"From The Heart"

(Luke 1:46-55)

Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

INTRODUCTION:

The third candle in the Advent Wreath is often called the Shepherd's Candle. Members had lit the Shepherd's Candle earlier that morning. During the children's sermon, the preacher was attempting to explain about the shepherds being the first ones to hear about the birth of Jesus. He asked, "Who was the first to know when Jesus was born?" One little girl wisely answered: "Mary!" (1)

Mary WAS the first to know wasn't she? It wasn't the shepherds. It wasn't Joseph. It was Mary. She was the first to know. She knew when the labor pains started. She knew when the baby was conceived. Martin Luther once said that before Mary could conceive Jesus in her womb, she had to conceive Him in her heart. And she did.

I tend to agree with those folks who think the Protestant Reformation may have gone too far when it began throwing certain beliefs or practices out. I don't think we ought to venerate Mary like some denominations. But just because we disagree with certain aspects of theology concerning Mary doesn't mean we should ignore Mary. Mary is one of those shining examples of faith that we find in the Bible. She is the only one who was present at the three most significant and defining moments of Jesus earthly ministry. We know from Scripture that Mary was there at his birth and his death. They placed the crucified body of Jesus in her arms before burying him. Some traditions say that she also witnessed his resurrection. That stands to reason. If she were there at the crucifixion and death as John reports, she didn't suddenly disappear or quit believing afterwards. I believe she witnessed her son risen.

I only say all that because I believe Mary has much to teach us. This is the season of the heart. No other time of the year touches the heart as much as Christmas. Pentecost touches our spirit. Lent lifts and cleanses the soul. And Easter brings new life. But Christmas is the season of the heart. Christmas began in the heart of God, grew in the heart and womb of Mary and is only complete when it touches and grows in our hearts. And the message of Christmas always touches our hearts.

There are a lot of elements in this story of the birth of this baby that touch our heart. The family troubles in the beginning. A young carpenter far from home, homeless and jobless, with a pregnant wife, hunted by the authorities (both good and bad). Surprise visitors bearing costly gifts. The Angel of the Lord. Nervous, smelly shepherds worshipping at a manger cradle. The angelic host singing the good news of the human birth of their Lord and King. All these elements of the story touch our heart.

But no one character of the story touches our hearts quite as much as this unwed mother with such deep a faith; who was deeply in love with her fiancé but caught in a dilemma of faith. Mary, touches and inspires us. Why? Because her response to God was "From the Heart." Mary did everything from the heart.

If you stop and think about it, the gifts we enjoy the most and love the most are the ones that come "From the Heart." The ones that people made or bought with us in mind.

Year's ago I made an off the cuff remark about how much I liked the hood ornament on the Mack Trucks. You know, the Mack Bulldog. I said something about how much I would like to have one in front of Mary's parents. I said it, then pretty much forgot about it, thinking, just like I always had, "Never gonnna happen." But my in-laws didn't forget. A couple of years ago they surprised me with a Mack Bulldog. And if that wasn't enough, they explained how hard it had been to find one (not attached to a truck). They finally had to special order it. I treasure that gift, not because it's a Mack Bulldog but because it's from Mary's parents. It was a gift from the heart.

Mary was able to do everything from the heart because of the deep joy in her life. And that joy came from her Justification, her Obedience and her "Yes" of faith. Let's look at how Mary's JOY can become our JOY this Christmas season.

I. JUSTIFICATION:

A. She lived her life "From the heart." Not because of what she did, but because of what had been done for her. Look at this prayer know as the "MAGNIFICAT." "MAGNIFICAT" is a Latin word meaning "magnify." And it comes from the first word in Latin of Mary's psalm or song or prayer of praise. (Luke 1:46-55)

At first as you read this prayer, this song of joy, you have to wonder how she could sing what she sang. Surely she knew what was ahead for her. The whispers and ridicule of unthinking, uncaring, unknowing neighbors. The stares and silent treatment. The distance from those who used to be her friends. Even worse would be the ridicule and harsh words from her family. And then there was the disappointed look on Joseph's face, the one that said "divorce." All of those were fairly probable events. Yet that didn't deter Mary. Because she lived her life and her faith "From the Heart."

She lived a life that was justified, not by her actions, not by her good deeds but by her faith in God. Mary's life truly was a life of Justification by Faith. She had nothing to recommend her to God. Oh, I'm sure she was attractive. But she wasn't wealthy. She wasn't the prom queen. She didn't have a doctorate in pediatric care. She probably couldn't even read and write, most women then couldn't. All Mary had was her faith in God.

