in heaven above and he leads his children on to the place where he has gone. You may be seated. Please check in here. Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Luke chapter one. Luke chapter 1, beginning with verse 26 today. When it comes to preaching at Christmas, I have frequently avoided the familiar and standard texts. It's just my tendency to go where I assume we've already been before, or I'm just kind of also a road less traveled kind of guy. So, however, this morning I decided to go against my tendency, and this morning we're going to study the exchange between the angel and Mary when the angel came to her with the announcement that she would be the mother of Jesus. And next week we're going to focus on the standard nativity text in Luke chapter 2 about the birth of Jesus. Now a birth announcement is one of those communications that it is a joy to get to share, and I get to share with you one this morning. Kate Ivey had her son And the family is everybody's doing great and John sent a picture and it was just too late for me to get it up on the screen. But I think I've heard I've heard maybe his name is Jack. And so welcome Jack. And let's keep keep the Ivy family in prayer and rejoice with them at the birth of their healthy son. Well. So that's the first birth announcement, but then think about every time that you do get the chance to make an announcement like that, it is usually a happy one, and everybody can be excited about it. But can you imagine a birth announcement that came before the birth, and in fact came even before a man and a woman have come together? And that of course would be even more extraordinary, but it's precisely what we have this morning in Luke chapter 1. So having your place there, please stand with me for the reading of God's holy, inerrant, and life-giving Word. Luke chapter 1 beginning with verse 26. In the sixth month, that is the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, 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. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord will give to 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." And Mary said to the angel, how will this be, since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born 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 Baron. For nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. Would you pray with me please? Dear God, we thank you that as we have opened your word this morning to what is Probably one of the more familiar passages of the scriptures, as it has told us these important details about a visit made by Gabriel to Mary. As we study those, Lord, and look at this text, we recognize that it comes from you. Through your servant Luke, but from you, this is your holy word. And we pray, Lord, that the spiritual discernment needed for us to not only understand what these words mean, but what you are saying to all, and what you are saying to each of us specifically, that the spiritual discernment necessary for that, Lord, that you would grant it in abundance in this moment, in this hour today. Lord, we praise you and thank you that you are a God who has not left us in darkness, nor left us in our chains, nor left us condemned, but has sent your son. And we praise you for him and we thank you for him. And we thank you for all that he has done. We thank you for what he's doing today at your right hand, interceding for us. Please hear his prayers and ours, that this would be a time of great inspiration, learning and praise to you. And we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated. Well, I doubt any of us have ever been visited by an angel, but we can all imagine that at any time an angel visits, it has to be out of the ordinary. It is so seldom and so supernatural, and yet this text that we're reading this morning overflows with the extraordinary. Every major point is attention getting, and should it not be so, for after all, this text is the birth announcement of our Savior and Lord. So I want to highlight five extraordinary marks of this extraordinary announcement. At the outset, I want you to see an extraordinary greeting. An extraordinary greeting. 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. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. Here is quite an extraordinary greeting. And there are several aspects by which it stands out. Now, human beings, we greet each other frequently without much fanfare, although sometimes I'm a little surprised because it's very often that in the city we live in, you walk past many, many people who don't even look at you. And so sometimes when I'm out for a walk and one of the neighbors greets me, it is quite striking. There are any number of people around us who do not typically greet one another, but the greeting with which we are occupied this morning is far more striking than any of those ever were because it is the greeting of an angel. And that angel's name is Gabriel. Angels are ministering spirits. Created by God, they exist to glory in God and to do His bidding. They sing praises to God and they obey Him from the heart without hesitation. When the angel greeted Zechariah the priest, remember that he declared these words. This was the same angel that came to Mary. I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Now when you are around a godly person, you are impacted by them. And when an angel comes from God to speak to you, it is extraordinary. Mary had to be reassured not to be afraid. I doubt very much that if you or I were privy to a meeting with an angel that we would emerge from the encounter