Morning Message Text: Luke 1: 46b – 55
Mary’s Song
46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Morning Message:
What brings you Joy during this Christmas season? That is actually a very deep question. It seems simple until you give some thought to what your answer might be. Your answer to that simple question is very revealing and says a lot about our faith. The Lowe’s department store in Millville, Pennsylvania, encourages children to write letters about what they want for Christmas. The employees enjoy reading the notes and posting them on the company bulletin board. A couple of years ago, one letter moved employees to tears. It was written by a nine-year-old girl named Riley who told them of a friend of hers whose father had died. Riley asked if it would be all right to refuse a gift that year so that her friend would get more. A Lowe’s department manager, a man named Kevin, said, “There’s a kid that’s really selfless and wants to do something for one of her friends.” When the letter appeared on social media, an outpouring of support went to both girls. Riley’s parents had been trying to create in her a servant’s heart so that she would love doing what Jesus would do. There is unexpected joy in giving because it fulfills a spiritual need that God has placed within us.
Edward Veith wrote, “At the heart of Christmas is the receiving and giving of gifts. God is always bestowing gifts. Jesus himself is a gift, all wrapped up in swaddling clothes. By the way, do you know what swaddling clothes are? Rags that the shepherds used to wrap the slaughter sheep in when they were born to keep them spotless. Salvation is a gift, all wrapped up in the empty grave clothes of Jesus. If you truly think about it, the Christians life in the world is also all about gifts. Our families and everyone in them are gifts, some more so than others. Our jobs, our talents, being born in this country, the people that God brings into our lives … all of these are gifts. It’s in the giving that we have joy. One of the best expressions of this comes from a little song about joy that we learned in Sunday School.
Jesus and Others and You, what a wonderful way to spell JOY!
Jesus and Others and You, in the life of each girl and each boy.
“J” is for Jesus; for He has first place.
“O” is for others we meet face to face.
“Y” is for you, in whatever you do.
Put yourself third and spell JOY.
The words of this song help remind us how to find joy in the Christmas season, as well as all year long. It’s simple: Jesus and Others and You—in that order. It comes by putting Jesus first in our lives, thoughts, actions, habits, finances, and commitments. The Bible says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things shall be added to you.” We must learn to arrange our lives around what matters most. We can’t just list Jesus as one of the components of our lives; we must place him at the very center and arrange everything around him. That’s the only arrangement that will kindle the fire of joy in our hearts. When Jesus is truly our Lord, he directs our lives, and we gladly obey him. Let me ask you. Do you bring every part of your life under the Lordship of Jesus? Your home, family, marriage, job or unemployment, your money and possessions, your ambitions, and recreations?
When Jesus is first, others become second. This is having the mind of Christ, as we read about in Philippians 2: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition of conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” If anyone ever had the right to be self-centered, it was Jesus Christ. He was God. He was in existence even before he came to Bethlehem. To understand the greatness of his sacrifice, we have to try to comprehend the lofty position he held before he came to earth and took upon himself full humanity. Christ surrendered everything in order to serve those he loved. We see this in our scripture reading today. Mary is expressing unimaginable joy to the point of breaking into song. She is joyful in the face of fear and the scorn of everyone that she knows. She is not focused on what the people around her think, but instead she is full of joy and rejoices in the Lord. Her focus is not on herself, but instead on God’s plan for the future, based on what she knows that God has done for his people in the past.
She is unselfishly joyful, filled with unexpected joy and fulfillment of purpose.
Lastly, you can consider yourself and what you need to do to experience a meaningful Christmas. How do you need to arrange your life, so you’ll have some peace and contentment during the busy holidays? We worship God for who he is, but the very act of worship, prayer, song, and scripture is beneficial for our own souls. We walk with the Lord in the light of His Word. Jane Allen tells a story of what happened to her when she was five years old. Her father was ill. World War II was raging, and her family had moved so her mother could work in a silk mill that made parachutes for the boys overseas. Jane felt lonely and misplaced, especially because there wasn’t even a Christmas tree for them that year. Her brother, Gary, sensed something was bothering her and asked, “What’s the matter, Janie? Why are you so sad?” “We don’t have a tree,” she said, “and it’s Christmas Eve.” Her older brother went straight to work, finding a large paper sack and drawing a beautiful Christmas tree with big red and blue bulbs and bright yellow tinsel. They pinned up the drawing and the next morning all the presents were on the floor beneath it. In all the years since, Jane has never known such a beautiful tree as the one that came from her brother’s love. It doesn’t always take a lot to help someone, but it does take the special formula: Jesus, Others, and You. Try it this year. What a wonderful way to spell JOY!
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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