1 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:12,200 So our teaching scripture this morning comes from Luke chapter 2 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:19,320 1, verses 26 to 38. In the sixth month the Angel 3 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:23,480 Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 4 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:28,320 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph of the 5 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,759 House of David. The virgin's name was Mary, and 6 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:36,120 he came to her and said, greetings favored one, The Lord 7 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,800 is with you. But she was much perplexed by 8 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,120 his words, and pondered what sort of greeting that this might 9 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:44,920 be. And the Angel said to her, Do 10 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:49,760 not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God, and 11 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:52,880 now you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you 12 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,560 will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be 13 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:00,440 called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to 14 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,720 him the throne of his ancestor David. 15 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,120 He will reign over the House of Jacob Forever, and of his 16 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:11,800 Kingdom there will be no end. Mary said to the Angel, How can 17 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,920 this be, since I'm a virgin? And the Angel said to her, The 18 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,960 Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High 19 00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:23,560 will over shadow you. Therefore the child to be born 20 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,320 will be holy. He will be called Son of God. 21 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,400 And now your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also 22 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:36,200 conceived a son. And this is the 6th month for 23 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:40,120 her, who was said to be barren, For nothing will be impossible 24 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:44,200 for God. Then Mary said, Here am I the 25 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,440 servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word. 26 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:51,440 And then the Angel departed from her. 27 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:58,720 This is the word of the Lord. It probably wouldn't surprise 28 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:01,480 any of you who know me to know that there has been a lot of 29 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:06,120 talk about babies in my house lately because I have a newborn. 30 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,240 And there's been a lot of explaining because of my 31 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,440 daughter, Edith, who is 5. And so we talk about the need 32 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,280 for gentleness and support for the baby's head. 33 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:20,440 We talk about holding babies and their sleep, the way they can 34 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,920 play and how they grow so quickly. 35 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,760 We infer that baby Hildegard's favorite activity is probably 36 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:32,360 eating, and we identify the cues Hildegard gives her when she's 37 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,800 hungry because she can't talk. During one afternoon of 38 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:41,800 questions, I made the statement everyone was a baby once, and 39 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,720 Edith pause thoughtfully as five year olds do now. 40 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,160 Some context here. She's in kindergarten. 41 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,960 She goes to a Catholic school that actually has like pretty 42 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,640 good religious Ed, and she comes home with worksheets about the 43 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:58,560 theology of the body, talking about how God made us and how 44 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,600 our bodies matter, not just our brains and our spirits. 45 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,680 She's learned the Lord's Prayer, which we sometimes pray together 46 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:10,720 as a family at bedtime. In rotation alongside art, 47 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:16,160 music, gym and library is catechesis where she engages in 48 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:21,000 play based story time and imaginative exercises bringing 49 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:25,480 Bible stories and the love of God to life and exactly the way 50 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:27,840 that young children can understand. 51 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:32,160 So with all of this, there has been an influx of fresh 52 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:36,000 theological observations and questions in our house as of 53 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,040 late. Really good questions. 54 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,720 And so during an afternoon of play and questions about baby 55 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,360 care in which I made the statement we were all babies. 56 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,360 Once she hit me with the banger, even God was a baby. 57 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,160 She said it in a way that a kid will respond if you said no one 58 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,440 knows everything. And the kid said even God, like 59 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,120 they had caught you in a trap or somehow managed to hit the end 60 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,600 of knowledge. When she said even God was a 61 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,800 baby, I think she was thinking about the creation of the world. 62 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:15,040 How could the God make the world and be a baby? 63 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:21,399 But of course, as confusing as it is, God was a baby because 64 00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:25,080 Jesus came as a baby. I reminded her of this, and we 65 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:27,240 quickly moved on. But for a split second, you 66 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:32,120 could see the processing all right, Jesus is God, and God was 67 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:36,040 a baby too. This morning's text is that of 68 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,880 the Annunciation, a scene depicted in pieces of some of 69 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,720 the greatest artists in the history of the world, a scene 70 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,880 acted out by elementary school children and Christmas pageants. 71 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:53,800 Mary is always in blue and angels wear white robes with 72 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,160 feathers and sparkling gold pipe cleaner Halos. 