Sermon
Gymea Anglican
7:45am, 9:30am
Through Luke’s narrative we’ve looked at some very strange happenings, and we’ve kind of contracted the timeline in a way so that we can find our way through some crucial issues that sit around the edges of what we normally associate with the "Christmas Story." We’ve seen an angel sent by God find Mary, a virgin engaged to a man related by birth to Israel’s great King David. We’ve listened to the angel’s announcement, that this child, this boy that Mary shall bear is nothing less than the one that the Lord God will hand the throne of King David to – “The child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God”[1] We’ve watched Mary’s reaction to this news that’s both wonderful and troubling, and we’ve seen her great servant’s heart and her obedience to the Lord her God. And we’ve seen Isaiah’s great prophecy fulfilled.
At the same time we’ve read about the very strange origins of John the Baptist. His father was visited by an angel while he was in the middle of the Temple, and the angel told the old man that he and his elderly wife were to have a baby. Not just any baby, but one who would be marked from birth as a man with a mission.
There are traces of a deeper story here – traces of great pain as Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth have gone from newlyweds to old age with no children. But in Gabriel’s opening words, he tells Zechariah before anything else… do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard…[2] and that even though it would be to God’s great purpose, their prayer of pain would be answered.
Mary hurries from Nazareth to find Elizabeth with plans to stay a fair while. I don’t know whether she went to help Elizabeth through the final three months of her pregnancy, or two ladies with remarkable stories needed to spend time in each others’ company. They were related – how they were related isn’t specified – and I’d imagine that if anybody that I knew had been through what either Mary or Elizabeth had been through, they would welcome the chance to talk to someone with a shared experience.
They make a very interesting contrast, don’t they? Out of the two, Elizabeth is the one we recognise the most from other places in the Bible. Although we don’t get the specific details, we know that she’s not young – she’s well out of child-bearing age. We know that it has been a matter of great pain to her and her husband Zechariah, and it’s a matter that they’ve both constantly brought before the Lord. And in this, we see a reflection of some others throughout the Old Testament.
Sarah heard the Lord’s promise to her husband, that he would father a mighty nation. And – more like Zechariah – she was the one who had trouble believing. Paul tells us that Abraham believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Even when he was ninety-nine years old, not only did he believe what the Lord had promised him, he circumcised himself – and then went on to be a father (now that’s one tough cookie!).
Sarah, however, was more realistic, and when she overheard the Lord and Abraham talking she couldn’t picture it: “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” [3] But the Lord honoured His promise to Abraham, and Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
Isaac’s wife Rebekah was described as barren for twenty years, and again we see Isaac praying on behalf of his wife. She gives birth to the famously-struggling twins, Esau and Jacob.
Jacob had two wives – two sisters, in fact. And from what Genesis 29 and 30 mention, all the problems that go along with that. But Rachel remained barren for a great amount of time, while almost everyone around her was having children by Jacob. Genesis 30:22 shows that she was not forgotten in her misery, though: “God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.” And she gave birth to Joseph. Rachel had one more child, Benjamin, but died after childbirth.
In the book of Judges we see an unnamed woman, the wife of a man called Manoah, described as sterile and childless. The angel of the Lord visited her and gave her instructions very similar to those given to Zechariah, physically marking out the child into God’s service from birth. The child’s name was Samson.
One that we should be familiar with is a woman by the name of Hannah, and we’ve been walking with Hannah and Elkanah through the Old Testamant readings. In the opening verses of I Samuel we see a pretty painful story, and we get a taste of the pain of barrenness. It’s still an issue loaded with great pain today, and I would hesitate before saying something as insensitive as “it was more painful back then.” There isn’t any easy way of living with it. There isn't.
Just to add to this horrible burden, Hannah is placed under the mocking social hammer. On top of the normal burden of wondering what is wrong with her physically is the weight of social judgment – she lives in a world that views barrenness as punishment from God. There must have been something that she had done, some sin committed, that had given God cause to punish her in this manner... It didn’t help that she had a husband that just didn’t get it.
