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It's Advent season, and here at MyCCA we're asking, What gift do you bring to come? This Sunday we'll examine the words of Mary, let it be to me according to your word. Join Reverend Daniel as he explores the gift that Mary brought, the gift of trust.

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This morning's scripture reading is taken from the gospel according to Luke chapter 1, verses 26 to 38. Luke chapter 1, verse 26. In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, How will this be since I am a virgin? And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son. And this is the sixth month with her, who was called Baron. For nothing will be impossible with God. And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.

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Church, we are on the second Sunday of the Advent series, and it's actually the first Sunday of Advent. And today the title of my sharing is What Gift Do You Bring? And I like to propose to us this Sunday what God desires of us is to bring the gift of trust, our trust towards God and towards His purposes in our lives, even when we cannot see or fully understand His purposes. Shall we pray? Father, we want to thank you that you have given us these great and precious promises in your word. Thank you that you are faithful to what you say you will do. You are faithful to who you say you are and to your word, to what you have revealed in Scripture. And Lord, we pray today we may lay hold of the promises, the great and many precious promises you have given to us, Lord, that despite and in spite of our circumstances and predicament, we may press in in this advanced season to trust Jesus and to lay our lives before Him. We pray and ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen. Today I'll be sharing from what we call the Annunciation, which is a big word, but what it means is actually the announcement. The announcement of the birth of Jesus. And as we begin to look at the account of the annunciation or the announcement in Luke chapter 1, verse 26 to 38, we can't help but observe similar responses of the foretelling. In Luke chapter 1, if you browse through your Bible, you realize that it's a really long chapter, many, many verses, and it kind of records the birth of the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist and also the birth of Jesus. Right? So as we look at the account, as I said earlier, we can't help but see many similar responses in the foretelling of the births. One example is that the opening reference to the sixth month, in Luke chapter 1, verse 26, we read that in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Galilee, named Nazareth. We see that similarly in Luke 1:36 and 56. In particular, sorry, sorry, Luke 136, behold your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. So we see a similar dating period that was about the the sixth month, about the similar period where both Elizabeth and Mary received the news of conception. We also see that the appearance of the angel uh to Mary recalls Zechariah's encounter in the temple, who, while he was going about doing his temple duties, he saw an angel of the Lord who identifies himself also as Gabriel, the same angel that came to Mary and announced the good news of the birth of a Savior. So Luke 1, verse 11 and 19 tells us, and there appeared to him, to Zechariah, an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And verse 19, the angel identified himself. I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. Thirdly and lastly, both in language and form, the foretelling of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus are set in parallel. So there are many similar details when we put the passages side by side and in terms of the phrasing and the words being used, uh, similar patterns. Uh we won't go through that in detail, but we just have a quick glance. Uh there's a lot of similarities between the both accounts. So, what does Luke want us to see through this? I believe that the foretelling scenes of the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus, Luke tells us it functions together as a unit. Luke wants us to see it as a whole story that is not decoupled. The foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist is not decoupled from the foretelling of the birth of Jesus. But God is working out his purpose through both the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. So it functions together to fulfill the one purpose of God. So besides similarities, we also see uh points of contrast between the two sins. The first contrast is this Elizabeth has a need. She is childless, and therefore, in the society of the day, fortunately not today, but in the society of the time of Jesus, to be childless is actually disgraceful. Uh and and when someone is childless and a woman is childless, she bears disgrace in the society at that time. But Mary, in contrast, has no need for a child. She is a virgin betrothed to a man. The explication of Elizabeth's childlessness in Luke 1 verse 7, it says, But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, signals how her need has led to the recognition of something that must happen to overcome the obstacle. But we'll see later that the triple assertion of Mary's virginity in Luke 1, verse 27, A and B, and Luke 1, 34, is not presented as an obstacle to the resolution of any part, of any need on the part. In other words, Elizabeth was childless and something must be done perhaps to address that issue of childlessness. Whereas Mary herself was a virgin and she doesn't really need to bear a child at this point, being betrothed to Joseph. So a commentator says that the contrast of scenes between Elizabeth and Mary makes explicit what is already implicit, what is in the story, in the narrative itself. Which is the real needs are really not those of Mary or even of Zechariah and Elizabeth. But the real need is this Israel is estrained from God. They were under foreign Roman rule, they are oppressed and perhaps like Elizabeth, childless, barren, and therefore in need of God's merciful intervention. And God's covenant with his people has not been fully realized. All the promises of Abraham, of David has not been fulfilled. So Ishrael is oppressed, barren, and childless. But the good news is God is intervening in human history to bring forth an everlasting kingdom and symbolized by Mary bearing of the Savior child Jesus. So in doing so, God solicits and embraces the partnership of these uh characters that are being mentioned: Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph, which are Israelites and represented representative in their own ways of the people of Israel. We see that Joseph is introduced early in the story in Luke 1, verse 26 to 27. It says, In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed, to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. And this is key because the fulfillment of the Old Testament promise comes through the line of David. Because the Old Testament prophets prophesy that there will come someone from the line of David in whom will be the Messiah and in whom the kingdom will come fully through a descendant of David. It's a kingdom that will last forever and ever. So it's crucial that Luke wants us to see that Joseph is indeed of the right lineage, he's from the house of David. And this prepares for the identification of Jesus in Luke 1:32 to 33. That Jesus will be given the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will be no end. So it's important for Luke to see that Jesus is here to fulfill all that God has promised in his word, in his scripture, up to this point. We also see another contrast that Zechariah's encounter with the angel Gabriel takes place in the center of the Jewish world, in the temple, when he was offering sacrifices. It was a high point, it was a key location, the temple, a sacred place. Whereas the angel Gabriel, when he met Mary in our account today, is far from the temple in Jerusalem, all the way to Nazareth in Galilee. And according to historical records, what good can come out of Galilee? A place that is insignificant, despised, unclean by the standards of the day. So it's interesting to see that Jesus, uh the annunciation of the birth of Mary, came to a place where it's insignificant, despised, and unclean. Right? God chooses to reveal himself to Mary in Nazareth in Galilee instead of the high place. Or I mean, sorry, not high place, instead of the center place, the central place of worship in the Jerusalem temple at that time. And perhaps more interestingly for our reading today, the contrasting responses of Zechariah versus Mary's response to Gabriel's words of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus. So Zechariah's response was in a form of hesitation rooted in unbelief. Luke 1, verse 18 to 20, Zechariah said to the angel, How shall I know this? How shall I know that my wife Elizabeth will conceive? I'm old, I'm an old man, and my wife is advanced in years. And the angel Gabriel, and the angel answered, I'm Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you good news. And there's a sense of a judgment placed on Zechariah. It says, the angel says in verse Luke 1, verse 20, Behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will will be fulfilled in their time. So Zechariah's response is one of unbelief. How can this be so? Elizabeth is old, and how can this be true? Right? And Mary's response was different. Right? As our sister Jean read for us, Mary's response is, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. So our focus this morning is really to look at Mary's response to the bearing of the Savior child Jesus. And how Mary's response in turn invites us to respond in faith and trust towards God in receiving his many great and precious promises in our lives. So Mary's responses to the bearing of the Savior child Jesus. Firstly, Mary was highly favored by God. And because she was so highly favored by God, it led her to a point of being very perplexed about this. No, why are you looking upon me? Why is my Lord coming to me? Why is your favor on me? I mean, I do not deserve this blessing to give, to be the one that bears the Savior child. The status of important people in the Gospel of Luke and Acts is often communicated by their special note, by a special note of where they come from and their place in society. And because of that, they can say that because I come from this family line or I have a certain status in society, because of my predecessors, I'm standing on certain honorable grounds. So we read that Joseph is a son of David. So he has a status, he has a lineage, historical lineage and a genealogy. He has a place that will route him to the community of Israel. Whereas Mary is neither here nor there, she is betrothed to Joseph, but she has not yet joined his household. And thus, she has no claim on his inherited status. Luke's account also left out Mary's family. Nothing is mentioned about her lineage and where she came from. Mary is not introduced in any way that would recommend her as someone noteworthy of deserving divine favor. Yet, interestingly, the account tells us that the angel's greeting and declaration of Mary's favored status forms what we call an inclusio, in which at the heart of the account is God's divine favor upon Mary around her perplexity. So Luke 1, 28 to 30 reads, the angel Gabriel came to her and said, Greetings, O favored One, the Lord is with you. The Lord is with you. And this is where in our liturgy, in our Anglican liturgy, we always say, uh, the Lord uh be with you at the start of Holy Communion, and we say, and also with you, right? And this comes in some ways from Luke 1, 28, the greeting, right? Uh and came, angel came and addressed Mary, oh favored one, favored one, the Lord is with you. What a greeting. You know, I would wish that on this first Sunday of Advent that you know that God will visit me and say this to me. Greetings, oh favored one, the Lord is with you. So verse 29, she was greatly troubled. You know, why, why, why to me? I mean, I don't come from an important lineage, I'm just a woman, uh, I'm a young woman, perhaps only about 13 or 14 years old, and you know, who am I to deserve this? Why why is Angel Gabriel coming and saying that I'm favored and the Lord is with me? So, rightly so, she was greatly troubled and at the saying, and she tried to discern. No, what sort of greeting is this? No, why did the angel come to her and say such words? And verse 30 says, The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. So Mary is a favored one. Luke 1, 28 to 30 tells us that despite her great perplexity and being troubled by the saying, Mary is favored by God, even though she was not part of the genealogy, was insignificant by the standards of history and lineage. A young girl, a teenager, a youth. However, nothing has prepared Mary for this visit from the angel Gabriel for such exalted words denoting God's favor. Think of what your posture will be if you were married on this first Sunday of Advent. You know, uh imagine God, uh the angel coming to you. Uh so she was experiencing divine favor, even though she has no status, no special status or significance in the society of that time. As I said earlier, Mary was just a teenager, just any common girl betrothed to Joseph and perhaps expectant for the time where finally they would uh be legally married. So this is a pattern in Luke of God exalting the lowly and bringing down the proud. And Luke 1, verse 51 to 22. Uh, in fact, this is a song of Mary, if I'm not wrong. He says, He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, he has scattered down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. And this is uh a representation of what God has done through the annunciation, announcing that it is people like Mary that will be favored, it is the proud that will be laid low, it's the humble that will be raised high. So God has raised Mary for such a time as this. However, we see another problem because Mary was at this time a virgin betrothed to Joseph. In the culture of the day, a woman had to belong to someone. In other words, when you reach a certain age, you have to get married. Again, doesn't apply to us today. Yeah, because now we have more and more people who are single and they find their place in God's purposes by being single. And there's nothing wrong with that. But during the time of Mary, yeah, a woman literally, ancient societies, you have to get married after you reach a certain age, right? So uh and along with that, her sexual purity was uh was something that was highly valued. So at a relatively young age, anything from 12 to 14, a marriage will be arranged with someone suitable. So uh yeah, probably it's like a kind of arranged marriage. Then there would follow a legal, legally binding engagement in which the girl still stayed with her parents under their supervision. Only after this that the formal wedding occurs, after which she will move in to her husband's house. So at the annunciation of the good news by Gable to Mary, she was betrothed to Joseph, but they had not married yet. So having the Savior child, Jesus, at this stage of her life would bring much social anxiety, to say the least. And Mary could have said, God, wrong time, wrong time. I'm betrothed to um Joseph. I'm still a virgin. Why is this happening to me? Just imagine if Mary is living in our time today, what she's experiencing will be perhaps headline news in the social media. A young girl who is betrothed to a young man is found to be with a child, right? How would you feel if you were married? Would this be a scandalous news to Mary's honor for those who are not aware of the angelic visitation? Surely would there be gossip mongering among Mary's neighbors? Very likely. Yet Mary's virginity is asserted three times, as if Luke wants us to see that Mary was truly a virgin when she received the good news of bearing the savior child Jesus. We see that in Luke 1, verse 27 and 34. It says, To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And Mary said to the angel, How will this be since I'm a virgin? Right? And it's important, uh, the virgin birth is important for us as Christians because we affirm in the Apostles' Street uh the Christian doctrine of the virgin birth. It witnesses to the beginning of the incarnation, the reality of mystery of Jesus coming in human flesh to the world. And it affirms that Jesus was conceived not through a human father, though Joseph would be his adopted father, but Jesus does not have a human father. He's eternally the begotten Son of God. But the conception will come through the Holy Spirit coming upon Mary in power. So it's a virgin birth. So Mary's response of trust, which is the key uh message today, we see that Mary's gift to God, Mary's response to God was her trust. Luke 1.38 says, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. We too can trust God when he speaks clearly to us, even when our circumstances prove otherwise. This is my key point that I'd like to share with us today. We can trust God when he speaks clearly to us, even when our circumstances prove otherwise. The annunciation of the birth of Jesus shows that even when our circumstances are not positive, we do not understand how the birth will happen, like for Mary. Yet when God speaks the word to us, we can trust him. And without doubt, the angel Gabriel spoke God's word to Mary. It was a direct word mediated through the angel, but a word from God, nevertheless, to Mary. So Mary's posture was that of trust. I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. So our response today on the first Sunday of Advent, when God lays his promises on us, is that Lord, even though I do not understand how this is possible, be it unto me according to your word. Let it be so. If you say so, Lord. This reminds me of a chorus of a song by Dol Moen. I think perhaps we are all familiar. It says, Be it unto me according to your word. According to your promises, I can stand secure. Carve upon my heart the truth that sets me free. According to your word, O Lord, be it unto me. Faith like Mary's, who lays hold of God's word without wavering, is what pleases God. And today, I don't know what context or what situation you are in, but I believe God has laid many, many promises in scripture for us. Perhaps you are in a financial challenge. Uh currently, as you are going through uh the the year is winding down, you are facing a financial challenge. The Lord's promise to us in in the Gospels, especially uh Matthew chapter 6, uh, tells us that do not be anxious about your about your life, do not worry about your life, what you eat or what you wear, because God is the one that clothed us. So those are God's precious words, precious promises that we need to lay hold of. And he will be true to his word. But sometimes as we go through challenges, it's hard to see God at work. But God's word today is like Mary, he's calling us to lay hold of his great and precious promises. So that in spite and despite our circumstances, for Mary, it is uh it's a response of faith and trust because you know she she does not even know how she's going to bring forth baby Jesus, she doesn't even know how the society will view the birth, the conception. At this point, perhaps Joseph is uh unaware of the announcement of the birth yet. How would he respond as uh her husband to be? All these questions and many, many more, yet the response of Mary was a response of trust. Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. I want to close with a short reading of a couple of verses from the same gospel, a few chapters later, Gospel of Luke, verses 5. I won't read uh verse 1 to 11, it's a bit long, but just the first six verses. He says, On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him, referring to Jesus, to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Janazareth, and he saw two boats by the lake. But the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answered, Master, we have taught all night and took nothing, but at your word I will let down the nets. And we had when they had done that, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. For Simon and Peter and his fishing companions, they were fishing all night and they had no catch. Were they tired? Perhaps so. Why try again after the whole night of fishing? And moreover, um, fishing usually happens at night during uh in the time of the day because uh the fishing nets were usually constructed from linen. And usually fishermen cast their nets wide and they do it in the night because the linen cloth will be less visible in the night. And logically, fishers during the day will dive deeper to find shade to reduce light going to their eyes. So it is a bad time to fish in the daytime. Usually fishing happens at night. That's why Sam Peter and the friends were fishing in the night. So yet Jesus said, Let down your nets for a catch. And the ref response of Simon was this At your word I will let down the nets. In spite and despite of the circumstances that may prove otherwise, he trusted the word of God, let down your nets. What is impossible with man is possible with God. What is impossible in our current circumstances is possible with God. And through the encounter of uh in Luke chapter 5 of Simon with Jesus, he says in verses following that, he actually realized that Jesus, he said, get away from me, I'm a sinful man. Because through that encounter, he realized something is happening. This Jesus is different. He is a miracle-working God. You know, he can cause fish to appear in this way that as a fisherman, he knows it's impossible to catch fish at that time, at that spot. So that led him to faith and they begin to lift their nets and follow Jesus. So, what is an area of your life where you find trusting God difficult today? Like Mary, we need to say, Lord, be it unto me according to your word. Like Peter, we can respond to Jesus. At your word, I will let down the net for the catch. So as we take God at His word, God is able to change our circumstances. If we trust Him, we please Him. So faith rises today, church, when we behold God in His promises to us. Let me repeat again: faith rises when we behold God in His promises to us. It's as if we don't see anything, we don't focus on our circumstances, but we behold God and His promises to us. And when we lay hold of those promises, in spite and despite of our circumstances, God becomes real to us. And perhaps, like Mary, we are able to then say, Nothing is possible.

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