Mary, Mother of Jesus
Series: Steadfast in Faith
Speaker: Jess Bakic
Date: 5th January 2025
00:00:00 --> 00:00:27 A very good morning to you and also Happy New Year. We are only a few days into January and it is a real delight to be here today. I know many of you here. I've been a member here for quite a long time. I think I'm heading not far off 20 years, but it is a great joy to be here. I'm also on staff here, so a lot of you will know me in a far more operational capacity than what you see me here today.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:47 In fact, you won't know me in this capacity at all. I am definitely a case of a long time listener, first time speaker. I emphasise a little bit with Mary today as I have slightly been placed in the spotlight, so to say. So thank you very much for that, Steve. I appreciate that.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:55 But in all seriousness, though, it is actually a joy and a privilege to be asked to speak on Mary, Jesus' mother.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:07 And I hopefully will encourage you all, and Mary will encourage us all, to be inspired by her faith in what we'll see as really quite scandalous circumstances.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:12 So let's begin by having a little bit of a look about who Mary is.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:23 Mostly, we think of Mary at Christmas, don't we? We might see her in a nativity. I grab this from my nativity scene at home.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:28 That's generally where we might see Mary. We don't even really see her much in the shops anymore.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:33 Every now and again, you might see a little bit of a nativity scene. But generally, this is what we think of when we think of Mary.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:38 Mary. She's very much part of Christmas.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:44 And in fact, the Bible doesn't give us a lot of specific information about who Mary actually was in terms of a biography.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:51 Of course, the spotlight and the gospel tends to be more focused on her son, Jesus, and rightly so.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:59 And we don't actually hear anything about Mary until Gabriel, the angel, comes and speaks to her.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:04 Some things we do now about Mary is that she was a Jewish woman.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:09 She was probably born around 20 BC in Nazareth, in Galilee.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 And she would have been living in the first century Roman Empire.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:18 As a Jewish woman of this particular time, her path in life would have already been planned out for her.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:23 When we very first meet her, she's actually engaged to Joseph.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:28 And she probably wouldn't have been much more than 15, which is not very old.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:32 I have a daughter who's 15, so this story blows my mind every day.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:40 As a Jew, Mary would have been taught about and learnt to memorise the Hebrew Scriptures, which is also known as our Old Testament now.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 Jewish people had to know Scripture.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 They had to commit it to their hearts and their minds.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 They knew it inside and back to front.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:51 So she would have known about the promised Messiah.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:59 Mary is mentioned a few other times in the New Testament, but without much more insight as to who she is as a person.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:06 One key moment worth mentioning is at the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 In John chapter 2.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:13 This event is actually quite a significant turning point in the relationship that Mary has with her son, Jesus.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:17 She shifts a bit from being his mother.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:30 She continues to be still his mother, but she takes on more of a discipleship and a follower role as he turns water into wine and brings on some miracles in his life.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 Mary was also at Jesus' crucifixion.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:40 And we do know that she was still alive when the new church began, and we can see that in Acts chapter 1.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:45 After this time, there's no other mention of her in the Bible at all.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:51 We know that Mary had other children, such as James, who went on to lead the early church in Jerusalem.
00:03:52 --> 00:04:00 And while we don't have a lot of details about Mary's life, we know a lot more about her than we do about her husband, Joseph,
00:04:00 --> 00:04:06 which is incredibly significant and very unusual in this patriarchal society.
00:04:06 --> 00:04:13 As the most significant woman in the early Christian movement, quite a lot of speculation and legend has surrounded her.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 For instance, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary was sinless.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:26 And as someone sinless, they teach that she would have been bodily raised into heaven before she neared death.
00:04:27 --> 00:04:31 And for some, she's actually even more significant than Jesus to the Christian faith.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:40 She is prayed to as the mother who has the ear of her son and can therefore intercede on behalf of those who pray for her, pray to her.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:46 However, if the Bible is our authority in these matters, and here at St. Paul's the Bible is,
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 we hold fast to the truth that the Bible is the word of God here,
00:04:50 --> 00:04:55 then there's no explicit evidence or even implied assumptions that this is the case for Mary.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:02 The Bible encourages us to have a very realistic picture of who Mary was.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 She was a human in every way, just like we were.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:10 She's not to be elevated to any kind of demigod status.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:17 Mary is an engaged teenage peasant girl of Jewish heritage from a backwater nothing village in Galilee.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:28 She has absolutely no social standing, and she is well on her way to disappearing into a life of obscurity, just like most of us.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 And then everything changed.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:37 Our Mary of history is thrust into the spotlight, and her life takes a substantial shift.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:41 So let's have a look at what her life might have looked like as it takes a turn.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 Everything changed when she had a visit from an angel.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:49 This angel has informed her that she is going to have a baby.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 Now normally that would be a very exciting time.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 It's a moment of excitement, it's a moment of joy.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 You probably want to go share it with everybody that you know.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:02 And perhaps this was actually Mary's hope after she and Joseph settled down.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:08 Instead, Mary finds herself deep in the middle of a...
