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Advent Conspiracy

11/29/2009 - Worship Fully, Luke 1:46-56

2009 has been very productive year for Valley View Community Church. We've had quite a few babies born this past year and quite a few still to come. On November 19, Eric and Julie Hammes gave birth to little Levi, their first child, and in a few weeks, on December 10, Scott and Joy Berkhimer will welcome their fourth child. And then on December 22 Chris and Jena Piazza are expecting their first. The baby parade continues around here and there are more to come in 2010. Stay tuned!

And part of the excitement of having a child is all the anticipation and the preparation that goes into getting ready for the baby. First there's the discovery that "We're pregnant!" and all the excitement that surrounds that. Then there's the doctor's visit to confirm the good news. Then there's morning sickness. Ugh! Then it's time to go public, telling family and friends. Then there's morning sickness. Then there are more doctor's visits and tests and ultrasounds. And did I say morning sickness?

There are maternity clothes to buy and the preparations that need to be made to the house or the apartment, a nursery to get ready, walls to paint, furniture to buy, a crib to purchase, a car seat, a playpen, a high chair, a stroller, a swing, a diaper bag, pampers, toys, a baby blanket, baby clothes, onesies, whew! With the kid comes a whole lot of stuff! I remember when Chelsea was born, our first child. I never thought that 20" of baby would demand a complete overall of our whole apartment.

And then there are the books to read and names to choose and the birthing classes to attend that teach us how to breathe and how to coach and how not to get angry when your wife yells at you while she's in labor! And it's a good thing that God gives us nine months to prepare because most of us need that amount of time to get ready for the baby. We really do.

Well the birth of Jesus is coming soon and we don't have nine months to get ready for it, but we do have four Sundays. And we want to use the next four weeks to help us prepare and anticipate his birth on December 25. Traditionally, these four Sundays starting today are known as Advent.

How many of you grew up in a church that observed Advent? The word advent comes from the Latin word "adventus" which means "arrival" or "coming." So this morning we're going to begin a four part series designed to help prepare us for the arrival of Jesus, his first advent.

We're taking a break from our Mark series which will continue after the new year when we look at Mark 13 which actually describes some of the events that lead up to the second advent of Jesus, his second coming. But for now we'll put that on hold because we want to use this month to prepare ourselves for Jesus' first coming that we celebrate each year at Christmas.

And to help us to do that we're going use the approach that we introduced two years ago from the Advent Conspiracy because more and more of us seem to be struggling with the materialistic, consumeristic approach to Christmas that seems to dominate our culture. And as Christ followers we want to find a better way to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that's what the Advent Conspiracy is all about.

Take a look at this four minute video clip to see where we're headed (3:48)

What would that look like for you and for me? What would that look like for us as a church community to worship fully and to spend less, to give more and to love all?

There's nothing wrong with shopping and gift giving and decorating and baking and parties and good food and drink and get togethers with families and friends. Those are all good things that I look forward to during the Christmas season and I'm sure you do too. We're not talking about becoming Scrooges here. After all it was Jesus who said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Of all people we should be the most joyous during the Christmas season.

But it seems to me that there's a lot wrong with the stress that the holidays can produce and the pressure to buy and to spend more than we can afford and the massive debt that can pile up as result that can leave so many depressed. That's the cultural part of the Christmas holiday that needs to be challenged and we want to challenge that over the next four weeks. We want to worship fully and we want to spend less, we want to give more and we want to love all.

Those are four parts of this advent series that will take us right up to Christmas and hopefully provide all of us with a richer experience of Christ's presence this year.

This week I read an article in Relevant Magazine called "Merry Consumerism" in which the author writes, "In the weeks leading up to Christmas many of us relax. We spend time with family, sharing anecdotes of Christmases past with a smile, and quietly reflecting on what this time of year is meant for - loving each other and remembering the joy of our Savior's birth. Well ... maybe not.

"When December rolls around, most of us find ourselves squeezed between our convictions about responsible stewardship and the cacophony of messages ever wooing us toward indulgent consumption. Research estimates that Americans view more than 200 commercial advertisements each day, but in December the pressure to consume gets even more personal shaming us with voices that come from within saying things like, "It doesn't matter that her needs and wants have all been met. You know she's going to give you an expensive gift." or "You wouldn't dare fail to reciprocate." or "Christianity is all about giving, isn't it? So go ahead and spend."

"Then, when the credit card bill arrives in January, we lament that - as if against our will - we've once again been dragged into the holiday marketing machine and spit out like packing peanuts. And we're not even festive pagans. We're Christians."

That's right. We are Christians who love Jesus and want to celebrate his birth and his arrival into this world because of the difference he's made in our lives. And that celebration doesn't begin with spending. It doesn't even begin with giving. It begins with worship. In fact, it starts with worship and it ends with worship and that's what we want to do this morning.

And to lead us in worship I want us to ponder the magnificent words of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who responded to the stunning news of her miraculous pregnancy with a song of worship found in Luke 1.