73 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:01,640 The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her that she has 74 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:06,200 found favour with God and will bear a son who is to be named 75 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:12,400 Jesus, who will be great and called the Son of the Most High. 76 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,720 Everything about this encounter and exchange is extraordinary. 77 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:22,760 And today we're going to just sit with this passage and the 78 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,640 profound meaning that it carries, and we will really 79 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:32,480 linger with Mary considering the peace offered, received and 80 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,560 experienced in her encounter with the Angel. 81 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,360 In verse 26 of this morning's text, we enter into Mary's 82 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:45,360 story. God sent the Angel Gabriel to a 83 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:50,280 town in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin engaged to a man 84 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:53,400 whose name was Joseph of the House of David. 85 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,560 Gabriel is the Angel of the Old Testament book of Daniel, who 86 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,440 helps Daniel understand overwhelming and intense 87 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:04,680 prophetic revelation about the rise and fall of empires in 88 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:10,000 exile, which happened some 550 years earlier, right at the 89 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,600 beginning of Luke. Earlier in this first chapter, 90 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,360 Gabriel appears to the priest Zachariah in the sanctuary, and 91 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:20,360 there Gabriel greets him, saying, Do not be afraid, 92 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,560 Zachariah, for your prayer has been heard. 93 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,880 Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him 94 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,400 the name John. You will have joy and gladness 95 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:32,320 and many will rejoice at His birth. 96 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:37,200 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God 97 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,320 with the spirit and power of Elijah. 98 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,200 He will go before Him to turn the hearts of parents to their 99 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:47,240 children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to 100 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,760 make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 101 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:55,880 Last week, Jared spoke of the ministry of Zechariah and 102 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,200 Elizabeth's child, John the Baptist. 103 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:03,240 That ministry was foretold by Gabriel even as it was initially 104 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:07,640 disbelieved or at the very least questioned by Zechariah, his 105 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:11,560 frightened father, who found himself face to face with a 106 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:16,240 mighty messenger of God. After Zechariah's questioning, 107 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,600 Gabriel said that Zechariah would be unable to speak until 108 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,840 such time as what he had prophesied came to pass. 109 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,160 And indeed, that is exactly what happened. 110 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:32,160 And here in verse 26, at God's direction, the Angel Gabriel 111 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:36,080 appears to Mary in the town of Galilee called Nazareth. 112 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,800 It's specific. It might as well say Mary. 113 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:45,800 In Ohio, Franklin County, we're told about the passing of time 114 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,160 in the sixth month. It doesn't mean June. 115 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,440 It means that it was the end of Elizabeth's second trimester, 116 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,680 just after her five months of seclusion, as was mentioned just 117 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:58,520 a little bit earlier in the passage. 118 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,360 And for clarity's sake, Luke tells us that Mary is a virgin 119 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,320 and that she's engaged to be to a man whose name is Joseph. 120 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,160 It's like that. The old iMovie templates from 121 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,640 the era when we all carried digital cameras on vacation, the 122 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,880 ones that began with the the slowly turning globe and then 123 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:19,840 zoomed all the way into the specific spot that we had 124 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:22,920 visited. Scripture is doing that here, 125 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:28,120 showing us exactly where Mary is and exactly who she is. 126 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:33,039 It's marking the time and the place within the context of 127 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:35,440 Elizabeth's miraculous pregnancy. 128 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:39,559 The story we're about to read is sandwiched within Elizabeth's 129 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:42,679 story, and that sandwiching is Luke's doing. 130 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:44,640 It's the way the narrative was recorded. 131 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:48,920 But the ordering of events is a very important part of Mary's 132 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:53,280 experience, of her encounter with the Angel, and of her 133 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:58,680 pregnancy itself. Greetings, favorite one, The 134 00:08:58,680 --> 00:09:03,080 Lord is with you. This pronouncement from Gabriel 135 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,280 to Mary seems entirely tracking with the person of Jesus who 136 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,840 made a habit of spending time with those in the community who 137 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,440 lacked status, affluence, and power. 138 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:18,320 But remember, we're at the beginning of Jesus's story on 139 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:22,320 earth, and so there are no crowds following Jesus, no one 140 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:26,920 reaching for his robe to be healed, no, or breaking perfume 141 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:30,920 over his feet. Jesus hasn't told his confusing 142 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:33,600 parables because he hasn't been born yet. 143 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,080 And though in light of what we know comes later, it does make 144 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:39,680 sense that Jesus would come into the world this way. 145 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:45,240 Nazareth was a small agricultural village, not on any 146 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:49,160 major trade routes. The community worked in farming, 147 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,040 day labor, basic craft work and the like. 148 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:58,080 Mary was probably a non literate adolescent, her household living 149 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:00,920 hand to mouth in a substance economy. 