any different than she was. We wouldn't be glib. We wouldn't probably be bubbly. I do think there would be joy, but I'm certain there would be a sort of shock and awe. There would probably be a sort of distress as holiness is encountered in a way more elevated than usual. Well, this greeting is extraordinary, first because it was the angel Gabriel who brought it, but second because of whom he brought the greeting to. To somebody that had he not come to her, we would probably never have known anything about her. She would have been one of the many nameless people where history has come and gone and knows very little of them. At least the people that live on the earth don't know them personally. But here was Mary. She was a young virgin who was betrothed in marriage. And she hailed from an almost insignificant town named Nazareth. town was not one of the 50 best places in the world to live or the 50 best places to live in Israel. But it was basically a seemingly small insignificant town. But this is where Gabriel came. And the one to whom he came was this seemingly insignificant young woman. He didn't come to the home of Miss Israel or to a wealthy, well-to-do daughter of the wealthiest family in the nation. He came to basically a lower class agricultural town and to a woman who otherwise would probably have been beneath the radar. But the greeting is also extraordinary because of its substance. The angel is one reason it's extraordinary. Mary, another reason it's extraordinary. And now it's extraordinary also because of what it was that he came to say to Mary. Greetings, oh favored one. The Lord is with you. Now the angel assured her, you have found favor with God. And this has to be, obviously, from the beginning, unique favor. Because an angel has come to deliver the message. It is not, though, it is gracious favor. It is not earned favor. This is not God saying to Mary, I have been watching you, and I keep a list, naughty and nice, but you're on the nice list. That was not God coming to Mary in that way. This is gracious favor because when God looks at human beings, all He sees by nature is that which repulses Him. that which is contrary to holiness." So favor from God is among humans never earned or deserved. It is simply conferred, and it is conferred by God's mercy and by God's grace. It is the same nature when we talk about in the Scriptures that thing we call unconditional election. God's choice of human beings never comes because He says, well, these are good, these are bad, I'll take the good. God looks at human beings and He sees all bad. And He says, despite their badness, I am going to bring some of these to me. Not because they appeal to me more than the others, but simply because of my good purpose to have mercy on them. It is never because we are great or have great potential in ourselves that God selects us. Rather, it is always because the Lord is abundant in mercy. That's the only explanation that can mean anything right to us. It should encourage and assure each of us that this is the way it is. It tells us something about who we are, but it also tells us a lot about who God is. So, do you ever feel small and insignificant? Like you don't matter that much? Well, you have a lot in common with Mary. You might think of yourself, who am I? That there would be anything in me to attract the intention of God. Except, here's the truth. God is not attracted to us by anything in us. He is drawn to favor human beings by His own inexplicable mercy and grace. And yet, it is so sure and so wonderful. You can't be good enough? You can't be beautiful enough, smart enough, or rich enough to attract the grace of God. But if Gabriel were to come and say to you, hello, God has sent me to tell you that He highly favors you, you could certainly know that God is gracious. And by the way, when God comes to you through some means, maybe not an angel, but through another human being who came to you and said, God has good news for you, and here it is, that is high favor from God. And woe unto those who do not turn to receive the favor that He has so gloriously bestowed in the Gospel. So while I do not expect to see or hear from Gabriel, I know from the Scripture that if you have turned from sin and trusted in Jesus Christ, there is but one explanation the unconditional mercy and grace of God. And if you desire to know God in His mercy and grace, He receives you just as you are. He won't leave you as you are, but He receives you as you are. And that is extraordinary because that is not the way it works in the world. Now, we move from an extraordinary greeting to an extraordinary son. The extraordinary announcement was that Mary was to conceive and bear an extraordinary son. The amazing and gracious favor of God on Mary issued forth in a position of divine honor and extraordinary responsibility. The son that she would conceive and bear would be truly amazing. Gabriel provides three mind-blowing facts about the son who was to be born to Mary first. He would be a savior. He would be a Savior. This is extraordinary. That aspect of His greatness is stressed in the name by which Mary was to call the Son she was to bear. You shall call His name Jesus. Now a name given by God is always a name with a high level of significance. And the name Jesus is indeed significant. It means the Lord saves. This was to be the name of Mary's first child. The Lord saves. And this name signifies then that Jesus is the Savior by whom the Lord is working to bring that salvation. He is the means of the Lord's salvation. Now in the dream that Joseph would later