December 21, 2014
Incarnation- Interruption
- Luke 1:26-38
- Dr. Teri Thomas
Last fall a group of us with responsibility for worship went to a conference on Planning Advent.
There were many ideas that helped us.
And there was one quote that I simply have not been able to shake.
We were reminded
Whenever you come upon candle light, flowers and music
you can be sure there is going to be worship
or sex
or if you’re lucky, both.
I don’t want to go too far with this
but in this morning’s scripture we get some strange semblance of both
worship and sex
we have an appearance from an angel
a message arrives from God
it is a spiritual experience
something holy and sacred
that is what we always hope worship will be.
But then we also have the sex
kind of- the spirit of the Lord will come upon you
says the angel
and then you will conceive and bear a son.
Clearly not the way most of us understand it happening but…
It is the spiritual and the physical all in one story
And that is the incarnation
God being present and taking human form
Personally, I find this passage very challenging
I am not sure what I think about angels appearing and talking for God
and the whole conception by the Holy Spirit is a little bizarre
but the hardest part for me to fathom
is Mary’s response to this divine interruption
Here is this innocent young woman
minding her own business
planning her wedding to Joseph
probably working to make ends meet
she is poor and she is a woman- neither was good
then all of a sudden
wham
an angel
an interruption
a promise of the impossible happening and many more interruptions to come
and Mary responds how?
by quoting Paul McCartney- Let it be.
Let it be?
An angel has interrupted her life.
A pregnancy is interrupting Joseph’s marriage plans.
And that is just the beginning.
You know what it is to have a baby around?
Interrupting sleep, worship, showers
you can’t even go to the bathroom without being interrupted
chores are interrupted
vacations are interrupted
life plans, financial plans, retirement plans
a baby can interrupt them all- for the rest of your life
And all Mary has to say is- Let it be?
Mary believed that to live a life of faith we must be willing to let God interrupt us.
Mary trusts God. Trust is actually all she has.
She has no sonogram,
no note from the Holy Spirit,
no husband.
All she has is trust;
trust that the God who has chosen her
will be part of whatever happens next.
And Mary doesn’t wait to see how things will turn out.
She praises God at the beginning of her adventure.
She doesn’t need time to figure out if this is legit.
She doesn’t need time to determine what might happen next. She knows her life will never be the same,
she is not sure what all that means
but she thanks God and moves on into the future with God.
We all have those times when interruptions affect our life.
Do we try to figure out the ending before we begin?
Do we worry about how it might turn out?
Do we ever assume that just maybe the Holy Spirit has come upon us?
Do we ever suppose the shadow hanging over us is the power of the Most High?
I am a planner.
I plan my days- I plan my life
and I don’t always deal well with interruptions.
Week before last I had a friend in town.
We had worked together in DC and I hadn’t seen her for years.
She was coming for just one night.
We had almost finished when the phone interrupted our dinner.
Lucille Auble had died.
I thought about calling Ruth.
I thought about saying I was busy.
But I grabbed my coat, made my apologies and left the dog to entertain my guest.
I expected to be grumpy because the interruption had spoiled my evening.
But at American Village the most amazing thing happened.
I walked into God’s presence.
The faith, the love, and the peace that surrounded Lucille and filled that apartment were palpable.
God had something planned for me that was far better than what I had planned for myself.
We all face interruptions.
Sometimes we are interrupted by a medical diagnosis
or our perfect child goes astray.
Sometimes unemployment is the interruption
or the death of a loved one or a relationship
We feel devastated.
But if we trust that God will be part of whatever happens next.
If we admit our life will never be the same, and we are not sure what all that means but move on into the future with God…
then we discover strength we never knew we had.
We learn how many people really love and care for us.
We find an opportunity to determine what really matters in our lives.
When Gabriel came to Mary she did ask one question I understand-
She said- How can this be?
How can this be?
How can this be happening to me?
How can this be OK?
And Gabriel assured her that God was in it.
It is just what it appears to be
but don’t be afraid because you are not dealing with this alone.
And don’t forget- with God, nothing is impossible.
It is all about allowing God to interrupt our lives
and trusting that God is with us.
It is about incarnation.
God dwelling in human form.
God coming alive inside of you.
Greetings favored one.
The Lord is with you.
Nothing will be impossible with God.
So- Let it be.
Amen