Beautiful Emptiness
Luke 1:46-56
Have you ever been excited and nervous at the same time? I can remember a few times in life that amazing things were happening, but I was also afraid I wasn’t up for the task.The first time I performed in a musical (mind you, I was just in the background). What if I messed things up for someone important? The first time I preached as a high school youth. What if I said something totally wrong about God? The moment I got accepted into seminary. What if I am not smart enough for this?
Maybe you can think of times similar to the first time you had to present a project to your boss, and a promotion was on the line. How about the moment you found out you got that new job? Or the moment you found out you were going to be a parent? There are many times in this life that we have great opportunities and yet question our abilities.
How did Mary feel being told she was going to be the mother of the Messiah? How much it must have been to take in. Before she even receives this news, she is being told she is favored. The angel tells her not to fear, and yet I’m sure that only brings with it more questions. Then the big news is dropped, and she is like, “Ummm… how is that possible?” The response is basically, “ God’s going to make it happen.” And she responds wanting it to happen.
After Mary meets with Elizabeth, who too is having a miraculous pregnancy (though in a different way), Mary sings a song glorifying the Lord. Her song and words are about more than herself. They are words about her people. Words about God’s grace to her, her people, the important, and not so important (at least to people). There is history and a future in her song.
As we come to this final week of Advent, the truest act of love is being announced. The Messiah is coming. He will be one of us. We know the rest of the story: that Messiah will live and deal with what we deal with every day. Brokenness, sorrow, pain, temptation, and suffering. Yet Christ does it in a total, unfailing relationship with the Father, never failing to do the Father’s will. Which leads to the Cross and Tomb.
Praise the Lord! He doesn’t remain in that tomb! He is raised from the dead as he defeated sin and death. We are called to believe in the Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection. We remember a Messiah who left his heavenly throne, arrives as a baby, grows up (leaving the manger empty), lives a sinless life yet is hung on a cross, dies and is buried but leaves the tomb being raised from the dead. Faith in Christ is more than what we think. It impacts our understanding of who we are. It includes both our thought and our action.
As we come to the point of faith in Christ. We may feel like Mary. We may have questions. But God will do the work in us and lead us where we are going next. We just have to accept, and I pray we will sing a song like Mary’s, remembering the past, looking to the future, and celebrating the love of Christ as we approach Christmas.