4 ADVENT 06 C

A Sunday School teacher challenged her children to take some time on Sunday afternoon to write a letter to God. They were to bring back their letter the following Sunday. One little boy wrote, “Dear God. We had a good time in church today. Wish You could have been there.”

I think it was the same little fellow who turned to a classmate and asked, “Who was Round John Virgin?” She answered, “I think he was one of the twelve opossums.”

The Christmas story is such a magnificent one – so full of tenderness and love – that we might wish God had been there.

The young bride-to-be of Joseph made no such mistake. She knew that God was at work in her life. Her cousin Elizabeth knew, too. When she greeted Mary, she spoke out with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb…”

Mary answered Elizabeth with a song, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” Mary obviously regarded her conception not as immaculate but rather as one who, as a sinner, was overshadowed by the sanctifying Holy Spirit to conceive this child within her.

“For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name…”

We would do well this morning to spend a few moments with this charming virgin named Mary, wise beyond her years. Her experience of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection was the most intimate one of all; After all, she was His mother.

If Mary were here this morning, what are some of the lessons she might share with us, as the mother of God’s Messiah?

The first lesson would be a surprising one, I suspect. She might say to us, first of all, that life is hard. Look at her life for example. She endured the scandal of an unwed pregnancy. Some parents have had to deal with a child who does some embarrassing things. Perhaps her parents, Joaquin and Anna (after whom St Anne’s church is named), must have been humiliated by this out of wedlock conception.

Mary had to travel to Bethlehem while being nine months pregnant. She should have known then that life would be no picnic. There are mothers here this morning who could tell of harrowing experiences surrounding the birth of a child. Even with all the modern advances in medical technology, there is that element of suspense at the actual time of arrival. But few mothers today have to spend the last few days of pregnancy on the back of a donkey. Most do better than a stable and the odors of cattle and sheep.

There are others who have wrestled with the trauma of abortions or who have lost a child in death, or who are still trying to conceive, who find this story of Mary difficult to hear. Perhaps these women have a sense of the rough life which Mary had. Mary, of course, had to flee to Egypt with her son; she had to watch him leave his home to become a traveling preacher; she felt the anger and hurt when her son was arrested; finally, she had to experience the pain and agony of watching her beloved oldest boy die as a common criminal on the cross of Calvary. Can you feel the hurt and pain as she watched the unmerciful cruelty of death by crucifixion?

Life is hard. Many of us are having a difficult time coping with life precisely because we think it ought to be easy; particularly at this time of the year. We want our children’s minds to be filled with visions of sugarplums. But often they see us burdened down by the cares of this world.

People who cope successfully with life are those who understand the importance of discipline and self-denial, who realize that life is a training school, that happiness is not a permanent state but an elusive quality best achieved in search of something higher.

Life is hard. Consider the rash of suicides and drug-related deaths among children of some of America’s best known celebrities. “But we gave him everything,” distraught parents moan. That is it. When life is easy, we do not learn to cope.

Consider the story of one young man. Sick and puny as a baby, he remained frail and delicate all his days. Later, as a pastor, his maladies were so severe that he could not serve his growing congregation. Instead he wrote them letters filled with hope and good cheer. Even though his body was frail his spirit soared. He complained once about the harsh uncouth hymn texts of his day. Someone challenged him to write a better one. He did. He wrote over 600 hymns – mostly hymns of praise. When his health finally broke in 1748 he left one of the most remarkable collections of hymns that the world has ever known. His name is Isaac Watts. His contribution to the Christmas season? Probably the most sung of all the Christmas hymns, “Joy to the World; the Lord is come.”

Could Isaac Watts have written so, if his life had been privileged? I don’t know. It is amazing though, how often persons who have everything are spiritual babies, whereas those who struggle through life have souls with both depth and height.

That is the first thing Mary might say to us – Life is Hard!

Here is the second: God is good!

Mary is overwhelmed that the God of all creation could have chosen her for this high honor. In her words: “He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden…” In Mary’s mind only a kind and good God would bypass the wealthy and powerful of this world to have a peasant girl bear His Messiah.