150 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,080 All of the traditional markers of special were absent. 151 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,840 And yet the Angel who brought the revelation to Daniel stands 152 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:15,440 before her and says, greetings favored 1 It's so silly, 153 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:19,560 especially in comparison to the Annunciation to Gabriel coming 154 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:22,480 and proclaiming to Mary that she will carry in her womb the 155 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:26,000 Saviour of the world. But the image that comes to mind 156 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,400 is from the world of the children's Arthur. 157 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:34,480 Author Roald Dahl. Charlie Bucket is a poor, quiet, 158 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:39,320 seemingly unnoticed child among far more dazzling characters, 159 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:44,160 though he is meek and kind, and in the end, Mr. Willy Wonka 160 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:47,720 doesn't give his Chocolate Factory to the loudest, the 161 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,280 wealthiest, the smoothest, or the most clever. 162 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:55,120 Even caring old Grandpa Joe is passed over at the end of the 163 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:57,760 book. Mr. Wonka gives his factory to 164 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:00,720 Charlie. This is an extraordinary, 165 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:04,720 unexpected pronouncement in a fictitious story which, just 166 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,880 like the great glass Wonka Vader, go sideways and slant 167 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:11,400 ways and long ways and back ways and square ways and front ways, 168 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,640 as good literature is want to do, it pricks the imagination 169 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:19,240 and speaks to that which is profoundly human. 170 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,160 We do not expect favour on the lowly. 171 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:31,080 And yet to marry, Gabriel says. Greetings, favoured one, the 172 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:34,840 Lord is with you. This is a statement of divine 173 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:39,120 attention and of love. My child, you are beloved, and 174 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:42,680 the Lord on high not only sees you but accompanies you. 175 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:47,440 The Lord is with you. But she was much perplexed by 176 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,600 his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 177 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:55,400 This response is noteworthy. Perplexity seems appropriate. 178 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:58,040 Maybe also surprise. Ah, wonder. 179 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,080 Notably, her response is different from that of 180 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,120 Zechariah. When he met Gabriel in the 181 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:07,440 sanctuary, Zechariah was terrified and fear overwhelmed 182 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:10,240 him. The difference between Mary and 183 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:13,880 Zachariah's responses, and indeed their entire encounter 184 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,560 with Gabriel, are important. These two stories are side by 185 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:21,040 side, and yet they are so similar and also different. 186 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,960 It's like Luke is inviting us to compare and contrast the same 187 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:28,240 way a third grade teacher would invite his students to consider 188 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:31,400 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in something like James 189 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:35,320 and the Giant Peach, both fantastical children's books by 190 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,400 Doll. Bible scholar Deborah Middleton 191 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,040 points out that both Zechariah and Mary are faithful to God, 192 00:12:42,560 --> 00:12:45,560 but it is Mary who is the favored one of the Lord. 193 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:49,920 John will walk before the Lord, but it is Jesus who will be 194 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,040 called Lord. And of course, Mary is the 195 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:58,280 foretold child's future mother, whereas Zechariah is the future 196 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:01,480 father. This particular point of 197 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:04,400 difference is exceptional even if we look at narratives of 198 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,000 miraculous births in Scripture more broadly. 199 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,440 Besides Jesus and John the Baptist, there are miraculous 200 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:15,320 births in Genesis. God promises Abraham a son, and 201 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:19,480 Sarah gives birth to Isaac. Isaac petitions God for a child 202 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,800 for Rebecca. In Judges, Samson's unnamed 203 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:27,520 mother is visited by an Angel and told that she will conceive, 204 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,680 and a second angelic visitation occurs, this time with her 205 00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:35,280 husband Manoa present. There are a couple of other 206 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,960 miraculous births in Scripture, but based on what I've shared, 207 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:45,360 can you notice a trend? In most cases, the petition, 208 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,000 prayer, or encounter with the Lord related to the miraculous 209 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:53,640 presence Pregnancy is associated with the Father, with Hannah and 210 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,640 First Samuel being the notable exception. 211 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,920 And in every other case besides that of Mary, the miraculous 212 00:13:59,920 --> 00:14:02,720 birth followed the earnest petitions and grief of at least 213 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:05,240 1/2 of a couple longing to conceive. 214 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:10,240 Thus, Gabriel's encounter with Mary is unprecedented, and we 215 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:15,640 haven't even gotten to the part about Jesus yet, though indeed 216 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:19,480 the Angel says, do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor 217 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,120 with God, and now you will conceive in your womb and bear a 218 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,880 son, and you will name him Jesus. 