Elkanah loved her very dearly – we see that he favoured her, that he tried to look after her and comfort her… but he just didn’t get it. Part of me feels a little sorry for Elkanah as he attempts to soothe his grieving wife: “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” Wrong answer, buddy, thanks for playing... I can’t imagine that helping… but there are certainly times where I don’t get it, and I open my yap, and I get shot, and deservedly so… but the terrible fact is, as much as we husbands try to help our wives with burdens and deep pain, there will be things that we just don’t get, and that won’t be from a want of trying. That’s not a get-out-of-jail card for us husbands, incidentally… but there will be times where a burden is so intensely personal it can only really be dealt with between the carrier and the Lord.
Here’s one of the most painful lines in the Bible. I Samuel 1:10; “In bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.” That’s hard, isn’t it? “In bitterness of soul.” I know that a lot of people have the most enormous trouble praying when they are in the bitterness of their soul – it’s the last thing that they want to do. But Hannah pours out her pain before the Lord, in the house of the Lord.
And finally we have Elizabeth. The opening lines of Luke’s narrative pretty well give us her story, and we’ve seen Zechariah and Elizabeth last week. “Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.”
The Lord is faithful. The Lord God is a speaking God: a God of words, a God of the Word, and a God who keeps His word. We remind ourselves of that every Sunday, we gather and pray corporately – together – for all manner of things… as the Prayer Book says, for all sorts and conditions of men. And in churches and in our Bible-study groups and home groups and men’s breakfasts… it’s a wonderful thing to say loudly, and to remind ourselves and each other of this great fact; the Lord is faithful.
But what about when we’re alone?
Here’s one of the most painful lines in the Bible. I Samuel 1:10; “In bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.” That’s hard, isn’t it? “In bitterness of soul.” I know that a lot of people have the most enormous trouble praying when they are in the bitterness of their soul – it’s the last thing that they want to do. But Hannah pours out her pain before the Lord, in the house of the Lord.
And finally we have Elizabeth. The opening lines of Luke’s narrative pretty well give us her story, and we’ve seen Zechariah and Elizabeth last week. “Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.”
The Lord is faithful. The Lord God is a speaking God: a God of words, a God of the Word, and a God who keeps His word. We remind ourselves of that every Sunday, we gather and pray corporately – together – for all manner of things… as the Prayer Book says, for all sorts and conditions of men. And in churches and in our Bible-study groups and home groups and men’s breakfasts… it’s a wonderful thing to say loudly, and to remind ourselves and each other of this great fact; the Lord is faithful.
But what about when we’re alone?
When we’re in a hospital corridor, waiting to hear a door open and someone to emerge with news?
When we’ve prayed for something for days and weeks and months and years – what then?
When you’re going on months of broken sleep and the kids just won’t stop for twenty minutes?
When nobody calls to see how you’re going, and you just can’t bear to call anyone else and burden up someone else?
What about then? Can we say, with clear mind and straight back, that God is faithful?
There’s one thing I love about the Bible, even though it’s a hard fact, and a hard thing to confront. It is absolutely unflinching when it comes to dealing with pain. We don’t see these women as success-stories - far from it. We don’t see these families as being richly and over-abundantly blessed by God for their obedience or their good prayers or their good works. We see them in their pain, we are privy to their misery, we hear the bitterness or their soul.
Looking at these women of devotion, their long-term prayer, their years of weary endurance, of praying in bitterness of soul… it makes me very wary of people who try to tell me that if you do the things that please God, he will bless you with every blessing that the world can offer. That if you pray believing that it will happen. An American preacher, Mark Driscoll, phrased it pretty well – it’s like Jesus is a big piñata, and prayer is a big stick – and if you bash Jesus hard enough with the stick, lots of goodies will fall from heaven. And your blessings are just such a marvellous sign to others of how pleased God is with you.
I just don’t find it in the Bible. What we do find in the Bible is… people like us. We see that unflinching picture of our own lives. I read these stories and I think of my grandmother, who prayed every single day for years and years and years for her boy and his family to come to the foot of Calvary. Her prayer was always going to be answered – always – but, to be sure, not in the timeframe that would have best pleased my grandmother. And I’m pretty certain that there was an element of suffering in that wait. I pray that there will never be a day when I pray for my kids to come back to the Lord – but if there is such a day, I know that I’ll pray in pain until that prayer is answered.
And that prayer will be answered. God is faithful. But we have to understand that He is faithful to His own plan, His own timing, His own reasoning. And that’s not easy.