There is an ancient story of how the devil appeared, disguised as an angel of light, to a humble man who was praying in his cell. “I am the angel Gabriel,” the devil said, “and I have been sent to you.”

But the monk escaped the deception because of his great humility. Thinking himself no better than any of his brother monks, he answered simply, “See whether you were not sent to someone else. I am not worthy that an angel should be sent to me.” Unable to tempt the old man to be proud, the devil vanished.

No such deception occurred in Mary’s situation. Still, her humility was real. In her words, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree.”

You and I do not fall into God’s plan in quite the same way that Mary did, and yet most of us know what it is to be humbled by God’s concern for us. We don’t deserve such providential care. After all, who are we that the God of galaxies and mega-galaxies should be aware of our needs? And yet, with deep awareness of our gratitude, we teach our children to bow their heads and pray, “God is great, God is good.”

He is good. Not only because He chose the lowly handmaiden of Nazareth, not only because He is aware of our needs, but because He keeps His promises. That is a major part of this great miracle in Mary’s eyes. She declares, “As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”

The coming of the Messiah was the fulfillment of a long awaited promise. The people of Israel lived in anticipation of the fulfillment of that promise.

There is a story about a very wealthy woman who was too caught up in the pursuit of “the good life” that she was very neglectful of her daughter. Even when the little girl became bedridden with an illness, this mother left her in the care of a nurse and flew off for a European vacation. She felt she could shower gifts on the girl to compensate for her lack of personal attention.

While in Europe, she remembered her daughter’s birthday and sent her a rare and beautiful vase. When it arrived, the nurse brought it to the girl saying, “Wasn’t it thoughtful of your mother to remember you with another vase?” Refusing even to look at the present the girl cried, “Take it away, take it away!” And then as if her mother were in the room, she tearfully exclaimed, “Oh, Mother! Don’t send me any more things. I have enough flowers, vases, and pictures. Send me no more! I want you – YOU!”

This is the cry of a helpless and hopeless humanity as it searches the heavens for God, “We want you!”

Mary understood that the coming of the Messiah was the fulfillment of God’s promise. Life is hard. God is good.

There might be one more thing the blessed Virgin Mary would share with us. It might be this. LOVE AND LIFE ARE STRONGER THAN HATE AND DEATH.

Mary’s story is the oldest and most intimate story of all. It is a story that has been duplicated millions of times throughout history. It is the story of a mother’s love for her child. Even when He was a grown man with a ministry she could only barely comprehend. He was still first and foremost her son.

Mary’s love for Jesus, however, is but a pale reflection of God’s love for humankind. That is why the star shines above the Christmas tree. It is the star of hope, it is the star of peace, but most surely of all, it is the star of love.

Bruce Larson tells a beautiful and true Christmas story that appeared sometime back in the Denver Post. A week or so before Christmas, a pastor told his congregation about a needy family who was facing a very bleak Christmas. One young father decided to do something about that. He and his son set out in the family pickup truck to cut down a fresh evergreen and deliver it to this destitute family. They ran into a rock slide and a bolder hit the truck. IT was totally destroyed. The windshield was smashed and while the father was not hurt, the young boy was cut by glass and bleeding severely. They tried to wave down a passing motorist to help, but to no avail. Finally, after over two hundred cars had whizzed by, one stopped. The couple in the car took care of the injured boy, returned the two of them to their home, and then went on. The father and son never got the names of their two ministering angels.

In a week’s time the truck was repaired and the boy’s injury healed. On Christmas Eve, the pastor asked this same man if he would deliver a basket of food and toys to the needy family he had set out to bring the tree to earlier on. He was glad to. They loaded up the truck and drove to the address they were given and rang the doorbell. Who should answer the door but the couple who had stopped to help him on the highway just a week before?

Life does not always work out that neatly, of course. But love works. Life works. Herod and Pilate are dead but Mary’s son lives!

I don’t know what kind of holiday season this has been for you. I hope it has been the best one ever. Perhaps, however, it has been a difficult time. If so, learn these lessons from Mary’s song: Life is hard. God is good. Love and life are stronger than hate and death.