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 Because this baby is going to be born out of wedlock.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:19 I just want to paint a little bit of a picture for you as what this might look like in Mary's day and in her society.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:29 Women in this culture who had children out of marriage could at the very best carry a very unpleasant stench-like stigma around with them for the rest of their life.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:34 Or at worst, it could actually bring physical danger, possibly even death.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:40 And would also extend to their husbands as well as probably their extended family.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:45 We see in Matthew 1 that even Joseph had decided to break off the engagement.
00:06:46 --> 00:06:50 He knew that if he married her, then they and their families would be shunned,
00:06:50 --> 00:06:54 and they'd always be suspected in their shame and honour society.
00:06:54 --> 00:06:59 So for her to accept this situation that the angel has presented,
00:07:00 --> 00:07:04 Mary knew that for the rest of her life, she would be stigmatised as that woman.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:12 And there is no indication as her life went on that this speculation or this gossip ever would have left her.
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 It's not like everybody believed that Jesus was God's incarnate,
00:07:16 --> 00:07:21 and so Mary carried the stigma of being an unfaithful woman for her whole life.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:26 Who was going to believe a pregnant peasant teenage girl that God made her pregnant?
00:07:27 --> 00:07:33 And who was even going to believe an older woman, her relative Elizabeth, that the Holy Spirit made her pregnant?
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 So just to add to this stigma in Mary's life,
00:07:39 --> 00:07:43 she also had the issue of being the mother of Jesus.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:50 I'm going to say that to raise the Son of God is probably going to bring about a fairly substantial amount of pressure.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 So after the scandal surrounding his birth,
00:07:56 --> 00:08:02 it is likely that many people around Mary would not have been very warm or welcoming as her life went on,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:06 because as Jesus grew older and throughout his life and throughout his ministry,
00:08:07 --> 00:08:12 Mary would have experienced speculation and disdain over many of Jesus' claims.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 And I think it's also helpful to remember that she was a normal human mother.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 She had normal feelings and she had normal emotions,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 and yet she was raising a perfect, sinless child.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:32 When Jesus was 12, his family was returning to Nazareth from Jerusalem after the Passover feast.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:38 A full day after leaving, they realised that Jesus was not with them.
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 They lost the Son of God.
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 And they took three days to find him.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:48 Now, if you are a parent or a carer of a child in any way,
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 and you haven't laid eyes on them for a few minutes,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 you may know the feeling.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 The feeling of initial stress building up,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 to panic a little while after.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 Even if it's just a few minutes,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 it feels like hours.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:06 One of my children used to go and hide underneath the clothing racks when we were in the shops
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 and couldn't find them.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 Zach, where are you?
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 Can't find you.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 But eventually you find them.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 When you do, there comes this feeling of relief,
00:09:17 --> 00:09:22 but there is also this irritation, frustration that's going on as well.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 So you can imagine the frustration that Mary must have felt
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 and how distressed she would have been after three days.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 So when they eventually located him back in the temple,
00:09:32 --> 00:09:32 she said,
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 Son, why have you treated us like this?
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 Mary was hurt by what appeared to be the carelessness
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 and the selfishness of Jesus.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 And while Jesus tried to explain to her,
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 she actually at this stage still didn't understand.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:57 There were many times that Mary had to deal with the frustration
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 of taking second place in Jesus' life.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:04 Matthew tells us of a time where she arrived at the house where he was teaching
00:10:04 --> 00:10:08 and the crowd was so large that she had to stand outside the house
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 and just be patient and just wait quietly.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 There were many times that she just had to wait quietly
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 while his ministry unfolded.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 And probably the worst for a mother,
00:10:19 --> 00:10:23 she experienced the grief and the horror of watching her son
00:10:23 --> 00:10:28 tortured and killed by crucifixion,
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 the most horrendous way of death.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 In so many ways,
00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 Mary had to let go of what she treasured so much in her son Jesus
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 so that he could fulfil God's mission.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:46 Mary was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight over 2 years ago
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 and she is still in the spotlight today
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 despite us not knowing very much about her.