219 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:29,800 He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, 220 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,880 and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor 221 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:35,240 David. He will reign over the House of 222 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:38,480 Jacob Forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end. 223 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:43,240 This is it. This is why God sent Gabriel to 224 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,320 Mary. This is the news that will 225 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:49,840 resolve her initial perplexity. And it is so much more than 226 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,680 that. It's the literal dawn of the 227 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:57,280 Messianic Age. Consider what dawn feels like 228 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,960 when you've been waiting. I remember waking up before dawn 229 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,320 on my wedding day. I was sleeping on the couch 230 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:06,920 because there were so many guests in my apartment that I 231 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:11,000 ended up without a bed. The living room was flooded with 232 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,720 light. Think of young children just 233 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:16,760 waiting for their like red, yellow, green light to turn 234 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:20,040 green, giving them permission to get out of bed in the morning. 235 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:22,960 Or if you're my house, waiting for it to turn yellow because 236 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:24,840 that means you can come snuggle with Mama. 237 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,000 Think of those same kids on Christmas morning. 238 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:34,240 One of my favorite artists, Tracy Chang, made an 8 painting 239 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:38,840 collection on motherhood Between the hours from dusk until dawn 240 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:45,400 called When light breaks in view, blue hues with small 241 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:49,840 shades of bright color move with lines that almost feel like a 242 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:55,000 pulse. Up and down they break in Grays 243 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:00,120 and purples as the lines lift and curve, almost daring to be 244 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,880 too bright. To me, the paintings feel like 245 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,160 they have words, like they say everything even though they 246 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:11,960 literally say nothing at all. Individually and alongside each 247 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:15,520 other, they show movement. Like the many movements of the 248 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:17,680 night when you are caring for a newborn. 249 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:21,440 They hold the anticipation at sundown. 250 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,640 They embrace the tiredness, love, and fear that move in 251 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:29,080 wordless motion across the unobserved hours of night. 252 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:33,280 They hold these physical and emotional movements as they 253 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,840 settle behind the infilling of light that comes with the sun. 254 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:44,240 Waiting is known in a particular way by our elders. 255 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,800 I think of Anna and Simeon, spirit LED, faithful followers 256 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:52,120 who had been waiting for the Messiah all their lives and who 257 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:55,760 met the baby Jesus and the Temple and who knew who he was. 258 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:01,280 Mary was an Israelite, but as an adolescent she did not know 259 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,960 waiting as Anna and Simeon knew waiting. 260 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,880 She hasn't grown all the way up. Her prefrontal cortex is still 261 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,000 developing. She hasn't seen all the ways 262 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,440 that the powerful and political make promises and fail to keep 263 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,640 them. As we age, we come to know what 264 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,440 it is to watch relationships come together and fall apart and 265 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:27,200 sometimes come back together again, to see hope fulfilled, 266 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:30,400 deferred, and dashed all the way to pieces. 267 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,360 We come to know what it is like to make it through the lean 268 00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:38,800 years and enjoy a certain bounty and loss. 269 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:45,480 The young can no grief and lost, but the old almost certainly do. 270 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:52,800 When Gabriel came to Mary, Mary had not experienced all these 271 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:57,680 things that come with age, and while dramatic and traumatic 272 00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:01,040 moments of hardship endured by the Israelite peoples would have 273 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:04,840 been known to her passed down, she would have known them as the 274 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:09,400 stories of her community, not as someone with first hand lived 275 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:14,080 experience. Her world was small, she knew a 276 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,320 strenuous life under the self-serving thumb of the Roman 277 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:21,960 Empire, but had no experience, personal experience, of war and 278 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:26,000 exile, and so her framework for waiting and longing would have 279 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:30,200 looked like that of a faithful young person, and the context 280 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:34,360 for it would have been domestic. So less about Washington, more 281 00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:38,160 about the literal food on my table, the hours my father can 282 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,320 get at work, and the transmission going out in the 283 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,480 family car. And being born of Mary. 284 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:46,800 God is proclaiming love and care for the plane. 285 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:51,000 Yes, God loves the high and mighty, and God is on the side 286 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:55,080 of the poor and oppressed. I'd like to point out too that 287 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:59,000 Mary's experience of waiting and longing is not discounted. 