3:00 p.m.
Our eyes locked. I nodded, she nodded. I knew what she was thinking. She knew what I was thinking. Mint chocolate chip peanut M&M shake - an extra large. Ivanhoes Shake Shop knew how to speak our language after a long semester of studying and exams. Before the long drive home after finals, before we packed up, we celebrated with our favorite shake. It was a shake shop that served 100 different flavor shakes - so they knew how to speak a lot of people’s language.
When you agree with someone about something there is this sense of harmony. All is well with the world. The stars have aligned.
It’s a moment in time where you are not alone. You are completely in sink with how another person is thinking.
Those mint chocolate chip peanut M&M shake moments are rare because we mostly don’t agree with people. Actually it is more that they don’t agree with us.
How about you? Do you usually agree with with other people? Do people usually agree with you?
Did you agree to come here today or did you get dragged here? Either way, I’m glad here.
For those of us who are perhaps a little more rebellious in our thinking. A little less agreeable about things more complicated than mint chocolate chip peanut M&M shakes, you are not alone.
History is full of people, and governments, and countries who could not find ways to agree. They argued, they had conflict, they ever went to war.
Christmas, the original one, began over 2000 years ago with an agreement.
God reached down out of Heaven and sent an angelic ambassador, a messenger named Gabriel to a young Hebrew woman named Mary who was just living a regular, ordinary, nothing special kind of life in Nazareth.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. Luke 1:30-33
Mary was confused because she had never been with a man. The angel let her know that this child would not be conceived in the ordinary way. For this child would be the Son of God.
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Mary’s whole life was to change in that moment. Her entire future would be different than what she had ever envisioned. So many questions must have raced through her head.
Would her fiance Joseph understand? Would her parents? Would her friends? Would she get kicked out of her community?
Why her? How could she do this? Her child would have a throne, like he would be a King? Could he really be the promised HOPE for their nation? Would this child be the one they had been waiting for? Would he save her? Would he save us all? So many questions.
Here is what she said, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
She just agreed. Okay, let’s do this.
God looked at her and Mary looked him and their eyes locked. God nodded and Mary nodded. Let’s do this. We’ve got this.
I can only imagine that the moments after that moment, days, months, and even years later that Mary must have struggled with doubts and questions.
Mary’s response to God was amazing. She basically said: Let it Be, Even in Uncertainty.
The Christmas story begins with complete agreement. Total buy in to what God had for her to do. She was all in.
Let it Be, Even in Uncertainty
.Later, her relative Elizabeth would see Mary and proclaim, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:45
Elizabeth was amazed. Wowed. Impressed. Thankful that Mary responded had responded the way she did. It was a blessing.
What would have happened if Mary said no? OOh...I don’t know Gabriel.... This sounds kind of hard. I’m not sure I’m up for this. Can I think about it? Get back to you? I just kind of want to weigh the pros and cons….
She said yes, let it be. Even in uncertainty.
How do we live in a way that allows us to respond to God the way that Mary did?
Do we question, argue, complain, fight, whine, and find any excuse possible to avoid God’s leading in our lives?
I wonder if that makes God less inclined to want to involve us in the things God is doing?
How would this world be different, if everyone who is a follower of Jesus replied to God’s leading:
Let It Be, Even in Uncertainty.
What would happen if we responded every day with that phrase to God? Lord, whatever you have for me, let it be, even in Uncertainty.
What would happen if you said that every morning this week? Lord Let It Be For Me, Even In Uncertainty
Mary did this one step at a time. Maybe we can too. Each new day gives us the opportunity to respond with faith rather than doubt.
Christmas is a daring, audacious story of a virgin birth and the virgin who was bold enough to obey Almighty God. You never know what lies on the other side of obedience.
Let it Be, Even in Uncertainty.