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 We've just celebrated Christmas.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 Seems like a million years ago.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 It was only a couple of weeks.
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 Around half of the world's population celebrate Christmas.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 It's the most widely celebrated holiday in the whole world.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 More than 160 countries declare it a holiday season.
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 So Christmas is big.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 But it started very, very small.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 It started with a teenage girl
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 in a nondescript town in the Middle East.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 And what the angel told Mary
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 was a message that had been foretold for many years.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 This teenage girl was the very first person
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 to get the message
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 that the long-promised great salvation
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 would come into this world
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 through a baby born in Bethlehem
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 and that his name would be Jesus.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:40 This Jesus is Lord of the Universe
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 descending into time and into space
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 to save humanity.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 Mary is the very first person
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 to hear the good news
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 in the form that we have it today
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 and it's pretty incredible
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 that our model for belief in Jesus
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 is a teenage girl,
00:11:54 --> 00:11:58 an unwed peasant teenage mother.
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 Mary is still in the spotlight today
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 not just because she is the mother
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 of the most influential person in history,
00:12:05 --> 00:12:09 but because of how she responded to him.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 And this is where we might see,
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 this is where we see Mary's steadfast faith.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 With all that Mary was navigating
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 from such a young age
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 and right through her life,
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 her faith is quite remarkable.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 Mary's first response to the angel
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 is a healthy doubt.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 The assumption of many of our day
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 is that religious people
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 just don't ask questions.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 They just have a blind faith
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 and they just turn their minds off.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 But this is not what Mary did
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 and it's not what we should do either.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 When the angel showed up
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 and greeted Mary,
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 we're told in Luke 1
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 of Mary's response.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 It says,
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 Mary was greatly troubled at his words
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 and wondered what kind of greeting
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 this might be.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 Now to be clear,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 I have not studied
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 any ancient languages at all.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 However,
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 as I worked on this talk,
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 I had a privilege of doing
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 a bunch of research and reading.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 And during this time,
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 a helpful point that I came across
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 was that this word in the passage,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:09 wondered,
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 in its original language,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 is an accounting word.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 It means to take an audit.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 It's a rational word.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 It means taking stock
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 or weighing up arguments.
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 And I felt it's important to clarify
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 because when the angel showed up
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 and Mary started to ask questions,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 her response is very thoughtful
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 and it's very considered.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 It's the heart
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 and it's the head
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 working together.
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 She has her doubts.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 She's asking questions.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 And this is so important
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 because we can often assume
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 that these ancient people
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 are a little more ignorant
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 than us modern people.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 In our modern arrogance,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 we just assume
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 that former generations and ages
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 were superstitious
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 and that they believed anything.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 And yet,
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 people back then
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 had the same kind of IQs
00:13:58 --> 00:13:58 that we do now.
00:13:59 --> 00:13:59 They could think.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 Mary is responding
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 in the same way
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 that we would
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 if an angel showed up
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 and started talking to us.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 The difference between
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 them back then
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 and us now
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 is that we have been trained
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 not to believe
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 in the supernatural at all.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 But Mary,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:16 as a Jew,
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 had been taught
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 not to think
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 that God could possibly
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 be human at all.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 And so be assured
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 that the barriers
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 that Mary faced
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 for belief
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 back then
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 are just as big
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 as the ones
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 that we face today.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:34 But a combination
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 of evidence
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 and experience
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 can shatter
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 those barriers.
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 It's interesting
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 earlier in the chapter
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 that an angel
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 appeared
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 to announce
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 another miraculous birth.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 this time
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 to Zechariah
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 who was the father
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 of John the Baptist.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 Now Zechariah
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 also asks questions
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 and he is very doubtful.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 The angel
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 ends up striking him mute
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 and he can't speak
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 until his son
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 is born.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 Mary's response
00:15:05 --> 00:15:05 to the angel
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 is very similar
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 but the angel
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 blesses her
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 and leaves.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 So what is that
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 all about?
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 Did Zechariah
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 get a grumpy angel
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 and Mary's
00:15:16 --> 00:15:16 was in a better mood?
