On this first Sunday in Advent, we focus on Mary’s Magnificat. It is a beautiful song that is confrontational. There is nothing meek or mild about Mary’s song. At times governments have prohibited the out-loud reading of this song by Mary. How might it direct our living today?
Mary came from an insignificant town named Nazareth. Most people who knew of Nazareth looked down on it. Yet God selects a girl from Nazareth to bring Jesus into the world. A young girl from a nowhere place plays a big role in the beginning of Christianity. God’s choice of Mary tells us about God’s preference to use the lowly and the least likely to do His work in the world.
Life sends us curve balls. We lose our job. Our spouse dies. We file for bankruptcy. We get a divorce. We are hurt in a severe accident. A child becomes addicted to drugs. The list goes on and on. Mary the mother of Jesus was thrown a curve ball when the angel tells her that she will give birth to the son of God. Her reaction to Gabriel’s curve ball is a helpful example of how we might react.
Signs of quitting are everywhere…a half read book placed back on the bookshelf, a car jacked up on blocks rusting away, a diet which was abandoned or a faith that has grown cold. The Christmas story deals with the issue of giving up. Zechariah and Elizabeth were close to giving up in their old age when a surprising event changed everything. Instead their waiting paid off.
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on December 18, 2016 by Rev. Fred A. Steinberg
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on December 4, 2016 by Rev. Fred A. Steinberg
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on December 20, 2015 by Rev. Fred Steinberg
Sermon preached at Gold Canyon United Methodist Church in Gold Canyon, Arizona on December 13, 2015 by Rev. Fred Steinberg
