Sunday 20th December (Advent 4)

For the Video Worship – youtu.be/ubH_Z0TBPjU

Luke chapter 1: 26-38

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!” Mary was deeply troubled by the angel’s message, and she wondered what his words meant. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!” Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God. Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. For there is nothing that God cannot do.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.

A Reflection on Luke 1: 26-38

If you didn’t know before, you know now that I’m a Saturday night preparer of worship! I’ve just been listening to and taking in all that the Prime Minister and First Minister announced regarding further Covid Restrictions. Plans for many have been turned upside down, as hard decisions for government have been taken – in order to contain the spread of Covid. Coming as they do in this fourth and final week in Advent – some talk of Christmas being cancelled.

It’ll be very different… very different from the different we thought we were in a week ago. Plans will change… Life will change…

As it did for a young teenage girl two millennia ago, when an angel burst into her otherwise ordinary life! In the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the place where the angelic encounter is remembered – is known as Mary’s kitchen…

News of a teenage pregnancy – to an unmarried mum – might cause a stir – some awkwardness, embarrassment to Mary’s family – and to Joseph’s – what would the neighbours say?

Yet Mary heard in the strangeness – The voice of God. She was to be the bearer of God to humanity. And said… ‘may it be so’. Mary said to the angel – Tell God I say yes!

Let me tell you too of a teenage boy who said Yes to God

Not Joseph, we dont really know – but he’s presumed to have been older…

A story of a boy who went to Sunday School thru’ childhood and in teenage years pondered a question… was this God stuff for real? Some of his pals seemed to believe it was and lived as though it made a difference.

At the back of his Good News Bible was a reading plan – suggesting Luke was a good place to start… and having made a decision to start reading the Bible – it wasn’t far into the story that a verse struck him – Chapter 1: v 37

“Nothing is impossible for God”.

And in a way he said yes to God and so began a journey of faith in this God for whom nothing is impossible

Life for this young boy – took a turning point… Faith became very real…

A few years later – a thought – that he… I’m sure you realise I should really say… “I”! I had a thought… a feeling… an “angel voice moment” that maybe God was calling me to be a minister… to be a bearer of the Good News of Christ… to Awaken, Develop and Sustain faith in the Christ Child born to Mary, born in me… born… in you… and to play my part and encourage others to get involved in what God is up to.

Our faith stories are all different… Some recall a dramatic moment. Some a gradual realisation. MSome cannot remember a time when faith in Jesus was not a part of life.

This Christmas, as Covid turns our world upside down we have been given time to reflect upon the things that really matter… Hope, Peace, Joy, Love

For Mary, as it neared the time for her to give birth, more disruption – a trip to Bethlehem – for a census, and there – no room at the Inn, it just wasn’t as she had planned, and her son was born in an outhouse.

Friends In this hardest of years, where is God in it all? A question I ponder… Where is God through the suffering… the loneliness, isolation, the fear…

Where is God in… the glimpses of Love – the sense of community, the new ways to worship – Hear/ share good news – New ways to communicate – Last Christmas we had around 220 followers on the AKSM Church page – last time I looked – 351

Some will be colleagues, family and friends, happily involved in the life of other churches…

Some around Strontian, Ardgour Morvern – Acharacle and Ardnamurchan… Faith awakened, Faith developing and being sustained in these dark days…

Hasn’t it been good to be able to share with neighbouring congregations – and beyond as we did last week with the Lochaber wide worship…

These are difficult times for the Church of Scotland… but we see glimpses of new things

Folk havent given up on the church, God hasn’t given up on his Church. It’s God’s Church.

As God called Mary – Bearer of God’s Son

So God called the Church into being – by the same Holy Spirit that came upon Mary. God Calls me… and you… to be the bearers of Good News love, joy, peace and hope

To be bearers of Christ to the world…

We are going to hear a beautiful song – No wind at the window… with it’s wonderful closing line…

Yet Mary, consenting to what none could guess

Replied with conviction, “tell God I say yes.”

If God is prompting you… to a deeper life of faith, if God is prompting you to respond to the call to ministry in formal or informal ways… if God is prompting you to spend time reading his Word, if God is prompting you to be a loving neighbour, if God is prompting you to have that difficult conversation, if God is prompting you to say sorry…

If God is prompting you… and the angel voices stir… Say YES!

No wind at the window, no knock on the door
No light from the lamp stand, no foot on the floor
No dream born of tiredness, no ghost raised by fear
Just an angel and a woman and a voice in her ear

Oh, Mary, Oh, Mary don’t hide from my face
Be glad that you’re favored and filled with God’s grace
The time for redeeming the world has begun
And you are requested to mother God’s son

This child must be born that the Kingdom might come
Salvation for many, destruction for some
Both end and beginning, both message and sign
Both victor and victim, both yours and divine

No payment was promised, no promises made
No wedding was dated, no blue print displayed
Yet Mary, consenting to what none could guess
Replied with conviction, “tell God I say yes.”