288 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,720 As a young person, though she does not know the ache and 289 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:06,560 longing of waiting decades, the Angel comes to her. 290 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,440 Her experience of waiting for the Messiah, that which she 291 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:14,000 would come to know within her community and that's which she 292 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,480 would have personally held as a young person engaged to be 293 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,960 married in a small agricultural community, is implicitly met. 294 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:26,520 Her framework is praying for good weather and maintaining a 295 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:30,320 domestic space, the health and Wellness of the loved ones 296 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:35,080 around her, and in all of this longing for provision, relief, 297 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:38,360 sustenance, literally their daily bread. 298 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:44,120 And here the Messiah is coming to her, her literal body. 299 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,760 Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favour with God, and 300 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:51,760 now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you 301 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:56,280 will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be 302 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,560 called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him 303 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,800 to the throne of his ancestor David. 304 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:06,000 He will reign over the House of Jacob Forever and of his Kingdom 305 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:11,280 there will be no end. Peace can be quiet and calm. 306 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:15,040 I think that that's. What comes to mind first when we 307 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,720 think of peace? But I can only imagine in this 308 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,440 moment, Mary's peace. Like the majestic roar of the 309 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:27,080 ocean or the sudden view of moving galaxies inside. 310 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:30,680 She is not still with this announcement. 311 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,880 She is flush with thoughts and feelings that overtake her 312 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:38,200 entire person, and with this announcement, the real and 313 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,160 present worries and longings set on top and the deeper aches that 314 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:45,760 run beneath them are relieved, stopped in an instant. 315 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:50,760 This is peace out loud. Mary said to the Angel, How can 316 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,600 this be, since I am a virgin? And the Angel said to her, The 317 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:58,560 Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High 318 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,320 will over shadow you, and therefore the child to be born 319 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,520 will be holy. He will be called the Son of 320 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,800 God. Friends, God is creator and God 321 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,920 is always leaning toward communion with creation. 322 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:18,000 And here in this scene, a cosmic story lies within a profoundly 323 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:22,160 physical experience. It's like going to a 3D movie 324 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,400 and taking your glasses off. You can see the same image but 325 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:27,800 in like 2 different ways. Separated. 326 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:30,920 They are confusing and it all makes more sense when they come 327 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:34,960 together at the cosmic level. This announcement is the 328 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:37,720 resolution to what was undone in Eden. 329 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,720 In creation, the Spirit of God hovered over the earth. 330 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:46,040 It was a creative act. There was a beauty and there was 331 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,440 order. And it was broken by our first 332 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:52,960 mother and father, Adam and Eve, as they listened to the serpent 333 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,080 and ate of the forbidden tree in the garden. 334 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,520 And from these first pages of Scripture, through the Abrahamic 335 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:03,000 story and now to the Gospels of the New Testament, to where we 336 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:07,840 are and the first pages of Luke, God moved toward God's people, 337 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:11,960 however perpetually wayward. And here in this announcement, 338 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:15,000 the resolution to the story begins in a new way. 339 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:20,280 Gabriel's words to Mary are an answer to the very first promise 340 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:24,200 God made after the Fall. Speaking to the serpent to evil 341 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,200 itself, God said that one day the offspring of a woman would 342 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,640 crush its head. This begins as the Holy Spirit 343 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:34,480 comes upon Mary and the power of the Most High overshadows her. 344 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:38,640 The coming upon Harkins back to the very beginning. 345 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,600 The word over shadow carries a meaning like that of the poetry 346 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,600 of Genesis 11, where the Spirit of God moves over the waters of 347 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:50,440 chaos in creation. These are both moments of 348 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:53,320 creation. In Genesis. 349 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:58,520 God creates the world, and here and Mary Jesus the new Adam, the 350 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:02,480 Redeemer comes forth. The child to be born will be 351 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:09,600 called the Son of God. And in all of that, Mary's 352 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:14,400 pregnancy was a pregnancy. Her body ached and slowed with 353 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:17,120 fatigue. She carried the Son of God as a 354 00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:19,360 babe in the womb who kicked her at night. 355 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:22,720 She couldn't sleep comfortably on her back. 356 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,320 She needed to eat a lot and all of the time. 357 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:29,320 And slowly as the weeks were on, her belly grew and grew to the 358 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,160 point where it would have no longer been possible to keep it 359 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,400 a secret. The Angel said. 360 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,680 And now your relative Elizabeth, in her old age has also 361 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:42,160 conceived a son. And in this, the 6th month for 362 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:46,160 her who was said to be barren for nothing is impossible with 363 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:50,560 God. A few weeks ago I walked Edith 364 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,920 to the library after picking her up at the bus stop. 365 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:55,960 We played together in the children's area and I was 366 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,240 quietly resting on the soft couch on the side of the room. 367 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:05,240 The library was busy, as it often is after school, but this 368 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:08,280 was a calm corner. Most of the kids at this 369 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,400 specific branch were in high school, so they were over in the 370 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,240 teen area. As I fed Hildegard, I cast my 371 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:18,200 eyes back and took an all that was in the kids area. 372 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:22,200 There were a number of Playstations, learning activity, 373 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:26,760 sections of books grouped by age and theme, and then over along 374 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:31,040 the wall there were a few rooms, doors to staff spaces, 375 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,840 restrooms, and I spied and had made note of something labeled 376 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:36,720 family room or something like that. 377 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,640 I made note because if the kids area had been busier, I might 378 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,080 have preferred a private room to feed the baby. 379 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:47,080 Right after I spotted the room the door opened. 380 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:53,000 A tired mother with a baby that looked about the same size as 381 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,680 mine locked eyes with me immediately. 382 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,600 I think she literally reached toward me as soon as she opened 383 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:02,600 the door. She started walking forward and 384 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:04,760 realized the door was going to close behind her and was kind of 385 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:07,960 like and shoved a little trash can in the door to keep it from 386 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:12,360 locking behind her and she ran over and she said does your baby 387 00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:15,520 spit up all the time? I just fed my baby and I think 388 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:19,640 she spit it all up and I asked her how old her little girl was. 389 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,480 It was almost the same age as Hildegard, and I affirmed that 390 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:27,040 my baby had just started spitting up a lot more too, and 391 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,360 the tense stress in the woman's shoulders softened immediately. 392 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,120 Now in this context, I did ask a lot of questions. 393 00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:37,400 I clarified I had no medical expertise, that she should call 394 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:44,040 her doctor's office, but we had a long chat about sleeping and 395 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:47,040 feeding schedules, little developmental steps, birth 396 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:50,000 stories. She had an Uber dropper off in 397 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,280 front of the hospital and the Uber driver didn't know where to 398 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:54,600 go. And anyways, it's crazy. 399 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:02,560 But in the exchange, the urgency and fear of the moment melted 400 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:06,320 away. Urgency and fear that very 401 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:10,640 easily could have been my own if she had found me two hours 402 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:12,600 earlier. Pregnancy and postpartum days 403 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:14,600 are filled with every kind of up and down. 404 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,440 Before leaving. We took a selfie with our 405 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,680 babies, exchanged info and we've been texting ever since. 406 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:27,600 It's like a meet cute for moms. But the truth is. 407 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:31,920 Something important and powerful transpired in this happenstance 408 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:36,880 encounter at the Public Library. The intense vulnerability of 409 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:42,040 pregnancy and the 4th trimester was safely held as it was shared 410 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,920 with someone who knew the same experience. 411 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:51,000 Mary. Was just told that she's going 412 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,280 to carry the son of God. And that the. 413 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,840 Spirit of God is to over shadow her. 414 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:03,000 How magnificent, and how much for her shoulders. 415 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,200 Can you imagine the? Peace that Mary would have 416 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,920 known, knowing that while she was only to carry the Son of 417 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:16,560 God, that her much older relative was also carrying a 418 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,600 miraculous pregnancy. This older woman was. 419 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:24,480 Getting on in years, she experienced disgrace for her 420 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:29,080 barrenness that came with grief. She longed for a child, and she 421 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:32,240 experienced social stigma for not being a mother. 422 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:36,680 Childlessness was considered a source of shame and an indicator 423 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:40,680 of a lack of divine favor, and it produced economic 424 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:43,840 vulnerability there. Had to have been. 425 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:47,520 Comfort and knowing that Elizabeth was also carrying a 426 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:51,240 miracle. Elizabeth, who had endured the 427 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:55,240 sideways glances in the quiet rumors the years of whisper 428 00:27:55,240 --> 00:28:00,200 judgement, was now just a few months ahead of Mary and a 429 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:04,840 miraculous pregnancy of her own. Mary is the new. 430 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:08,240 Eve, carrying the one who will crush the head of the serpent 431 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:12,160 and reign over the House of Jacob Forever, and the angels 432 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:16,960 very next word to her, is about an older relative whose life has 433 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:20,000 also been overturned by God's mercy. 434 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:25,680 Talk about comfort and joy. New creative life. 435 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:29,960 Was forming within Mary, and God immediately speaks to her about 436 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,720 someone she knows who is older, upright and trustworthy. 437 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,280 Someone who knows something of what it is to have her life 438 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,880 rewritten by divine intervention. 439 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:47,240 It is so incredibly human. God is giving Mary not only a 440 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:51,480 promise, but a person, a companion in the miracle. 441 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:54,200 What piece? It must have brought her to know 442 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:57,800 of Elizabeth's pregnancy even before she visits her. 443 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,840 We don't often think. Of waiting and peace together. 444 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:07,640 The spouse who walks. With their beloved, through a 445 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:11,160 diagnosis and rigorous, repetitive medical treatment, 446 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:13,920 knows waiting. They know what? 447 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:16,480 It is to sit. With their beloved experiencing 448 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,840 pain that they can't lessen, they know what it is to wait for 449 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:24,400 test results and openings in the specialist's calendar. 450 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:29,400 They know what it is to wait on insurance pre authorization and 451 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,840 to repeat the assessment three months from now. 452 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:34,440 They. Know how to wait? 453 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:38,840 And a literal waiting room. And that spouse? 454 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:42,200 Knows peace like a breaking dam when the Doctor gives the all 455 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:46,040 clear and their beloved rings the bell on their way out of the 456 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:48,240 building, hopefully for the last time. 457 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,600 Waiting and peace. Absolutely can have a kind of 458 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:56,560 inverse relationship where peace settles when the waiting is 459 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:59,040 done. But I would. 460 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,760 Want to remind us of where we started today? 461 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:04,520 God came. As a baby. 462 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,640 The new Adam was. Not a military leader or a 463 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,120 sophisticated front page politician. 464 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:15,120 He wasn't famous for performance or fine possessions. 465 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:20,000 Most of us sitting here in this old white church building on a 466 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:25,040 Sunday morning and 2025 are able to easily accept this. 467 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,760 The Jesus we've been taught about and encountered as in any 468 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:32,120 of those things. But when we think about Jesus, 469 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:34,760 we recall his ministry and miracles. 470 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:38,480 We appropriately cling to the image of the cross and the 471 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,400 proclamation of his resurrection. 472 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,840 But before any of that, he was a baby. 473 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:50,600 A baby who grew. In life and strength from inside 474 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:56,400 the womb of a poor young woman in an agricultural community in 475 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,840 the Middle East. And even then. 476 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:06,880 Jesus was God waiting and peace can come together. 477 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:10,800 On the second Sunday. Of Advent. 478 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:14,040 We will come to the Advent wreath later and light 2 479 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:17,840 candles. And today's candle is for peace. 480 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:24,840 We proclaim peace. Lately I've been reflecting. 481 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:28,800 A lot on the pandemic. I know it wasn't that long ago, 482 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:30,760 and it also feels like lifetimes ago. 483 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,960 We've lived through like 6 unprecedented since then. 484 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:39,280 But 2020 feels. Close to me now because 2020 was 485 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:41,840 the last time that I was pregnant and the last time that 486 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:45,200 I had a newborn. The first day that OSU banned 487 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:49,760 partners from OBBOBGYN offices was the day of my first 488 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:52,960 ultrasound. I went in by myself because 489 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:55,840 Thomas was stopped by security at the exterior door. 490 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:58,320 When? Edith was born No. 491 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:02,480 One visited us in the hospital because no one was allowed and I 492 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:05,680 was the worst kind of sleep deprived stir crazy in the first 493 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,080 weeks of her life because we couldn't go anywhere. 494 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:12,000 At the time. Thomas was working at the 495 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:16,080 hospital at nights and I had the baby by myself on weekends and 496 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:20,040 now I have a healthy baby and while on maternity leave we 497 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,320 slipped into uncrowded coffee shops. 498 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:26,520 We hosted our Central Community group in our home like normal 499 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:28,440 when she was less than two weeks old. 500 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:31,680 And I got so. Much joy from that. 501 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:35,960 Our experiences now are so different from my experiences 502 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:39,440 then, because the world is an entirely different place, even 503 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:44,000 though I find myself in the same tired postpartum haze. 504 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:46,320 So. This year when the. 505 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:49,320 Christmas trees went up and the lights of the season began to 506 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:53,200 burn at night. Another 2020 memory came back to 507 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:57,840 me strongly. It was right at. 508 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:01,560 The end of the year when Edith was a few months old that they 509 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:04,560 started getting close to an inaccessible COVID vaccine. 510 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:06,640 The first. Healthcare. 511 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:11,360 Worker in Ohio was vaccinated this week, five years ago and. 512 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:13,960 Access in those early. Weeks and months was tiered in 513 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,520 an effort to serve the most vulnerable, but I can remember 514 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:21,560 as somebody who was home with a newborn whose world was crashing 515 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:24,840 in and who missed her people that it. 516 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:27,880 Felt like there was. Something powerful and tangible 517 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:32,080 that was changing direction. And I remember that. 518 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:35,920 Year there was a way that that I hung on and some others hung on 519 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:41,840 to the phrase a weary world rejoices like we never had 520 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,800 before from the. Christmas hymn. 521 00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:49,520 O holy Night, a weary world rejoices. 522 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,360 As we waited. It felt like a prophetic 523 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:55,880 proclamation of peace as it had never been before. 524 00:33:55,880 --> 00:34:00,400 Peace breaking in in the most dramatic, necessary, physical 525 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,880 and also emotional kind of way. I. 526 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:06,200 Was still. Waiting. 527 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:12,280 Still keeping my baby at home. Still without backup child. 528 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:16,159 Care still. Living with a daycare. 529 00:34:16,159 --> 00:34:18,280 Closing for 10 days all of the time. 530 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:20,960 We. Waited with caution. 531 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:24,199 And yet, for the first time since the world had closed down, 532 00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:27,080 it felt like we could see something beyond the present 533 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:30,440 circumstance. We were still waiting. 534 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:38,080 And. We knew peace this morning as 535 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:43,800 we. Come into ministry time, I 536 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,960 invite us to. Hold on to whatever part of 537 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:50,440 Mary's story this morning that the Lord was speaking to you in. 538 00:34:52,199 --> 00:34:56,040 That she was the favored. One that God saw her in her 539 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,600 average ways. That she was able. 540 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:05,040 To experience peace and comfort that God could speak to all that 541 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:08,520 was going on inside and her literal need for relationship 542 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:12,360 and friendship at the same time. And I would want. 543 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,720 To remind us. That peace the. 544 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:20,560 Peace of God is available to us even while we are waiting. 545 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:22,560 Jared, did you have? Anything to? 546 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:27,120 Add Yeah, just. For ministry time, you know, 547 00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:29,480 we'll have some folks prepared to pray. 548 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:33,040 And I just had a sense from the scripture that you shared this 549 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:37,040 morning, Tori. What made it possible? 550 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:42,600 For Mary to bear this was the Holy Spirit came upon her and I 551 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:46,960 just had a sense that for some of you, you would love the Holy 552 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:49,920 Spirit to kind of over shadow you in the season that you're in 553 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:52,560 right now. We would love to pray for you. 554 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:55,360 Just that you would have an encounter with the Spirit to be 555 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:59,080 empowered for whatever it is that you're facing as you wait 556 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:03,480 expectantly for peace. So we're going to invite the 557 00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:07,960 worship team back up here. Those who are going to be 558 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:11,000 praying this morning would love for you to kind of take your 559 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:14,800 station, so to speak. And we are going to light the 560 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:19,640 Advent candle as we head back into worship from the early 561 00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:22,920 centuries of the church. Christians have marked the four 562 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:27,080 weeks before Christmas as a season of preparing our hearts 563 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,840 for the coming of Christ. The. 564 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:32,560 Lighting of the Advent. Candle emerged as a simple 565 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:35,600 practice to help the Church remember the growing light of 566 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:40,200 Christ in the midst of darkness, echoing the prophet's longing 567 00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:43,720 and the church's hope. And so as we worship, each 568 00:36:43,720 --> 00:36:48,760 candle reminds us that the story of Jesus draws near hope, peace, 569 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:51,320 joy and love. Breaking into the world. 570 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:55,040 The prophet Isaiah writes of the coming Messiah. 571 00:36:55,040 --> 00:37:00,400 The Lord who formed me in the womb to be his servant, says, I 572 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:04,600 will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may 573 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:09,200 reach to the ends of the earth. Kelly is going to go and light 574 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:13,720 the 1st 2 candles. Not the pink one, that's. 575 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:18,080 Right. That's fine. 576 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:19,840 Yeah, good. Job Kelly, thank you. 577 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:25,600 So today we light. The candle of peace. 578 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:30,720 Thank you, Kelly. We remember the God. 579 00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:35,920 Who speaks gently, Who comes not in force, but an invitation? 580 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:40,320 As Mary received the angels greeting, we open ourselves to 581 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:44,840 the peace that God longs to pour out into our hearts. 582 00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:49,360 Come, Holy Spirit. Fill this room with your 583 00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,000 presence over. Shadow us, God. 584 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,200 Give us peace beyond understanding. 585 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:57,160 Invite you to stand if you're able to. 586 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:00,760 Worship with us. Please come forward to. 587 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:03,440 Receive prayer for anything that you would need prayer for.