And when God spoke through the Angel, Mary listened with her heart and reacted from the heart. While the Angel's message might have filled many of us with fear, it filled Mary's heart with JOY and it deepened her faith. And her faith enabled her to obey.

II. OBEDIENCE:

That's the second aspect of Mary's JOY. It grew from her Obedience. There is nothing quite so fulfilling as knowing you have done the will of God. Mary's young faith was strong and would be tested over and over again. Not just during her pregnancy with Jesus, but throughout her entire life. Remember, she was the mother of the Savior of the world. She didn't know all the details of what that meant, but at each step of the way, she was there. And that had to be hard.

A good friend of mine, Rev. Mary Claire Lowrance, told me about one of the Christmas programs she was involved with when she while she served as the Associate Pastor of a large Church. That year they chose to do something different and have the children tell the Christmas story in their own words. Everyone had practiced and all of those involved thought it was delightful. But there was one little girl who kept referring to the virgin Mary as the urchin Mary.

But you know, if you stop and think about it, she was probably right. Although Mary didn't realize it when they left Nazareth, she and Joseph would soon be homeless. Mary was an urchin, young and homeless and on the run. And it was all simply because of the joy of her faith and the fact that she chose to be obedient to God. It was hard, but chose to be obedient and say "Yes!" to God.

III. "YES" OF FAITH:

And that's the third aspect of Mary's JOY. Mary was able to hear God's call in her life and because she lived from the heart, she was able to answer and obey with the "Yes!" of Faith.

Sometimes that "Yes!" of Faith is hard to give.

Charles Krieg of Princeton, NJ tells how each Christmas season I takes his mother into New York City to look at the Christmas decorations and to visit Santa at Macy's Department Store. I says he will always remember the windows of one department store.

The first window had a scroll which read, "The Smell of Christmas in the Kitchen." The scene was an old-fashioned kitchen with black stove and food cooking on it -- you could almost smell the beautiful fragrances!

The scroll in the second window's said, "The Taste of Christmas is in the Dining Room." There was a long table covered with food.

The third window showed a beautiful tree decorated with ornaments and colored lights. The scroll read "The Color of Christmas Is In the Tree."

The scroll at the fourth window said, "The Sound of Christmas is in the Carols." This scene was a group of animated figures singing Christmas carols.

Then came the store's main entrance -- there was a steady stream of people going in and coming out. If you entered the store at that entrance then you had seen your last window. But the truth is you would have you missed one. If you kept going past the entrance then you'd see one more window.

The scroll in that window proclaimed, "But the heart and Soul of Christmas is Here!" And in this window was a manger with shepherds, wise men, Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus. (2)

Those windows reminds us that a lot of people will miss the true meaning of Christmas. They will be so caught up with the food and the decorations and the gifts, that they will fail to see the heart and soul of Christmas: the birth of the Christ Child! Mary's "Yes" of faith to God and God's "Yes!" of forgiveness for all of humanity.

CONCLUSION:

For you see, that's the real heart and soul of Christmas. Mary just points us to it. As does the star and the shepherds and Joseph and the Wise men. And even Herod as he tried to wipe it out. Mary's JOY, her justification through faith, her obedience, and her "Yes" of faith to God were all just a prelude to the real purpose and gift of Christmas, the Messiah. God's gift of the Messiah, this baby savior was a gift "From the Heart", God's heart.

The parents and four older children all tried to prepare their four year old for Christmas by telling her the real meaning of Christmas and why the family celebrated it. The little girl had a wonderful Christmas with lots of presents and toys. A few days later, she was talking with her older sister about what a great Christmas she had, and said: "I sure hope Joseph and Mary have another baby." (3)

Mary and Joseph don't need to have another baby for us to receive the gift God has for us. All we have to do is follow Mary's example and celebrate Christmas "from the heart" and remember that we too are justified by our faith. It's not what we do that counts, it's what God has done for us. Knowing that, allows us to obey like Mary did and answer with a "Yes!" of faith when God calls us to do some difficult task.

Experience the JOY which Mary felt. Celebrate Christmas with the "Yes!" of faith. Experience the awe and wonder of the birth of our savior. Experience Christmas "From the Heart."

This is the Word of the Lord for this day.

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Bibliography

1. Parables, Etc. (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), December 1992

2. The Pastor's Story File, (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), December 1988

3. The Pastor's Story File, (Platteville, Colorado: Saratoga Press), June 1993

Other References Consulted

William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, the Gospel of Luke. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975)

Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series VI, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 1998) SermonPrep Version.

Emphasis, November-December 1998, Volume 28, Number 4. (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH)