capitol Hill, and it looked to me like hundreds of supporters around her and she stands at the podium and, of course, she's 13 so she looks like this and she says, “The least we can do is Pump ‘Em Up.”

You and I react to that story by saying, “Hum, interesting.” Maybe we check the tire pressure in our vehicle, but we let it go. You see, we've had years of disappointment, years of life that have built up what I would consider cynicism and pessimism. But we just cover it up by saying, “No, we just have realism.” And we say to ourselves, “It is what it is, and we're not going to make a difference. It's a shame. It's disturbing that all that gas is being wasted, but we're not going to do anything about it.” But not so with the teenage mind. You see, they haven't had the years of experience and disappointment. For them, anything is possible. For the teenage mind, they firmly believe they can make a difference in the world. And often times, they do.

I wonder is that why God chose a teenage girl in Nazareth to bear the Son of God? Is that why God came to a teenage girl named Mary with the news that she would carry the Savior of all mankind? Did He know a teenage girl with a teenage mind set wouldn't come up with all the objections and all the reasons why this wouldn't work? Did He come to a teenage girl knowing that she'd be open to the idea of being God's servant, that the obstacles that lay ahead of her, the trouble that was bound to come her way, she wouldn't even count the cost of that? A teenage girl who would believe God could change history through her, a teenage girl who, upon hearing the news, the Savior of the world, the Messiah her people have been waiting for upon generation upon generation upon generation, she was going to bear that Son and her response to that, “I am the Lord's servant.” Would anyone but a teenage girl have that kind of faith and trust to say, “I'm the Lord's servant. May it be to me just as you said.”

Mary displays incredible faith, a simple trusting faith. This morning, I want us to focus in on that faith. Let's take a look at Mary and see her faith but to learn from that and to learn from God's Word. What is faith really all about? And how is it you and I can have this same kind of strong, the same kind of simple, the same kind of trusting faith in our God?

There are several things we can note about Mary. This first thing is that we learn about faith, and it's the most important thing. Faith is a gift from God. God comes to us. We don't go to God. Mary didn't seek God out saying she wanted to be the mother of the Messiah, never even crossed her mind. Look at how scripture tells it for us. Luke says, in the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth to a town in Galilee . And then it says the angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you.” In other words, Gabriel is saying God has sent me to you, Mary. God has chosen you. God sees you as highly favored because you're going to be the one who's going to give birth to the Messiah, but this is God coming to Mary and it's God choosing Mary. Mary is simply on the receiving end.

When it comes to our faith relationship with God, we are on the receiving end. It is God coming to us. It is God choosing us. The very faith we have in our hearts is God's gift to us. It's the most important aspect for us to understand about faith. And let me explain why. If there's something so important as our faith relationship with God and, really, what could be more important? Scripture says we are saved by grace through faith. In other words, faith is the vehicle God uses. Faith is the vehicle God uses to forgive our sins. Faith is the vehicle God uses to capture our heart. Faith is the vehicle God uses to tell us we're going to spend an eternity with Him in heaven above. Something that important, that vital, in fact, it is the essence of our relationship with God, isn't it comforting to know God didn't leave it to us? I mean, you and I usually mess those things up. But God didn't leave that for us. God came to us. God created faith in us. God chose us. Scripture is sprinkled with example after example of telling us He has chosen us. We have Colossians 3. “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved.” Or we also have from 1 Peter, “But you were a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of people belonging to God.” God chooses us. God has chosen you. God has come to each and every one of you, and He has chosen you to be a part of His family. God called you to faith. Maybe it was through the waters of baptism. You may not ever remember it because you were an infant, but the water was sprinkled on your head in the name of the Triune God and the Holy Spirit entered into your heart and created faith in your heart and a trust in Jesus as your Savior. Maybe it was through the preaching of the Word that God's gospel message came through, that His love and His grace captured you. And God's Holy Spirit turned your heart and called you to be one of His believers but, either way, just as God chose Mary, God has chosen you.

Faith is a gift of God. Once we have received that gift from God, then faith seeks to know and understand the will of God. In faith, we want to know what God's plan is. We want to seek out and discover what God's will is for us. We see that in the questions of Mary. Mary has questions. Can you blame her that Mary has questions? I don't blame Mary that she has questions. I'd have all kinds of questions if I were Mary and, as far as I'm concerned, the one question she does ask is pretty doggone legitimate because she says to the angel after saying, “You're going to give birth to the Son of God,” she says, “How is that going to work? I'm still a virgin. I'm not married. I haven't been with anyone. How in the world am I going to give birth to a child?” Mary's question is one of seeking to understand and know God's will. This is important. Mary is not being unbelieving here. She's not being unfaithful here as far as doubting or questioning what God is going to do. She simply wants to know how.

You can contrast that with Zechariah. Zechariah was going to be the father of John, who would be John the Baptist. He was the one who would go out and preach and get the people ready for Jesus and His ministry. You may recall in the first part of the chapter in Luke, it talks about how Gabriel comes to Zechariah when he's in the temple and announces to him that his wife, although they are both old, she's well past the age of giving birth, is going to give birth to John the Baptist. But here's Zechariah's question, “How can I be sure of this? I'm an old man and my wife is well along in years. How can I be sure?” There's a big difference between the question of “How can I be sure?” and “How will this happen?” “How can I be sure?” says, “I'm not positive you're being straight up with me, Gabriel. There's something here you're not telling me. How can I be positive that's exactly what's going to happen?” He's doubting what the angel is telling him. Mary isn't doubting it. Mary is simply saying, “What's going to be my part here? I don't understand what's happening in my life? How is this all going to work out?” She is seeking to know and understand God's will.

In faith, you and I need to seek and to know and understand God's will for our lives. That means we're going to ask questions. That means we're going to delve into the Word of God or we're going to search the scriptures so we understand and we know how is it God wants us to live out our faith. How is it God wants us to approach life and even day-to-day activities? We're going to come to God in prayer, and we're going to ask God for guidance and direction. When we're making decisions, “God, how is it you want me to decide? Do you want me to go to the left? Do you want me to go to the right?” We're seeking to know and understand God's will because that's what faith does. Faith seeks to know and understand what God's plan is for us. And that means often times asking questions.

It's important to know it is perfectly right, legitimate, and even expected by God we should ask Him at times what's going on. How's this going to work out? We've all had those times when life is falling apart. It seems each day brings more bad news. One shoe drops. Then another shoe drops. Life is swirling out of control. God expects we're going to come to Him and say, “God, what's going on?” It is not a sign of unbelief or mistrust in God to ask God questions, even the hard questions of why and how and what's all going to happen in this. In fact, I would say to you the very fact you're asking God demonstrates your faith in Him because you're going to the only source who's going to have the answers. When you're coming to God and saying, “God, I don't know what's going on in my life but I want to know your will. I want to understand your will. Can you explain this to me? Can you reveal this to me? Can you give me a little bit of a hint?” Because knowing the will of God is part of our faith relationship but, often times, that's about asking questions. That's seeking God out. It's trying to find the answers. Faith is about knowing and understanding the will of God.

And then faith is about believing all things are possible, believing nothing is impossible for God. Take, for instance, Gabriel coming to Mary. First of all, he comes to Mary, who is a virgin. She's not yet married. She's only engaged. She's not been with anyone, and the angel says to her, “You're going to give birth to the Son of God.” Before she can even take a breath, he says, “By the way, you know your cousin, Elizabeth? She's well past the age of bearing children. She's just not even in the remotest part of her mind thinking that she's going to have a child. She's already six months' pregnant.” So in two verses, he says a virgin and someone who is past the conceiving age are both going to have babies. And then he states the obvious, “Nothing's impossible with God.” I guess not. I guess not. Nothing's impossible with God. Faith is believing that. Faith is saying God can handle anything and everything in my life. There isn't a circumstance, there isn't a situation God can't come through. And even more than that, God tells us in His Word not only can God handle it but He says we, in faith, also can handle it. Any situation that comes along in our life, by the strength of God, we also can handle it.

One of my favorite passages in scripture, I come to it often, is in the book of Philippians. Philippians 4, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” I can do everything. Paul says it doesn't matter what it is. I can do everything. Why? Through Him who gives me strength. It's believing nothing is impossible with God. Every circumstance in life, the big stuff and the small stuff, God is there. I mean, after all, if God is able and willing to send His Son into the world, if God is able and willing to live among us for 33 years, if God is able and willing to allow Himself to be nailed to a cross and rejected by His own creation, if God is able and willing to have all of mankind's sin and all of mankind's guilt heaped upon Him, if He's able and willing to pay the price of that sin, if He's able and willing to die and then rise again three days later, is anything impossible for our God? Is there anything our God cannot do? Is there anything our God will not do for us? Nothing's impossible for God. The big stuff in life and, maybe what we need to remember is, the small stuff in life.

So God is there with the big stuff in life. Nothing is impossible with God. We can face the cancer with God by our side. We can face the divorce with God by our side. We can face the bankruptcy with God by our side. We can face the death of a loved one with God by our side. We can face the big things, the traumatic things in life with God by our side but also, nothing is impossible for God for everyday stuff, Monday through Friday stuff, average-Joe, everyday stuff, which means God is with us when we meet with the boss tomorrow morning. God is with us when we face the test in 2 nd period on Tuesday. It means God is with us when we make decisions. God is with us when we try to deal with the stress of getting ready for family and the company who's coming over. Every moment of every day, nothing is impossible with God. That's what our faith tells us.

And then faith says we should act on what we believe. Faith is acting on what we believe. We know faith is a gift from God. We want to know and understand His will. We know nothing is impossible with God and now we're going to act on that belief. That's what Mary did. Mary hears the news of what's going to happen to her and she says, “I am the Lord's servant.” And then she says these words, “May it be to me as you have said.” May it be to me as you've said. Not, “May it be to me but would you mind talking to Joseph because I'm going to have trouble there.” Not, “May it be to me but I hope Mom and Dad aren't mad.” Not, “May it be to me but don't let the town folk look down on me.” Not, “May it be to me but I hope this isn't painful for me.” Mary doesn't put any conditions. She believes God and she trusts God and she says, “May it be to me just as you've said.” She takes that faith and belief and pours it into action.

Faith for us is when we put it into action, when we start living out what we believe, when we step out and people can see it in our lives. James puts it this way in the second chapter of his book, “What good is it, My Brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” A couple of verses later, James writes, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith. I have deeds.' James says, ‘Show me your faith without deeds and I'll show you my faith by what I do.” It's a demonstration of the faith which is in our heart, the demonstration of the gift God has given to us. Faith becomes real. Faith becomes concrete when we act on that faith and we step out in faith.

There's a great illustration of this that comes from the 1800's. There was a performer who went by the stage name of the Blondin. He was a French man. I guess that means “The Blonde.” Good thing not today, he'd have to put up with a lot of jokes. Anyway, the Great Blondin of the 1800's was a tightrope walker and he decided he wanted to do something spectacular. He was the first man ever to cross Niagra Falls on a tightrope. He did that in 1859 if you can believe that. In 1859, he crossed from one side to the other. They say, on his first trip across, when he got to the center of the falls, the rope had dropped 50 feet and so he had to climb uphill to get to the other side. The first time he did it, he was covered in sweat and nervous. But after that, no sweat for the Blondin. He went on year after year performing, going back across the falls and each time doing something new, something different. He'd do it blindfolded one time. I read he did it covered in a gunnysack one time. He rode a bicycle across one time. He even, it said, took a wheelbarrow, put a stove on it, wheeled it out there, cooked pancakes, and then went over to the other side. There wasn't anything this guy wouldn't do on a tightrope crossing Niagra Falls .

Now, there is an urban legend. I don't know if this is true. An urban legend says, on one such performance, Blondin is on one side. He crosses over. He comes back. Of course, there are great big crowds cheering him on. And he looks at the crowd and he says, “Do you believe the Great Blondin can make it across the falls again?” They erupt, “Yeah, you can do it. It's incredible.” He says, “Do you believe the Great Blondin can make it across the falls blindfolded?” “Oh, yes, Blondin, you can do that.” “Do you believe the Great Blondin could push a wheelbarrow across the falls on the tightrope?” “Yes, Blondin, you can do anything. You're incredible.” He says, “Ah, but do you believe the Great Blondin could walk across the falls with a man on his back.” The crowd erupts thinking it's something new he's going to perform. “Yes, Blondin, you can do it. We have confidence. We believe in you to do that.” And he looks at the crowd and he says, “Who's going to climb on?”

Who's going to climb on? That's when it becomes real. It's one thing to say, “I believe.” It's another thing to climb on. It was one thing for Mary to say, “I'm the Lord's servant,” but she climbed on the back of God when she said, “Let it be to me just as you have said.” Faith says we climb on the back of God, that God has gifted us with faith, that we seek to know and understand His will, that we have a confidence and belief that anything is possible with God, and a faith that says we'll climb on God's back because we believe. He won't disappoint you. Amen.

Copyright 2006 Gloria Dei Lutheran Church