When You're Having a Messy Christmas

²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 

³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 

³⁵ 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. ³⁶ 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 barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ 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.  (Luke 1:26-38, ESV)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! At least that’s what the song says. But that isn’t always reality, is it? For the woman whose daughter is in jail and she’s having to be a full time mom again at 70, things aren’t so wonderful. For the man who has missed work due to sickness and can’t afford to fix the leaking roof or buy Christmas for his kids, thing’s aren’t so wonderful. For the parents who just found out their teenager has been using drugs, things aren’t so wonderful. For the woman who is trying to work full-time, look after her family and care for her very old, very sick mother, thing’s aren’t so wonderful. For the one who expects to spend Christmas surrounded by extended family that can’t stand each other, things aren’t so wonderful.

For some people, things aren’t wonderful. Things are a mess. If you’ll think about it, Mary’s situation was rather messy. She was just a young teenager. She and her fiancé were poor. And now she finds out she is pregnant. She could actually be put to death, engagements in those days were considered legally binding. She would be accused of adultery. Sure she was a virgin, but who was going to believe that? And how in the world was she going to tell Joseph?

But Gabriel’s message to Mary was so wonderful that in the middle of her mess she was compelled to say, “I will serve You, Oh God.” The angel’s announcement to Mary is shouting three words for all to hear. God is good! But the truth is when life is a mess the goodness of God doesn’t always seem real, something we can see and feel. If your life seems to be a mess you need to listen with your heart. God’s goodness needs to go beyond being a concept you agree with to a reality that moves your very heart and soul. You need to see and hear and feel the goodness of God so that you will be compelled to serve Him, even in the middle of a messy Christmas.

The message to day is this: Even when life seems to be a mess, serve God because He is good. First, I want you to see God’s goodness revealed. Then, we will see our response revealed.

I. God’s goodness revealed (Vv 26-37)

God’s goodness is revealed in three ways. First, we see God’s grace. To tell an unmarried teenager that she is going to get pregnant would not normally be considered good news. But when the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, look what he says. “Greetings! O favored one, the Lord is with you.” The word favored is a form of the word grace. We see it again in verse 30; “You have found favor with God.” Gabriel is telling Mary that she is the recipient of much grace. God has smiled on her. Understandably, Mary is afraid and confused. But Gabriel reassures her that her upcoming pregnancy is an act of God’s grace and kindness.

Mary had the honor of carrying God’s own Son in her womb. What an undeserved act of kindness. But beyond that God, was sending His own Son to redeem unworthy sinners. This really is amazing grace. For God to go that far to save ungrateful, rebellious people is infinite grace.

Imagine the smart kid in Algebra class. He’s small and kind of a nerd. There’s one guy in the class who picks on him constantly. He calls him names, pushes him around, embarrasses him in front of other teachers and students. He basically makes his life miserable. Then one day the smart kid notices this guy in the library, and he’s almost in tears. He walks over and asks, “What’s wrong?” The bully says, “If I fail the Algebra exam I won’t pass for the year. But I just can’t figure this stuff out.” So, the smart kid pulls out a chair, sits down next to this guy who makes his life miserable, and says, “I can help you.” If you’re that bully, how does that change the way you feel about that kid? How does that change the way you see him? How does that change the way you treat him? You have rebelled against God and rejected His right to rule over you. You have spurned His love time and again. And yet He send His Son to save you. That’s grace. How does that change the way see God, the way you feel about God, the way you treat God?

There’s more here than just God’s grace. We also see God’s faithfulness. Gabriel explained that Mary would give birth to the Savior and Christ God had promised to send to His people. His name was to be Jesus, the Lord saves. He would be the Son of the Most High God. He would sit on the throne of His father David and His kingdom would have no end. This is a reference to God’s covenant with David recorded in 2 Samuel 7. This is the promise Isaiah refers to in Isa. 9:6-7. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his  shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. The child Mary was going to give birth to was the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a King and Redeemer to save His people.

God isn’t just gracious. He is faithful to His word. He promised He would send a Savior and He was doing it. God always does what He says He will do. He is faithful.

Ten year old Melinda believed him when he told her he would treat her like one of his own, take time with her, and always be there for her. But once Tony and her mom got married it quickly became obvious that he didn’t mean those things at all. He didn’t do any of the things he promised he would do. That’s why when he told her she was going to Disney World over spring break she didn’t get excited. She had no reason to believe anything he said. Besides, her mom hadn’t even mentioned it. But then one day Melinda got a phone call. It was her grandpa. She absolutely loved her grandpa. He said, “Hi sweetie, did you hear? Me and grandma are taking you to Disney World over spring break?” All of a sudden joy and excitement began to build. It started in her feet and she was jumping up and down. Pretty soon she was dancing around the room with tears of happiness flowing down her cheeks. Why didn’t she act that way when Tony gave her the same news? Well, Tony wasn’t like her grandpa. You see. Grandpa always kept his promises. Let this reality grip your heart. God always keeps His promises.

He promised Abraham would have a child in his old age, and He did. He promised him he would have many descendants, and he did. He promised He would give them the land of Canaan, and He did. He promised He would send a Savior to Deliver His people, and He did. Jesus promised He would die for our sins, but He wouldn’t stay dead. On the third day He would rise again, and He did. He promised He would wipe every tear from your eye and He will. He promised He would take away death and sorrow and pain, and He will. He promised if you would serve Him it will all be worth it, and it will. How do I know? I know because God is faithful.   