For all the years that Abraham and Sarah waited and waited and waited… God honoured them, answered their prayer… but He did it in His time, as part of His plan. And thousands of years later, Paul holds him up before the world in the letter to the Romans as a shining example. “It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be the heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith… Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed – and so became the father of many nations.” [4]
For all the years of Hannah’s enduring barrenness, she gave birth to Samuel at exactly the right time – the man who would be the last judge of Israel, prophet, and the anointer of Israel’s first king, Saul, and her great King, David.
For all the years of Elizabeth’s pain, this wasn’t because she had committed some great sin that God was punishing her for – to the contrary, Luke makes it clear that she and Zechariah had found favour in the Lord’s eyes. But the time and the timing and the purpose and the plan of God was critical. He was faithful, He answered her prayer, but in His time.
And we see it here in Luke 1:41; “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Even before birth, the last great prophet before the coming of the Christ begins stirring in the presence of the unborn Messiah, the King who will save God’s people from their sins.
In all of this, Mary is almost the complete opposite, isn’t she? Rather than long periods of barrenness before producing a champion of God or a great heir, she has the holy Ghost come upon her before she’d even been with Joseph. Whereas so many of these people as a married couple prayed constantly to God over many years – in the bitterness of their souls – Mary is made pregnant at a time such a thing would hardly have been socially acceptable. Nothing convenient, nothing that you would normally associate with great joy.
So Elizabeth’s Spirit-filled words of prophecy and blessing must have felt like cool refreshing rain to Mary. “Blessed are you among women – and blessed is the child that you will bear!” There are very few things in the world that beat being told that your kid is good, or smart, or funny, or even polite. But when someone would pray over Fiona’s “bump”… and pray God’s blessing on the belly… well, that was a whole different ballgame. Heck – Mary had hardly put her bags down before Elizabeth opens up. I don’t even know if Mary’s had a chance to tell Elizabeth that she’s pregnant too, before Elizabeth comes out with this extraordinary statement… “Why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Already, the unborn child has been identified as Lord – by the mother of the one who will prepare his path.
Here’s something I always find strange – it’s the kind of healing that God’s Spirit brings. A lot of people I know who have suffered long-term pain tend to be very guarded, and spontaneous bursts of joy aren’t always an obvious feature. And yet Elizabeth sounds like she’s jumping up and down on the furniture in her excitemet and her joy. The Lord has given her joy back.
And Mary said...
There’s one thing I love about the Bible, even though it’s a hard fact, and a hard thing to confront. It is absolutely unflinching when it comes to dealing with pain. We don’t see these women as success-stories - far from it. We don’t see these families as being richly and over-abundantly blessed by God for their obedience or their good prayers or their good works. We see them in their pain, we are privy to their misery, we hear the bitterness or their soul.
Looking at these women of devotion, their long-term prayer, their years of weary endurance, of praying in bitterness of soul… it makes me very wary of people who try to tell me that if you do the things that please God, he will bless you with every blessing that the world can offer. That if you pray believing that it will happen. An American preacher, Mark Driscoll, phrased it pretty well – it’s like Jesus is a big piñata, and prayer is a big stick – and if you bash Jesus hard enough with the stick, lots of goodies will fall from heaven. And your blessings are just such a marvellous sign to others of how pleased God is with you.
I just don’t find it in the Bible. What we do find in the Bible is… people like us. We see that unflinching picture of our own lives. I read these stories and I think of my grandmother, who prayed every single day for years and years and years for her boy and his family to come to the foot of Calvary. Her prayer was always going to be answered – always – but, to be sure, not in the timeframe that would have best pleased my grandmother. And I’m pretty certain that there was an element of suffering in that wait. I pray that there will never be a day when I pray for my kids to come back to the Lord – but if there is such a day, I know that I’ll pray in pain until that prayer is answered.
And that prayer will be answered. God is faithful. But we have to understand that He is faithful to His own plan, His own timing, His own reasoning. And that’s not easy.
For all the years that Abraham and Sarah waited and waited and waited… God honoured them, answered their prayer… but He did it in His time, as part of His plan. And thousands of years later, Paul holds him up before the world in the letter to the Romans as a shining example. “It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be the heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith… Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed – and so became the father of many nations.” [4]
For all the years of Hannah’s enduring barrenness, she gave birth to Samuel at exactly the right time – the man who would be the last judge of Israel, prophet, and the anointer of Israel’s first king, Saul, and her great King, David.
