• The BaptistWay Christmas lesson focuses on Luke 1:26-45.
David defeating Goliath. The horseless carriage. The Spirit of St. Louis. Amelia Earhart. Titanic. Man on the moon. Computers carried in our pockets and purses. Nailing Jell-O to a tree.
Humanity yearns to see the impossible made possible. Even when attempts become failures, we love amazing stories. It must be characteristic of being made in God’s image, because, apparently, God derives great pleasure in defying logic and even the laws of nature he orchestrated. But, since he stands above time and space as well as above restriction as Creator, he can demonstrate power in ways that seem impossible to the human mind.
As much as we love amazing stories, we tend to believe impossibilities only can be reality for others, and struggle to respond to messages from God we don’t fully understand. Evidently, it was too much of a stretch for Zechariah when the angel Gabriel announced he and his aged wife Elizabeth would be parents (Luke 1:5-20).
‘Greatly troubled’
His finite mind couldn’t comprehend the extent of God’s omnipotence, so he responded with unbelief. Even Mary “was greatly troubled” at the angel’s words (v. 29); she couldn’t grasp why God chose her or how he would make this miracle come to pass.
It’s funny to me Mary wasn’t distracted by the description of her son’s grandeur: Jesus, the angel said, “will be great…and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (vv. 32-33). That’s really exciting news. Most of us—after we got past the initial shock and the physical impossibility of it—would think, “Wow! My future is secure. I’ll never have another worry; I’m the parent of a great king.” Instead, the only question Mary asked was how God planned to defy his own laws of nature and create a child without the process of human intercourse (v. 34).
Gabriel’s response is cryptic: “the Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (v. 35). The Holy Spirit is known for his life-giving character (see John 6:33; Romans 8:2, 6, 10-11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 6:8). In this passage, the new life to come not only is spiritual, but also physical. Because there is no implication of sexual activity, the Spirit’s holiness is what births Jesus’ sinless nature when coupled with Mary’s humanity. As evidence of God’s power; Gabriel shared the phenomenon of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Everything God says will happen comes about (v. 37).
Because she willingly acknowledged this truth, Mary made herself—her very body—available to God. Surely she’d seen what happened to other unwed mothers in her village; perhaps she’d even known some women stoned or abandoned to begging or prostitution. To risk allowing God to do this in her was to risk her very life, not to mention her reputation and the trust of those who mattered most to her—Joseph, for example. Yet fear did not control her; fear did not prevent her obedience.
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A sobering challenge
It’s a sobering challenge for us. We’ve seen what society sometimes does—socially or financially, for example—to those who follow Christ. Perhaps we’ve even seen churches turn away those who obeyed God in ministry pursuits that didn’t meet that congregation’s agenda. All-out surrender is risky. Furthermore, like Mary, we’re sinful beings, but neither sin nor our past exempt us from being used by God in powerful and wonderful ways.
As Monica Leigh said in her blog entry “Zechariah, An Unexpected Servant”: “God loves to use the people we least expect …. people from every race, every background and every age. Don’t ever put limits on a limitless God.” The angel’s announcement to Mary should remind us God is able and faithful to do the impossible in our lives, but we must make ourselves available and ready our hearts for the extreme changes he may ask us to make.
We’re not on this journey alone, though, and neither was Mary. After Gabriel announced Jesus’ coming, she visited Zechariah and Elizabeth (vv. 39-40), the only two people she probably thought would believe the mystery entrusted to her. Upon her arrival, Elizabeth’s baby, who would be John the Baptist, Christ’s forerunner (John 1:6-7, 15, 19-36), leaped in her womb.
Simultaneously, Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 41), blessing Mary for her faith and confidence in God’s word to her (1:42-45). As the two expectant women discussed their experiences, mulled over the angel’s visitations, and wrestled together to understand God’s work in their lives, there must have been a shared comfort and encouragement. That’s what the body of Christ should do for its members: bless and encourage one another (Romans 1:12; 2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13), especially since God’s children should recognize he has a penchant of doing things his own way—ways that often don’t make sense to us.
He asked Hosea to marry a prostitute, Isaiah to walk around naked three years, Abraham to pack up everything he had and follow him somewhere unknown, and the Hebrew nation to march around Jericho, waiting for its walls to crumble.
Called to the impossible
To what “impossibility” has God called you? For the women in this week’s passage, it was the inconceivable births of children. George Mueller’s “impossibility” was to open an orphanage and pray for God’s daily provision for the more than 10,000 children who lived there over the years. For my friends Doug and Kathryn, it’s a passion to present Christ in a predominantly Muslim nation, so they’re watching God overcome obstacles to get them there. For my friends Jeff and Laura, it’s to meet the AIDS crisis head-on in Africa as they help families and share the hope Jesus offers. For my friend Joanna, it’s to foster-parent children until God settles them in permanent homes.
My “impossibility” is to daily be the most faithful wife, compassionate mother, disciplined employee, and joyful church member I can be. The beauty of God’s “impossibilities” for our lives is he promises to never leave or forsake us through them (Hebrews 13:5), and he is faithful to complete the good work he began (Philippians 1:6).
So “be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). In faith, take that first step toward your “impossibility” today. What better gift could you give your King this Christmas?
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