have, you know, when it became news that Mary was now with child and Joseph knew he was not the father, The angel came to Joseph in a dream and would assure him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife and that she would bear a son and they were to call his name Jesus. And the angel explained the reason for the name, because he will save his people from their sins. This Son was to be the Savior from the greatest threat known to humankind. And the greatest threat known to humankind is not some mysterious group of drones hovering over New Jersey. But the greatest threat known to humankind is our sin. Certainly we know Jesus to be the only Savior for human beings. Having been conceived and born, He became flesh and He was tempted and tried Yet He without sin. He was nailed to a cross as though He was a great sinner, but He was bruised for our transgression. He was crushed for our iniquities. He was cursed for our crimes. And by His punishment, those who come to Him in faith are indeed saved, rescued from God's wrath because of our sins. We are saved because Christ died to satisfy the wrath from God that we deserve. There is no other name, no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. His name is Jesus. It's an extraordinary name. No wonder so many hymns have been written about that name. But not only would Jesus be the Savior of the world, He would also be great. Gabriel stated to Mary, he will be great and will be called the son of the Most High. Now the Lord is the Most High. He is the Most High God. And Mary's son is to also be the Son of God Most High, the one true God, the Creator of earth and heaven, has sent His one true Son, the one who most represents His likeness, the Creator of the world and the heavens, He has sent Him into the world. He came by Mary. He was conceived within her. He developed and was born. There came a day when they could announce the birth. In fact, the angels gave the announcement to shepherds as we've sung about this morning. And then He developed and grew through childhood into manhood. He it is by whom heaven and earth were created. And it is astonishing to think that the Creator is now walking in the house, so to speak, the fleshly house of a human body. He it is that upholds and sustains the universe. He is great as His Father is great. Here is the mystery revealed so vividly through the nativity of Jesus. This is why we get all excited about a manger. and a cave where animals were normally housed being the birthplace of this child because He is Jesus and because He is truly great. If you think about it, here is the one that God the Father says is great and the conditions of His birth were fine. None of us could even be compared with the conditions in which he was born or where he was laid. Who of you were laid in an animal's feeding trough? But this is the beauty and glory of God, because He wants us to see that He is with the lowly. He even comes as lowly, even though He is great. And so, God became flesh and we have beheld, says John, His glory, glory as of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. And so Gabriel testifies to Mary about her extraordinary Son. He will be the Savior, and He will be called Son of the Most High. There is yet one more mark of this extraordinary Son that he mentions. He will also be King. Perhaps His greatness and His royalty coincide here. He is Son of the Most High, though that is His greatness, but He'll also be King in the sense of an earthly throne, at least in the pattern of the earthly throne. Notice what He says. The Lord God will give to 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. You know, sometimes I think back in history about nations that have risen and nations that have fallen. And if you were living in any of those nations, let's say you were in Rome, and it wasn't the fall of Rome yet, but all you could look back and see was how long Rome had existed. And probably looking forward, you could only imagine that Rome would continue to exist. But from our standpoint, we can know, looking back, that Rome is no longer what it was. And we can think of the United States of America We know it had a beginning point. And as far as we can look into the future, we think it's always going to exist. But we have no assurance of that. In fact, there are many indicators today, whether culturally or even around the world, where there could be an argument made that this nation is on the precipice of a downward trend. The king who sits on David's throne will be there forever, says the angel to Mary, and of his kingdom there will be no end. When you get to heaven, in glory, you don't have to worry that sometime, someday, some other kingdom might rise and take over God's heaven. for you will forever be with the Lord." If you have faith in Jesus Christ, and He is your Savior and Lord, and you are His disciple, and you are then in glory, you will be with Him always. And there will be nothing to cause us any anxiety or concern. Well, we see that Gabriel Through Gabriel, God is confirming that Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant promise that God had made to David that we studied not too long ago in 2 Samuel 7. Israel needed a king. They just didn't need one like all the other nations. They needed a king whose heart would be knit to the Lord, who would be an obedient son, who would manifest sonship to the Father, whose dominion would always reflect the ways of God. In effect, then, God would be ruling through His King. God would be the King, and that is Jesus, the most Son of the Most High. He is the King, and