Mary’s Yes!
Sermon for December 18, 2005
1. Good Morning. Let’s Pray. . . O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen!
2. Opening comments: On this final Sunday of Advent the Church moves our gaze to the Annunciation (I’d rather call it “The Invitation”) when Gabriel invites Mary to become a pivotal partner in Salvation history. The whole scene hinges around one word: “Yes.” Mary’s “Magnificent Yes” or what tradition has called her “fiat” which is Latin for “Yes.” This “Yes” sets in motion the entire Christian drama. Let me say that again, May’s “fiat” sets in motion the entire Christian drama!
Try to imagine that scene when the archangel Gabriel announced to a female Jewish teenager by the name of Mary:
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” and then proceeded to inform her that she had been chosen to bear God’s Son and that he was to be called “Jesus” which means “savior!” All that was required of her was her “Yes.”
Listen once again to the scripture that records her response:
NIV Luke 1:34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon 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. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Listen once again to that last verse – verse 38, but this time from the ASV:
ASV 38 And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
And now listen to verse 38 from the NJB:
NJB 38 Mary said, ‘You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her.
“Be it unto me according to Your word. Let it happen to me as you have said.” What sublime words of surrender!!
3. Satan’s response: As I contemplated these words I found myself then thinking of Satan and his reaction to them . . . When these words were uttered, I imagine that Satan threw back his head and screamed terrible terrible obscenities to the heavens - for he knew – he knew, what had just happened! He remembered God’s words at the Fall at the beginning of time . . .
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman – what woman? Mary of course! . . and between your offspring and hers; who is “her offspring?” Jesus of course, (Jesus) he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Can you see Satan shudder at the realization that this ancient prophecy was about to come true?
What had just happened? God incarnate had just entered into human history “personally” – “corporally!” He had come to crush the head of Satan!
This was the most absolute and complete identification God could make with His creation. What sublime love – what commitment! God was coming “personally” to the rescue – that’s what Advent is all about – God’s coming to rescue us – to redeem us – to reclaim us! And it all hinged on the “Yes!” of a Jewish teenager!
4. Mary’s “Yes” could have been “No!” It’s important for us to believe that she could have said “No!” “Free will” has always been a critical part of our relationship with God Almighty. He has always given us the option to “opt out” of relationship with Him – to say “no” to Him and all that He stands for! That’s what “the Fall” was all about – Adam and Mary’s “No!” to God!
But not so “The Second Eve” – Mary, the mother of God, the Theotokus, said “Yes!” to God!
And so it’s very very appropriate especially during this Advent season for us to take time to think about Mary and her majestic “Yes” to God! It’s wonderfully appropriate for us to take time to thank her with all of our hearts!
Too many of us are so terrified of “Maryolatry” – that is, the “worship” of Mary, that we’ve functionally come to ignore her and her magnificent “yes” and it’s not only a terrible shame but when we exclude such a vital part of God’s salvation history we are the losers in so many many ways and therefore it’s a terrible travesty!
Let me quote from a well known author by the name of Suzanne Topping from her article entitled: “Faith Matters: Mary our Spiritual Mother” found at that renouned web site “trinitycommunion.org,
“In Martin Luther’s last sermon
at
Now listen to Suzanne’s prophetic words commenting on this:
“Did you catch that? He asked Mary to “hear us, for your son denies you nothing!” Luther himself not only recognized Mary as a powerful intercessor, but asked her (himself) for assistance!”
She goes on to say:
“Many protestant denominations have drifted a long way from the church that the Reformers envisioned and practiced, and some are beginning to look back at what was lost.
They are wondering if they threw the mother out with the bathwater!”
Ah!! It needs now to be said that the best possible response to Mary is one that leads us to do what she did: say “yes” to Jesus!
Mary is our guidepost who always and ever points us on to Christ! She calls us to say “Yes” to Jesus!
5. Zeroing in on Mary’s message to us. What then does God want to say to us this morning?
I believe that He wants us to follow in the footsteps of Mary! He wants to hear minute by minute our “”Yes” our “Fiat” to Him!
God wants from us that open-handed submission that trusts Him with our whole life and with the lives of those we love!
Think of how my many of our “No’s” – our “denials” God has heard this last week! Think of how unlike “Mary” you and I are every very day!
But what He wants from us is our happy submission to His plans for our lives and the lives around us!
He wants our “open-handed” “yes” to all that He brings into our lives.
Let me give us an example of what has happened in the lives of some of us this week where God has heard or is waiting to hear our “OK – Yes! Whatever you want Lord.”
Jim Esser officially retired from the work force on Thursday and as he was leaving he made a point of reaching out to one of the “ERG” people in his work environment. An “EGR” person is “an extra graced required” person. And as Jim came up to him and said his goodbyes the man never looked up at him!
Now Jim could respond with an indignant “No way! you pathetic excuse for a human being!” That would most assuredly be a “No!” to God!
But instead Jim left and let go! And that’s a “Yes” to God! “Yes, Lord I want to love this man and forgive him as You do.”
What has happened to you during the last week that seemed to make no sense – that perhaps seemed even to deny God’s very existence and could very easily have elicited from you a “No! To God?”
God with Mary is calling out to everyone of us this morning for our “Yes!” to Him!
This “Yes,” requires faith – a faith that trusts that God is really God and is therefore ‘in everything” – even those things that don’t make sense or even appear “evil.” Faith enables us to believe that God is never absent in anything that happens to us or to those around us – even the unbelievers!
You see Mary’s faith is always looking for and therefore finding God – in all things!
God came to her and told her that He wanted her to be the mother of Jesus! Mary believed Him and because of this Christ was conceived in her womb! And so she became a channel of God’s Presence and Power in the world!
And so it is that in saying our “Yes’” to God we become channels of His grace into this world!
I’m going to pray and prayer from my friend Fr. Jerome with my ending – Let’s Pray . . .
“With the eyes of faith, allow yourself to see what Mary saw. The heavens opened and the angel announced to her the nearness of our God. Can you see it? With the ears of your hearts listen to what the shepherds heard. The heavens opened and the hosts of heaven declared the nearness of our God. Can you hear it? Even though we are neither humble nor pure of heart, like Mary, let us allow the Word of God to take flesh in us. Even though we are not vigilant and watchful, like the shepherds, let us go to the manger and be fed by the Living Bread. O Adonai and Ruler of the House of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai, come and redeem us with out-stretched arms. Come Lord Jesus and help us say “Yes” to you always and everywhere. Help us Lord to imitate your blessed mother in saying “Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes Lord, Yes!” Amen and Amen!