For all the years of Elizabeth’s pain, this wasn’t because she had committed some great sin that God was punishing her for – to the contrary, Luke makes it clear that she and Zechariah had found favour in the Lord’s eyes. But the time and the timing and the purpose and the plan of God was critical. He was faithful, He answered her prayer, but in His time.
And we see it here in Luke 1:41; “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Even before birth, the last great prophet before the coming of the Christ begins stirring in the presence of the unborn Messiah, the King who will save God’s people from their sins.
In all of this, Mary is almost the complete opposite, isn’t she? Rather than long periods of barrenness before producing a champion of God or a great heir, she has the holy Ghost come upon her before she’d even been with Joseph. Whereas so many of these people as a married couple prayed constantly to God over many years – in the bitterness of their souls – Mary is made pregnant at a time such a thing would hardly have been socially acceptable. Nothing convenient, nothing that you would normally associate with great joy.
So Elizabeth’s Spirit-filled words of prophecy and blessing must have felt like cool refreshing rain to Mary. “Blessed are you among women – and blessed is the child that you will bear!” There are very few things in the world that beat being told that your kid is good, or smart, or funny, or even polite. But when someone would pray over Fiona’s “bump”… and pray God’s blessing on the belly… well, that was a whole different ballgame. Heck – Mary had hardly put her bags down before Elizabeth opens up. I don’t even know if Mary’s had a chance to tell Elizabeth that she’s pregnant too, before Elizabeth comes out with this extraordinary statement… “Why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Already, the unborn child has been identified as Lord – by the mother of the one who will prepare his path.
Here’s something I always find strange – it’s the kind of healing that God’s Spirit brings. A lot of people I know who have suffered long-term pain tend to be very guarded, and spontaneous bursts of joy aren’t always an obvious feature. And yet Elizabeth sounds like she’s jumping up and down on the furniture in her excitemet and her joy. The Lord has given her joy back.
And Mary said...
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
It’s a bit like those scenes in the run-up to the American election, with Barack Obama quietly, gently, asking people in the audience what they, as people, could do. And the great optimistic answer would come back, quietly whispered, but determined; “Yes we can.”
Matt asked the question – “Can we trust God and His Word?” Yes, we can.
Last week the question was – “Do we trust God and His Word?” Yes, we do.
The question worth asking as we look at these great heroes of the Bible – not great warriors or mighty kings, but extraordinarily faithful prayers and women of unimaginable endurance and strength – the question is really – “How can we trust God and His Word?”
With prayer. With endurance when we cannot see the end. With hope even in places and times where there is no hope that we can see. With sure and certain knowledge that God is sovereign, God is in control of everything, and that all things happen according to His plan – even when we’re tempted to think we’re bad planners. But with prayer. Pray when you’re tired, weary, exhausted, frightened, angry, frustrated at the Lord because nothing appears to be working out right… but pray.
The Lord our God is faithful. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
It’s a bit like those scenes in the run-up to the American election, with Barack Obama quietly, gently, asking people in the audience what they, as people, could do. And the great optimistic answer would come back, quietly whispered, but determined; “Yes we can.”
Matt asked the question – “Can we trust God and His Word?” Yes, we can.
Last week the question was – “Do we trust God and His Word?” Yes, we do.
The question worth asking as we look at these great heroes of the Bible – not great warriors or mighty kings, but extraordinarily faithful prayers and women of unimaginable endurance and strength – the question is really – “How can we trust God and His Word?”
With prayer. With endurance when we cannot see the end. With hope even in places and times where there is no hope that we can see. With sure and certain knowledge that God is sovereign, God is in control of everything, and that all things happen according to His plan – even when we’re tempted to think we’re bad planners. But with prayer. Pray when you’re tired, weary, exhausted, frightened, angry, frustrated at the Lord because nothing appears to be working out right… but pray.
The Lord our God is faithful. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His steadfast love endures forever!
Posts
1 comment:
Dude, this is Froo from PK :-) I love your blog! Hey, if you're inclined, would you email me at my full name on PK @yahoo.com? Rho and I would like to talk in email RL, if that's ok. Cheers!
Post a Comment