He is seated on the throne of David. And the Lord had made this covenant to David. Here's what He said, I remind you. He said, I will raise up for you I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I shall establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son." Now Jesus then is God's follow through on that promise. He is that son who will reign forever. He is Savior. He is Son. He is King. His reign assures God's people that the day of tyranny is coming to an end. Rest is on the way in the new heavens and the new earth. And truly then, this is an extraordinary Son because He holds the promise no other could ever give. Because of who He is and because He fulfills God's promise that God will not abandon, He is going to carry it through. You can hope in Him. And you should be hopeful in him, especially when we're thinking constantly about his birth in these days. So it is an extraordinary announcement, beginning with an extraordinary greeting, announcing an extraordinary son. And we see also that it is to be accomplished by an extraordinary conception to this we now turn. Mary was certainly astonished at the presence and the appearance of the angel and his staggering announcement that she would be mother of the eternal king, but there was a major obstacle which she was quite aware of. Because though she was betrothed, she was also pure, she was chaste. So she asked the angel, how can this be? since I'm a virgin." Mary understood that babies do not spontaneously appear. They are not brought by a stork. It takes a man and a woman and Mary was saving herself for marriage. So it is appropriate I guess here for me to applaud Mary's virginity. God has given sex as an enjoyable expression of love and intimacy for a man and a woman who are married to one another. And sexual engagement outside the marriage is strictly forbidden by God. Of course, that doesn't stop sinners from violating God's law. We sin all the time. But we see certainly our cultural and our day, like many other before us, celebrate the rejection of God's clear commands in this area of life. Committing sins of fornication and various other acts of immorality It's as rampant today, perhaps, as ever before. It's so rampant that people throughout society have, by and large, ceased to even take seriously the commands of God in this area. Have you ever heard people talk about the fact that they're living together and they don't want to really talk about it? But they'll just even say, oh, we're living in sin. We're living in sin. But they don't think it's a big deal because if you really thought that was sin in the face of God, you wouldn't do it anymore. You would be fearful of doing it. And we should be fearful of sinning against God in this area. We should think about Mary and the purity reflected in the question that she asked here. Because all sin, all sin, this is not to say this is the only sin, all sin is highly offensive to God. and it's catastrophic for people, and it's no less evident than in this category of sexuality. Disease, guilt, shame, and the pursuit of even deeper sins proceed out of the promiscuous lifestyles of folks all around us. It must not be so among God's people. Now I could point to a number of biblical texts, of course, to substantiate this point, but I'll mention one that should be familiar to those who've been active in years past in the Knights of the Kings table, 1 Thessalonians 4. 3 to 8, there Paul writes, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God, that no one transgress and wrong his brother in the matter because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us to impurity, but in holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not man, but God." So if you fear God at all, you will take this kind of sin quite seriously. For the glory of God and for your own well-being, flee from it and protect yourself against committing it. So Mary is a model for chaste and pure behavior, one that we should hold high and imitate. But still it raises the question, how can a chaste and pure young woman expect to bear a child? I do not think that Mary doubted the words of Gabriel here. Remember Zechariah? When Gabriel, this same Gabriel, told him that he was going to have a son? Remember what Zechariah said? He asked, how shall I know this? Now his was not a question of mechanics. His question was about knowing for sure, and his question reflected doubt, and he became silent from that day until he gave the name of John. But in contrast, Mary exhibits confidence that she will bear the child. She just wonders how this can be. And we're glad she asked the question because her question helps answer the very question we would be wanting to know if we were... well, that we do want to know. And thankfully, it's answered for us in the answer that the angel gives to Mary. Gabriel is completely willing to provide an explanation. Mary's question It's important not only for her, but me and you. And here's how it will all happen. The answer, miracle. It's a miracle. It is supernatural. In accord with the word from Gabriel, the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and the power of the Most High overshadowed her in such a way that the child would actually be called holy. the Son of God. So the virgin birth of our Savior is not simply a fairy tale or a myth designed to create a sense of wonder as we celebrate Christmas. No, it is wonderful and it does lead us to stand in awe. However, it is a fundamental bedrock of what it means to be a Christian to believe in a virgin birth. It is a fulfillment of God's prophecy, but