WHO, ME? WHY, ME? CAN'T BE!

Luke 1:26-38
"Who me?"
When God "favors" us as God favored Mary, what is our reaction?  
Do you remember the movie called Terminator with Arnold Schwarzeneggar?  Scwarzeneggar plays a cyborg assassin from the future who has come back to kill a single young woman, Sara Conner.  Why?  Sarah is going to have a child who will play an important part in the future.  Sara receives this news when a man suddenly appears out of a very bright light and announces that she's going to have a baby who will save mankind.

Sarah's response:  "I can't even balance my checkbook.  I didn't ask for this 'honor,' and I don't want it."

Who, me?  Why me?  Can't be!

When Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that God had chosen her to give birth to the Savior of humanity, he said, "Greetings, favored one!  the Lord is with you....Don't be afraid, Mary for you have found favor with God, and now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus." (Luke 1:28-31)

In the paraphrase/translation, The Message, Gabriel says, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus."

 Of course it was a surprise!  Generations of Mary's people had been watching, waiting and hoping for the arrival of the Messiah.  That God would favor her, would chose her to bear God's Son, a young teenage girl from a poor as dirt family living in a wide spot in the road called Nazareth, it was unbelievable.  Had Gabriel made a mistake?  There was another Mary who lived two streets over; surely, she was the one God wanted!

 Who me?  Why me
  • She had never had sexual relations with a man.
  • She was already engaged to a man named Joseph -- her life was already planned out for her.  
  • She would have to tell someone, and who would believe her?  Her parents?  Joseph?  Her community?
  • There would be consequences, because nice Jewish girls do not get pregnant out of wedlock, especially if it isn't your finance's child!
  • Worse case scenario, she would be pregnant, alone and shunned by her family and her community, and possibly even stoned to death.  
No, no, no!  Can't be!

Sometimes, when God "favors us," chooses us, calls us to serve in a way that is not only outside my comfort zone but beyond our capabilities, we get overwhelmed and become frightened.  That's when we find ourselves saying:
  • I'm too young, I'm too old.
  • This isn't the right time; I don't have the time; I have other plans.
  • I don't know how to do that, I'm not capable; someone else should be doing it.
  • I'm afraid I'll look foolish; I'm afraid I'm going to fail; I'm afraid it's too hard.
  • Or in the words of Michelle Tanner in the TV program, "Full House"  -- "No way, Jose!"
Try telling that to God, and we find that God chooses whom God chooses, and not according to our criteria or our schedules and plans.  God answers our excuses with "Fear not.  I am with you, and nothing is impossible for me."

Fear not.  God is with you.  Nothing is impossible for God.  Those are the words that, despite Mary's fear and concerns, gave her the faith to surrender to God's call on her life and say, 'I am the Lord's servant.  I am ready to serve."  That doesn't mean that Mary still wasn't afraid or worried.  It means she chose faith over fear.

It didn't mean that things wouldn't be hard and life wouldn't get messy for Mary and Joseph, because they did -- the trip to Bethlehem, having a baby in the manger, fleeing to Egypt, Mary watching Jesus die on a cross.  Her decision to serve the Lord, to put faith over fear and self, sent ripples of God's grace throughout the world and down through time for generations to come.

The same is true when we say:

  • Yes, God, me.
  • Yes, God chose me.
  • With God, all things are possible.
When we surrender to God's will, when we humbly affirm that we are Christ's servants, whatever we do in the name of Christ makes a difference in the world and has a positive impact on people's lives.

There's no guarantee that it won't be hard or life won't get messy, because it will.  But remember Gabriel's words to Mary, "favored one, God is with you and, with God, all things are possible."







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