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 Not at all
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 but what we have
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 is the Bible's nuance
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 on the issue
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 of doubt.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 The Bible doesn't
00:15:25 --> 00:15:25 present doubt
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 as being all bad
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 or all good.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:30 There's a kind
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 of doubt
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 that is a sign
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 of a closed mind
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 and a kind
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 of doubt
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 that is a sign
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 of an open mind.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 One kind
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 wants answers
00:15:40 --> 00:15:40 and the other
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 doesn't.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 Mary's doubt
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 is the kind
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 that wants answers.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 She is absolutely
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 willing to get
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 out of the driver's
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 seat of her
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 own life
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 if she can be
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 shown that the
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 truth is other
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 than what she
00:15:52 --> 00:15:52 thought.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 Zechariah's doubt
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 was using questions
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 as a way
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 to stay in control
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 of his life.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 Mary's doubt
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 finally led to
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 what we might
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 call a cautious
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 surrender.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 Her words
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 in Luke 1.38
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 are great.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 It says,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 I am the Lord's
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 servant,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 Mary answered,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 may your word
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 to me be fulfilled.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 She knows
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 what she's
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 being called
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 into.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 She's about
00:16:24 --> 00:16:24 to have a child.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 Even if Joseph
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 stays with her,
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 people will be
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 able to add it
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 up.
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 They had calendars.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 She lived
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 in a traditional
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 paternalistic
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 society.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 She knew
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 she would
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 always be seen
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 as the bearer
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 of an illegitimate
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 child.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 child.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 She was
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 about to
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 begin a life
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 of disgrace
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 and she
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 says,
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 I'll take
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 it.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 I could
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 only imagine
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 that she
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 was cautious
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 but it
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 was a
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 surrender.
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 When the
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 angel said
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 that she
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 was going
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 to give
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 birth to
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 a child
00:16:57 --> 00:16:57 and you
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 will call
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 his name
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 Jesus,
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 Mary knew
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 right away
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 that something
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 significant
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 was going
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 on.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:04 Mary didn't
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 get to do
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 what is normal
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 and right
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 for a parent
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 to do.
00:17:08 --> 00:17:08 She didn't
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 get to choose
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 the child's
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 name.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 In every
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 other normal
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 case,
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 the father
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 and the
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 mother have
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 authority over
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 the child.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 It is their
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 right to
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 name the
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 child but
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 not this
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 child.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 If Jesus
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 were to come
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 into Mary's
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 life or
00:17:25 --> 00:17:25 into our
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 life, he
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 would be in
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 charge.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 He names
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 us.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 We don't
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 name him.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 He calls
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 the shots
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 for us.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 We don't
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 call the
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 shots for
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 him.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 Mary says,
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 I am the
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 Lord's
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 servant.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 May your
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 word to
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 me be
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 fulfilled.
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 Mary knows
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 she is
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 taking her
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 hands off
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 her own
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 life and
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 she is
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 taking Jesus
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 into her
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 arms.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 Her
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 surrender
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 was willing
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 and it
00:17:51 --> 00:17:51 was joyful
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 even if it
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 was cautious.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 She doesn't
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 do it under
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 duress.
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 In fact,
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 Mary heads
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 off to
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 visit her
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 cousin
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 Elizabeth.
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 We see
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 from verse
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 36 that
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 she is
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 miraculously
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 pregnant with
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 John the
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 Baptist.
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 When the
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 pregnant Mary
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 arrives at
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 Elizabeth's
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 house,
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 John leaps
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 inside of
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 Elizabeth.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 While Mary
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 is visiting
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 her relative
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 here,
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 it is
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 actually a
00:18:15 --> 00:18:15 meeting of
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 the two
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 children.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 Even as
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 an unborn
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 baby,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:19 John
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 acknowledges
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 that someone
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 greater is
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 in the
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 room,
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 so to
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 speak.
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 Elizabeth
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 confirms to
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 Mary that
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 in fact Mary
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 is carrying
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 the Son
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 of God.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 She says,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 blessed are
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 you among
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 women and
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 blessed is
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 the child
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 you will
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 bear.
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 But why
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 am I so
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 favoured that
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 the mother
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 of my
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 Lord should
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 come to
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 me?
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 And at
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 this point,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 Mary overflows
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 with joy that
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 God's promised
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 Son and
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 Rescuer is
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 coming into
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 the world and
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 she breaks
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 out in song.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 I'm not
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 going to sing.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 It is a song
00:18:57 --> 00:18:57 that declares
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 God is true to
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 his promises.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 He is a
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 merciful God.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 He is a
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 powerful God.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 He is a
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 God who
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 turns the
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 values of
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 the world
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 on their
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 head by
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 favouring the
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 poor, the
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 hungry and
00:19:11 --> 00:19:11 the lowly.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 So what can
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 we take away
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 from Mary
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 here?
