Sermon Notes 12.8.2019

12-8-19               Sermon Notes                  “The Promise of Potential”

Some mornings (OK, a lot of mornings) I go through the drive-thru at McDonalds and get a large Diet Coke (just 99 cents).  Almost every time I do, a nice lady at the drive through window who takes my dollar and ten cents (with tax) says to me, “Have a blessed day.”  I say, “Thanks! You too.” I was thinking about “a blessed day” in connection with the angel Gabriel coming to visit Mary.  Gabriel says, “Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you.”  That’s not quite, “Have a blessed day,” but almost.  Mary doesn’t smile and say, “Thanks!  You too.”  Instead, she was “much perplexed…and wondered what sort of greeting this might be.”

I know what the nice lady at McDonalds means when she says, “Have a blessed day”…at least I think I do.  I think she means, “I hope everything goes great for you today.”  Amen, sister!  But Gabriel means something totally different.  Gabriel’s words are about promise and potential.  Gabriel’s comment “The Lord is with you,” is both comforting and a little scary.  And Gabriel’s comment calls for a response.  Is being “blessed” really both comforting and scary?  Does being blessed call for a response?  I think so.
Let’s look at the story again as Luke told it…  

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”  29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 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. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  35 The angel said to 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 holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[d] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
 Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
 and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
 from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
 he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
 and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
 and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
 in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
 to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
(Luke 1: 26-56 NRSV)

This Sunday we are going to dig deeper into this powerful story – a story of HOPE, COURAGE, and CHOICE (both Mary’s and Joseph’s).  We are going to look at PROMISE – (God’s Good News to us) and POTENTIAL (Our Good News to each other and the world).

HOPE to see you Sunday!
Pastor Sam

Recent

Archive

 2022
 2021
 March
Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day 13Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day FourteenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis-Day FifteenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day 16Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day SeventeenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day EighteenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day NineteenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day TwentyWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-OneWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-TwoWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-TwoWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis-Twenty-FourWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-FiveWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-SixWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Twenty-SevenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Twenty-EightWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Twenty-NineWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day ThirtyWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-OneWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Thirty TwoWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Thirty-ThreeWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Thirty-FourWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-FiveWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-SixWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-SevenWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty EightWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis- Day Thirty-NineWeird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis - Day Forty

Categories

Tags

3 Encouraging 40 Days Abraham Acts All Saints' Day Apostle's Creed Ash Wednesday Back to School Baptism Be Bold Bible study Blessings Body Build up Build Burden Busy Celebrate Center Christian Christ Church Commandment Communion Connect Four Connected Connect Core Values Core Covenant Dare Discernent Disciple Don't Stop Dreaming Egypt Faith Father's Day Father\'s Day Fear Gentle Gifts Give up Give Go Wrong Goal God Gospel Grace Growing Grow Hard Hear Holy Spirit In Charge Jacob Jerusalem Jesus Wept Jesus John Wesley Joseph Journal Journey Knowing God Labor Lent Listen Lord Love Man Martha Mary Member Ministry Mission Statement Moses Name Obey One Another Paul Peter Pharaoh Plan A Pop Quiz Prayer Psalm 102 Purpose Quiet Rejoice Renewal Saints Samarian Samaritan Sanctifying Grace Satisfied School Scripture Serving Spirit Sufferings Talking Truths Union Unity Used Why Work Yesterday accomplish actions action act admitting all ambassadors angel anger another answer arrogance ask attention attitude bad news bad beautiful before believe birthright blessed blessing boat body of Christ bold break brothers brother calling call candle care carry catch change chat children child choices choice church family circumstace commandments commitment confession consequence content control conversation courage creation cross crucified crying cry death deceiver deceive deception decisions decision dedication defeat dejected demons depth devote devotional die difficult dinner discipleship dispair divine door doubt dreams each other earth encouragement encourage equipped eternity evil excuses experience extraoridnary fair faithfulness faithful faults favor feeling fellowship financially flaw fly followers follow forgive fortune friends fruitful fruit full future generosity gift glory goal good life goodness good grateful growth grudge guest guide happen happy hard times hardship harmony hearts heart heaven help history homes home honesty honest honor hope hospitality human humble humility hungry hurt image impatient imperfect impossible inheritance inivte inspiring integrity intersect jealous judge justice keep the faith keep kept kindness kind knock lament law liar life light live load lonely long look back look loss lost lunchroom make meaning meditate mercy messed up mess minister missed mission and service mission mistakes moment money more mountain mourning mysterious near needy need new year new next notice obedience offering open oppressed others outsider pain part passionate worship past patience peace people perserverance persistent pigs place plan ponder poor position power pray preach prefer prepare prevenient price pride progress prophet protect provided provision question race reaction reap reason received receives redeem reflection reflect relate relationship remember remorse repay repentance require research respond responsible reveal revenge reward riches right risk-taking risky rivers road roll call rotten rules sacrament sacrifcially sad save secret seek self-examination sermon serve service shelter shortcomings sick sign sinners sin situations slove someone else sorrow sorry sow spiritually spiritual steps step store storm strength struggle suffering survey swine sympathize table talents tears tempted ten commandments thankful thanks theology think thoughts ticket to ride time tomorrow trait travel treasure true trust truth unbelief unclean unfaithfulness unhelpful universal unlikely people unlikely places unlikely violence wait walk on water walk wander want waves weep weird welcome when pigs fly where wholeheartedly who why? willing wisdom wise wonder worked worries worship wrestle write wrong years yesterday thinking