We see God’s grace and we see God’s faithfulness. Now I want you to see God’s power. How in the world would Mary become pregnant with the Son of God when she had never even had sex? The answer comes in verse 35. The word “overshadow” is used  in Exodus 40:35. There it speaks of the presence and glory of God settling on and filling the tabernacle. The Spirit of God was literally going to come upon Mary. Her womb became a Holy of Holies for the Son of God Himself. Jesus was literally the Son of God.

This all must have seemed so impossible. So the angel gives her a little incentive to believe. “Your relative Elizabeth, you know wife of Zechariah. You know how old she is. You also know she has always been unable to have children. Well, now, in her old age she is pregnant, six months pregnant in fact.” Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a miracle. She was old and barren but was now going to give birth to the one we know as John the Baptist. Verse 37 holds the key. “Nothing is impossible with God.” It doesn’t seem possible that the virgin Mary could become pregnant with God’s child. But for God nothing is impossible. That’s the power of God.

And what makes the power of God so awesome is that He exercises it for the good of His children. The power of God at work in Mary’s life was for the good of all who would come to trust in Jesus. Listen Christian, God uses His power for your good.

Black bears and Grizzly bears are among the extremely powerful animals. Do you know when you are most likely to see a display of their great power? It’s when they are trying to protect or provide for their young. That’s how God is. He will not hesitate to display His mighty power when it is for the good of His own. 

The power of God divided the Red Sea. The power of God gave Israel manna from heaven and water from a rock. The power of God protected the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the Lion’s Den. The power of God raised Jesus from the dead. And it was all for the good of His people.

If your life is kind of messy right now you need a fresh vision of the goodness of God. Church, God is good. He is gracious. He is faithful. He is powerful. He has been so good to you and me. We can see God’s goodness revealed. Now let’s see our response revealed.

II. Our response revealed (V 38)

How do we respond in light of the overwhelming goodness God has shown us? We serve Him with all of our heart. Mary said to the angel Gabriel, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.” The word “servant” refers to one who was a slave, the property of another. Mary was saying, “I exist for His purposes. I am His to command and control.” So, to serve God means to obey God. But there’s more. Mary also said to the angel, “let it be to me according to your word.” In other words, may God’s will be done. So, serving God also means submitting to God’s will.

In light of God’s goodness we obey Him and give ourselves to His purposes. But we need to keep something in mind. “He is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). We don’t serve God in a way that makes Him look needy. We serve God in a way that makes Him look glorious and wonderful. We serve God in a way that reveals we need Him and we delight in Him.

We don’t serve Him like the lazy teenager who has to work on Saturday night, grumbling, complaining and only half doing his job. No! We serve God like the man who is desperate because he has been out of work for 6 months and has just been given his dream job. We serve with delight. We give our best. Everything we do shows how grateful we are for God’s goodness.     

Show your love for Him in your words and actions. Pursue His glory in every area of your life: job, family, leisure. Seek to know His will at every point of decision. Give yourself and your resources to advance His kingdom and cause in the world. Live your life in such a way that it reveals Him to be the most glorious and wonderful and beautiful being in existence. Serve Him with all of your heart. 

Angel was the department manager in apparel at Modell’s Sporting Goods. One day a new employee, Joey, came to work in her department and she was responsible for showing him the ropes. What she didn’t know was that Joey was really the CEO of the company, undercover. Angel made a very good impression on her boss. He was blown away by her commitment to the company and her overall attitude. And in the process of getting to know Angel, he discovered that she and her three children were living in a homeless shelter. Long story short, Mr. Modell finally told Angel who he really was. He told her how impressed he was with her work. He gave her a promotion to assistant manager, along with a $14,000 raise. And not only that he was so moved when he found out she was homeless that he gave her $250,000 tax free so she could get her own place to live. Now let me ask you a question. How do you think Mr. Modell’s goodness will affect the way Angel serves him and his company? She will serve him with unquestioned loyalty, feeling she can never repay him. His goodness will motivate her to do her very best for the company. She will want to make him proud.

Mr. Modell’s goodness to Angel can’t even begin to compare to the incomparable goodness God has shown to you. And that despite the fact that you were not serving Him well. Angel was serving her boss before he did anything for her. You weren’t. You rebelled against Him. You gave your love to other people and other things. You rejected Him and lived as if He didn’t even exist. And yet, He gave you a promotion. He promoted you from hell bound sinner to heavenly saint. He gave you a raise. He raised you out of hopelessness and despair and death. He even provided you with a home. In fact, you’re going to live in His house.  Think about His grace. Think about His faithfulness. Think about His power. Think about how good He is. Let His overwhelming goodness grip your heart.

Things may be tough right now. But don’t lose sight of the fact that God has been incredibly good to you. Don’t let your circumstances cause you to get disillusioned so you stop serving God as you should. Even if life seems to be a mess, serve God because He is good.  Serve him with unquestioned loyalty, knowing you can never repay him. Let His goodness motivate you to do your very best for His glory. Serve God in a way that makes Him proud.