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 Why are we
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 looking at
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 Mary now
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 after Christmas?
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 This poor
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 teenage girl
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 at the bottom
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 of the first
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 century social
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 ladder is
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 now known by
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 the vast
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 majority of
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 people who
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 ever lived.
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 Not because
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 she made
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 herself great
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 but because
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 she humbled
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 herself and
00:19:39 --> 00:19:39 she surrendered
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 to the one
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 infinitely greater.
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 What is even
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 more amazing is
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 that she did
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 this before
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 she knew what
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 the greater
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 one was going
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 to do for
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 her.
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 The Easter
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 events tell
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 us that
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 everything Mary
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 did for
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 Jesus, Jesus
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 had done for
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 Mary but by
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 infinite
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 measure.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 We're told
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 later in the
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 New Testament
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 that though
00:20:03 --> 00:20:05 Jesus is the
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 creator, God
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 of the universe,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 he humbled
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 himself and
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 he became a
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 servant for
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 all.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 He went
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 lower than
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 anyone before
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 him.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 He became
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 the baby of
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 the lowest.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 The God
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 whose power
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 and might
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 created the
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 universe was
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 cradled in
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 the arms of
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 the teenager
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 that he
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 made.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 This God
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 took his
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 hands off
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 his life.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 Just before
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 his execution,
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 his prayer to
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 his father
00:20:38 --> 00:20:38 was,
00:20:39 --> 00:20:39 not my
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 will but
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 yours be
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 done.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 Just like
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 Mary said.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 As we head
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 into 2025,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 as we think
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 of our own
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 faith in God,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:51 as we consider
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 the depth of
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 our relationship
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 with Jesus,
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 this side of
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 the cross in
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 the 21st
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 century,
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 may we not
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 fall lower
00:20:58 --> 00:21:00 or fall short
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 of the faith
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 that this
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 first century
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 unwed,
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 peasant teenage
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 mother from
00:21:06 --> 00:21:06 Palestine.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 We have more
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 resources than
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 Mary did.
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 We live this
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 side of Jesus.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 We have Easter.
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 We have the
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 ultimate reason
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 to follow in
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 Mary's footsteps.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 Mary didn't
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 have the benefit
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 of knowing that
00:21:21 --> 00:21:21 her son would
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 die.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 that he would
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 be resurrected
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 and that he
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 would repair
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 the broken
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 relationship
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 between humanity
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 and our
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 creator God.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 We have that
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 benefit.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 We have the
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 benefit of
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 God's gift to
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 us over 2
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 years ago.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 We have the
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 evidence of
00:21:39 --> 00:21:39 Jesus' death
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 and his
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 resurrection and
00:21:41 --> 00:21:41 we have the
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 evidence of
00:21:43 --> 00:21:43 his promise to
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 this world
00:21:44 --> 00:21:44 fulfilled.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 We are able
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 to see Jesus
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 being a great
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 servant.
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 we have
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 God's
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 goodness.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:53 We have
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 his kindness,
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 his infinite
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 generosity.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 We have the
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 gift of the
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 Holy Spirit.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 Mary believed
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 the angel when
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 he said in
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 verse 37 that
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 with God
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 nothing is
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 impossible.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 A poor
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 15-year-old
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 near the bottom
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 of the social
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 ladder knew
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 that if she
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 surrendered to
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 God she would
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 fall even
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 lower.
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 yet her
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 faith, her
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 trust and
00:22:21 --> 00:22:21 her deep
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 love of
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 God allowed
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 her to
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 accept his
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 plan.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 She humbled
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 herself and
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 she became a
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 servant and
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 she sings.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 In this
00:22:35 --> 00:22:35 scandalous
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 situation,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:37 unsure
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 situation,
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 she breaks
00:22:40 --> 00:22:40 out in song
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 and she
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 spends time
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 praising God.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 and for
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 2 years
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 she has been
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 celebrated as
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 blessed.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 The way of
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 greatness is
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 the way of
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 the humble
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 surrender to
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 the infinitely
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 great one.
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 So this
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 year, as
00:23:01 --> 00:23:01 you consider
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 your next
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 step, please
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 treasure Jesus.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 Open your
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 heart and
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 your mind.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 Echo the
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 words of
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 Mary over
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 every aspect
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 of your
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 life.
00:23:15 --> 00:23:15 Let it be
00:23:15 --> 00:23:17 done according
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 to your
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 will.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 Amen.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 Amen.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 Amen.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 Amen.