Advent 4

Sermon preached by Sarah West, ordinand at Westcott House

The word Advent, although used for a time of waiting and preparing, actually means ‘coming‘. In today’s Gospel, we heard one of the most significant conversations in the bible. A conversation laden with meaning about the coming of Christ. It signals the unfolding of God’s purpose to be with us and the fulfilment of Israel’s scriptures.

In the pattern of the Bible, God works with very ordinary people. God doesn’t wait for perfection, but enters our imperfect, messy, ordinary lives. 

I have often wondered why God did not make things easier and tidier for Mary and for Jesus coming into this world. Mary conceiving as a virgin is not the most straightforward way to fulfil a prophecy. Jesus was conceived into all kinds of human chaos, complications and mess, but then maybe that’s sort of the point. 

The passage before this one in Luke describes the visit of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah, who is a priest, to tell him that his wife, Elizabeth, will conceive a child in her old age. The child is John the Baptist. Although frightened by the appearance of an angel, Zechariah is not so accepting of the angel’s words and questions them. So Gabriel removes his ability to speak until the promised child is born. Today’s passage is 6 months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy. 

God could have chosen a priestly family to raise Jesus, but he did not. 

The Angel Gabriel says “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God, for now you will conceive a son and will name him Jesus.”

There are a number of things Mary might have justifiably said in response to Gabriel. She might have said:

“Favour? What kind of favour is this? Don’t you know what they will do to me as an unmarried Mother? This could mean my death!”

Or she might have said:

“I am just an ordinary young girl, I have no financial means. What if Joseph divorces me? How will I care for the child? The saviour of Israel! This is a huge responsibility! Are you sure you have chosen the right person?” 

And Gabriel would have said “Do not be afraid, God has it all in hand”

This talk of the favour of God had not been heard since the time of David, and there is more:

Gabriel says “He will be great, and will be called the son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David and his Kingdom will be forever”

A new King is coming, and he is nothing like what we have seen before. The reference is of the prophecy of Isaiah speaking to the house of David to bring hope at a time of foreign occupation, to bring light in the darkness. Jesus, a son of David, was prophesied to bring reconciliation between God and Israel - similar to the intimacy with God that Israel had looked to the temple to provide. 

Isaiah says the child will be called Emmanuel - God with us. This tells us who Mary’s child will be. 

The name, Jesus, means salvation or God saves - this name tells us what Mary’s child will do. 

In our first reading today, David wanted to build a cedar house for God, but God chose to make his home with us. 

We celebrate Christmas with kingly feasts, and show our wealth with presents wrapped in gold and silver shiny paper. The Angel Gabriel came to the small village of Nazareth, to see a young teenage girl, betrothed to Joseph, but not yet married, a young girl without financial means. 

God could have chosen a wealthy, royal family to raise Jesus, but he did not. 

God chose an ordinary, messy one. 

Unlike Zechariah, Mary does not express disbelief at what Gabriel has told her. Instead Mary asks the Angel:

“How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

Gabriel said, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be Holy, he will be called the Son of God.”

The word Holy points back to Moses -  Moses brought Israel the law to make them holy. The law was kept in the ark of the covenant in its own tent, which housed the presence of God among his people. Mary is like a new Moses, summoned to play a vital role in the embodiment of a new covenant. You might even say that Mary is a new ark and indeed one of Mary’s titles is the ‘ark of the new covenant’. 

Mary brings forth a new presence who will set us free - Jesus, Emmanuel - God with us.

Mary says “Here am I, the servant of the Lord”

Mary’s confident and obedient acceptance is a step towards the reconciliation of humanity with God. God could have brought about salvation on his own, but instead he chose relationship with us. He makes humanity integral to the process. The virgin birth says that this is not something that we could bring about ourselves. 

Remember what happened in the Garden of Eden the first time humanity tried to sort things out themselves, when Eve and then Adam disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree? That didn’t turn out so well. Eve made trouble for her husband by saying yes to sin. Mary makes trouble for her husband by saying yes to salvation. 

But unlike Adam, Joseph steps up, and together with Mary, they do right what Adam and Eve got so wrong. Mary is a new Eve.

Mary says “Let it be with me according to your word” 

This is creation language that takes us right back to Genesis. It is God’s word that unleashed creative power - God said ‘Let there be light’ and Mary uses similar words. God speaks of hope in his promise of new life. 

Mary is told that the power of the Most High will overshadow her. Just as the spirit hovered over the waters of creation, the spirit hovers over Mary and brings forth a new creation. 

The Old Testament is about to be fulfilled in one young woman’s womb. The thing that is important about this conception is not that Joseph was not involved, the important thing is that the Holy Spirit was. Creation and Salvation come together in Mary.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

As Christmas draws near, we may be feeling caught up in the chaos of preparation. Caught up in the expectation for everything to be perfect or feeling the sadness that our plans for this year have been changed or thwarted by COVID-19, by uncertainty, by wanting to keep our loved ones safe. There is so much chaos and brokenness, but it is into that chaos and brokenness that God comes. 

Christmas may not be feeling as special and full of joy this year. This year, it may all be feeling, well, just a little bit ordinary. 

Mary is just an ordinary girl from a small village, who is betrothed to a carpenter. Mary is not hugely wealthy or royal or priestly. None of the main characters of the Old Testament or their situations were perfect or even all that special before God called them. The point is that God creates out of the chaos. God can work with ordinary. 

The good news is that God will never give up on us. When we stray too far, he will give everything to bring us back into relationship with him. God crosses the distance and comes down to meet us where we are. 

God doesn’t need it to be extraordinary or perfect. He just needs an open and willing heart, so he can make his home with us.