it is more than that. But we think about this prophecy, Genesis 3.15, indicates that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. Isaiah 7 then declares that God would provide an attesting miracle, a sign You know, the shepherds were told they would be provided a sign. What was the sign? You're going to find a baby in no place you'd ever expect to find a baby, in a manger. That's a sign to you so that you know that is the one I'm talking about. And here we're told that the sign for us to recognize the one who would be Immanuel is that he would be born of a virgin, Isaiah chapter 7. The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel, God with us." Only a virgin birth could be associated with a sinless son of God. Sin and its guilt are transmitted from the man. In Adam we sin. In Christ we are made righteous. But Christ Jesus, He was not born of man. He was not born literally in the line of Adam. He was born of the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb. So because Christ's birth was of a virgin and attributable to the mighty working of the Most High God, there is not a transmission of sin. Mary's son is holy. So if there is no virgin birth, there is no Savior. This is both extraordinary and stunning how God has brought our Savior to us. Whenever you are singing carols of the season and you come across that word virgin, stop for a moment and realize the miracle of which you are speaking and affirm that it's not just a sweet little cozy side of Christmas. It is the meat and bones of what it means to be a Christian. If you do not believe that, you can't believe that Jesus is actually the Holy Son of God. Give glory to God. This extraordinary conception then leads to another extraordinary aspect of this announcement, and that is there was an extraordinary coincidence. Now Gabriel accompanied his explanation of the powerful working of God to bring about this amazing birth with news of another extraordinary birth. Mary's relative, the long barren Elizabeth, was in her sixth month. Like a number of couples in Scripture, Mary's relative Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were unable to conceive and they were advanced in years. But God, there's the but God throughout Scripture. And here's another one of those. They were hopeless and helpless. But God miraculously worked so that against the odds a son was born of them. And this was not a mere happenstance. The lives of Jesus and the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, John, were to join in the accomplishment of God's great plan of redemption. So when I call this an extraordinary coincidence, I'm not inferring that it's a happenstance. I'm saying that these two events coincided with one another and according to God's plan And Gabriel makes the point to Mary that these two births, the one that Mary is going to experience and the one that Elizabeth is in the process of experiencing, that these two births prove a very important, extraordinary, and wonderful truth. And that is that nothing shall be impossible with God. And if there's another truth that should mean a lot to us during this season of the year, here it is. Nothing shall be impossible with God. This is good news. And this is what celebrating Christ's nativity is all about. Nothing will be impossible with God. He is the Most High. He is omnipotent. He is all-powerful. All power belongs to Him. He can do anything He wants to do. Now that cannot be said of anyone else besides Him. Angels are powerful, but their power comes from God. They cannot do anything they want to do, only what God enables them to do. The devil is powerful. But He is a fallen angel. And sometimes our circumstances seem to have power over us, but they can present no difficulty that is not allowed by God and overruled by His power. Listen, some things God is unwilling to do. That's not a reflection of His power. That is a reflection of His will. Some things God is unwilling to do, but there is nothing that He is unable to do. You can trust in Him, hope in Him, and rest in Him. You know this is perhaps the most hectic season of the year. And perhaps you were even here this morning going, I am run ragged, and there's so much going on that I just can't catch up. You might be just feeling at your wit's end in a very simple sort of way this morning. You think, oh, I'll never get all this done. Well, I just want to say to you this morning, hold on and take a breath. Trust the Lord. Now, I'm not telling you you're going to get everything done that you want to get done. But you should be diligent and you should be busy serving Him. But if you can't get it done, take it from Him. I guess He didn't mean for you to get it done. Or you've maybe done some other things that caused the problem. But the fact is that you can rest in Him. And that's just a small thing. Really, what about the much bigger issues in life than just making it through Christmas? What about unfulfilled hopes? What about threats to your life? What about opportunities that are bigger than you? Things that you see that you would like to participate in, you would do, you think, that's just, I'm just not up to it. Well, here is the Lord's assurance for you this morning. Nothing shall be impossible with God. Indeed, that does not mean He's going to eliminate every obstacle and make life easy, but it does mean He can if He wants. And so, if He doesn't, it's okay. Keep trusting. Keep resting. Keep serving. And so, you can trust Him because nothing is impossible for Him. Now, the most wonderful aspect of the truth that there is no impossibility with God is, of course, this. It means that our sin is not impossible for God to overcome. That's the most important thing that that means. If God can bring two women in both in unique situations, one having never known a man and the other having been married for years and years and years and years and years, who've never born a child, if God can bring birth to come to pass in both of these cases, it's just one of those evidences. that He can do whatever He wants to do. And that means our sin itself is not impossible for God to overcome. It's our greatest threat, but God is undaunted. He sent His Son because nothing shall be impossible for God. His Son was born. He lived a sinless life. He was hung on a cross and died but death could not keep Him. The grave could not hold Him because nothing shall be impossible with God. Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God this very day because nothing will be impossible with God. There is no reason not to trust Him, not to rest in Him, and not to serve Him. And I need that message as much as any of you. And we come. to one more extraordinary aspect of this angelic announcement to Mary, and that is an extraordinary response. It's extraordinary because I wonder if you and I would have given the same had we been in her circumstances. But their extraordinary response was that of Mary being reminded that nothing will be impossible with God. Mary's reply should cause each of us to shake our heads for every instance in which we've responded to the Lord with hesitancy or even mild resistance and especially those times when frankly we just said no. Mary didn't say no. Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. Now Mary has been glamorized and wrongly, nearly worshipped in some religious traditions. Some might think it would have been easy for Mary to submit here. Who wouldn't want to be the mother of the son of the Most High? But think again. In this world, Mary had an honored role to be sure, but think of the trials. I mean, immediately, immediately her mind had to go to, what about Joseph? What will he do? Think, how am I going to explain this to him? What will my family think? What will the whole town think about me? And perhaps many of them had many thoughts that assumed what you could only assume if you didn't know a miracle had taken place, that she had done something wrong. That was at the beginning. that she should be with child in this way? How many would think she was simply telling a lie? The angel came to me. Who would think? You mean the Gabriel that went to Daniel in the Old Testament? You're saying he came to you? Why should we believe that? Uh-huh, we know better. That's what she obviously would have to deal with from the beginning. Right away, circumstances in which she would have no choice but to trust God and face skepticism. And that was only the beginning. Her life involved significant hardship, a trip to Bethlehem right at her due date, a flight to Egypt with a toddler, losing her son in Jerusalem, being the mother of Jesus and having other normal sons and daughters. I mean, could you... But your brother never... Never did that. And why? How can this be? I mean, her parenting had to have been spoiled from the get-go. And then having the world think your son is off his rocker when he's doing good to people all over the place in amazing sort of ways. And if not all of that, then having to look on as your son is put on a cross and has to endure the most heinous death the world has ever known. This woman reminds us that the people of God, the people that God uses greatly, generally suffer deeply and face significant hardship and challenge. And yet, in spite of all the uncertainty, Mary accepted the role to which she was called. She embraced it. Her response was the right response. It's the model response. It is an example for all of us. Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. For Mary, it was not about what she would choose. Her role was about whatever the Most High would choose for her. That she was ready. to embrace. Well, pottery begins as clay, and when it's clay, it's molded by the potter to be what he or she wants it to be. It's totally subject to the will of the potter, if the potter is a good potter. Sometimes the potter might not be able to do what he wants to do, but that's when the potter is not God, right? But Mary is like clay in the hands of God the potter. Mary's response to Gabriel is almost as profound as his announcement. Whatever you say, let God have His way with me. I am His servant. If this is what He wants, then let it be. This attitude of heart is, of course, the one every Christian should cultivate. It is an attitude fit for Christmas as we consider all that God has done for His people, but of course it's an attitude fit for every single day that we live. In whatever way that God may be dealing with you this morning, may your response to Him be the same as Mary's. Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to His Word. Adelaide A. Potter Adelaide A. Pollard. You all know who that is? She wrote a hymn in 1906 that I think expresses the heart of Mary here. So I appeal to each of us this morning to let it express our heart to the Lord as well. Here it is. Have thine own way. Lord, have thine own way. Thou art the potter. I am the clay. Mold me and make me after thy will while I am waiting. yielded and still. Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way. Hold over my being absolute sway. Power, all power surely is thine. Touch me and heal me. Touch me and mold me, Savior divine. Let's pray. O Lord God, we come to you with I hope, some measure of conviction along with gratitude as we think about Mary and her response, as we think about how extraordinary it is that the angel came to her. And Lord, help us to, as believers, all understand that if we are believing in Jesus, that the degree of favor that Mary received just to be the mother of Jesus, in that aspect is even more wonderful to us that we have been considered favored enough by God to be His chosen people. And let us stand in awe, Lord, of Your unconditional choice full of mercy and grace that looks past every one of our faults and focuses on our need instead of what we deserve. So give us humble hearts today, Father, and give us obedient hearts and pliable hearts and lives that say, Lord, whatever it is you want of me, wherever that is, where that may lead somewhere other than what I'd always planned or thought of, where that would cause me to be doing things I never thought of, or whether it means simply me being willing to be obedient in an effort to curb sin and cultivate holiness in my life. Lord, I pray that you would help us to say with Mary that we want it to be done to us according to your word, that we are your servant. And Lord, certainly for those in this room today who have not truly trusted in Christ Jesus, His life, His righteousness, His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His interceding work at the right hand of Judas today. Lord, we pray that you would call them out of their sin and darkness and shame and guilt to lovingly, gladly put their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus today. and that they wouldn't be able to keep back from telling people all around them that they now belong to Christ. For we pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. After we sing and after I give the benediction at the end, I would appreciate your patience in leaving today. Melissa and I have a bunch of cards. We've given out some today, but we've got a ton more. And it would help us if you'd just stop by the back door and give us the opportunity of finding yours and giving it to you. Thanks. You can sit back down for a second. I totally, I think Tuesday was the last day I was engaged in what was gonna go on here today. And this morning, I've asked Denise to come and share an important word to you about some changes so that you're gonna be ready to experience them as they're taking place. So Denise, and let's get a microphone. Yeah. Is everyone ready to go? Thank you. Good morning everyone. I thought it was gonna be going later, am I on? Thank you. Huge. century modern thing, because that is what we need to do in this particular building. I'm really excited, because I think it's going to be a wonderful space. My request for all of you is, if you could really be patient, some of the constraints that we have to deal with are just schedule issues, like the school being in session. And so some of the work that we want to do, we cannot do when the school is in session. And so that, by default, is going to make it an extended period of time. So it's going to take, my guess is if all goes perfectly well, we would be done by the middle of the summer, because we couldn't do the floors probably until the kids are out of school. But as you notice, because you're going to be like, oh, I don't like this. Some of those things, like the chairs that are in right now, that we have in there right now are just temporary measures. So if you could extend a lot of grace and be really patient with the process, if you've ever done anything like this, it is quite an adventure, but it will be fun and it will be fantastic. The other thing is if you would just pray that things would go well and that we would have Wonderful alignment and agreement with the school so far we do and that is really encouraging to me And just pray for the finances and the timing and the contractors and all the things that we have to deal with But but be excited because change is good and it's fun and it's going to be wonderful and I think it's going to be a blessing to all of us and I think it's going to be a blessing to the people that come to our church and Said to pastor Ross last week one of the things we constantly hear is when people come to our church They feel so welcomed and that is all of you It's all of the people in the body loving and making others feel welcome. We would like our Lobby to match that if that makes any sense so anyway. Thank you very much That's my quick update if you have any questions catch me after the service Thanks, Denise I appreciate her patience with me for asking her to come and share. I forgot, I did forget, but you needed to hear that. God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day. To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray. Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy. Oh tidings of comfort and joy. From God, our Heavenly Father, a blessed angel came, And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same, How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name, O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy. Hear not, and said the angel, let nothing you affright. This day is born a Savior of a pure virgin bright. To free all those who trust in Him from Satan's power and might. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy. O tidings of comfort and joy. Again, please be patient with us and take a card as you go out today. The Lord bless you and the Lord cause you to stand amazed at his extraordinary work of salvation and give you a willing heart like Mary. Amen. so you you