If you have a Bible turn with me to Luke 1:46-56 , a passage that's often referred to as Mary's Song or Mary's Magnificat. Look at Luke 1:46-56, And Mary said, "My soul glorifies the Lord ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name. ⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. ⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. ⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful ⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors." ⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Now before we look at this song of worship we need some background. Luke opens his gospel by telling the story of John the Baptist's birth that was foretold to his father Zechariah who is a priest in the Temple of Jerusalem. Zechariah is a righteous man and his wife, Elizabeth, is a godly woman. But they're sad because they're childless and haven't been able to conceive and now they're well up in years and have pretty much given up on being parents.

But then one day the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah while he's serving in the Temple and tells him that their prayers have been answered and that he and Elizabeth are going to be parents. They're going to have a son and his name will be called John. He will be a joy and a delight to them. He will grow up to be great in the sight of the Lord and bring many people back to God.

But Zechariah doesn't believe the angel and for good reason. He says, "How can this be? I'm an old man and my wife is well along in years." And so because of his unbelief he's struck dumb and is unable to speak for nine months, until John is born.

Six months later that same angel, Gabriel, appears to Mary, Elizabeth's cousin, and tells her that she'll give birth to a son and his name will be called Jesus. He's going to be great and be called the Son of the Most High God. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will never end. She will give birth to the Messiah!

Mary wonders too how that can happen because she's a young girl, 13 or 14 perhaps, unmarried and a virgin. But Gabriel says, "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. For nothing is impossible with God."

Shortly after that dramatic encounter, Mary leaves her home in Nazareth and goes down to Judea where she spends the first trimester of her miraculous pregnancy with her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth becomes like a mother or even a grandmother to her during this confusing time as both of them experience their first pregnancies together.

And when Mary arrives in Elizabeth's home the baby John leaps in her womb and filled with the Holy Spirit Elizabeth shouts out in a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

And in response to that declaration Mary worships God with this song. She starts out by worshiping God because God responds to the humble.

Look at verses 46-50, And Mary said, "My soul glorifies the Lord ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name. ⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation."

Mary was an unlikely candidate to become the mother of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. She wasn't wealthy. She wasn't powerful. She wasn't exceptionally bright or beautiful. She was a simple peasant girl engaged to a humble carpenter. But that's exactly why God noticed her and chose her for the highest honor that any Jewish woman could ever imagine, the honor of becoming the mother of the Messiah.

And she knew it. From now on all generations will call me blessed. She is the blessed virgin Mary, not a woman who wants to be worshipped, but a woman who knew how to worship God. Not a perfect woman who didn't need a Savior, but a humble woman who rejoices in God my Savior.

And so we worship God during this advent season because he still responds to the humble. His mercy still extends to those who fear him, who reverence him, from generation to generation.

Those who most appreciate and understand the true meaning of Christmas are those who are most in touch with their own need for Savior and realize what great things that God has done for them. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. For the wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Before we even give one gift this Christmas, let's be sure we thank God for the most important gift that he's given to us and that is the gift of life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus came into this broken world that we might have life and life to the full. And that gift of life is available to all those who humble themselves and admit their sin and recognize their need for a Savior. Those are the ones who can best enter in to the true spirit of Christmas. My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

God responds to the humble. God is a defender of the weak.

Look at verses 51-53, He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

Down through the centuries, God was very well aware of the beating that Israel had taken from their bondage in Egypt, to their exile in Babylon, and now to their current struggle under the domination of Rome and King Herod's oppressive rule. But through the work of Messiah God will bring down the proud and lift up the humble. And in the new kingdom that Jesus will establish the hungry will be fed and the poor will be cared for because God is and always has been a defender of the weak.

And as Christ followers, as members of God's kingdom right now, we want to be defenders of the weak as well. God loves to align himself with the poor and the oppressed of this world. He is on the side of the underdog and he wants us to be on their side too.

So as part of this Advent Conspiracy we're going to make room for the poor and the oppressed on our Christmas lists. And next week when we talk about spending less we're going to float some ideas of how we can creatively give gifts to Jesus both individually and collectively as a church community this year. Because it is Jesus' birthday and he was the one who said, "Whatever you do for the least of these, you do it for me."

We worship God because he responds to the humble. We worship God because he's the defender of the weak. And we worship God because he's faithful to his promises.

Look at verses 54-55, He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful ⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors."

It took 2,000 years for God to make good on his promise to Abraham, but he did. He came through because he is faithful. Remember what he said to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3, I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Blessed to be a blessing. That's what Abraham was to be. And the best blessing that came through Abraham's family was the Messiah who was not only a blessing to the nation of Israel, but to all peoples on the earth. And that includes you and me. We have been blessed by Israel's Messiah because Israel's Messiah is the Savior of the world! And like Abraham we have been blessed to be a blessing to others anyway we can.

On that first Christmas Day God's promise finally came true. God sealed the deal that he made to Abraham and his descendants 2,000 years earlier which gives me confidence to believe that God will come through again with the second advent of Jesus. He will come back. After all, it's only been 2,000 years since the first. God can be trusted. He is faithful to his promises and we worship him for that.

Promises like "whoever believes in me has eternal life," John 6:47. "If we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness," 1 John 1:9. Promises like "I will never leave you or forsake you," Hebrews 13:5. "All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose," Romans 8:28. "Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord," Romans 8:39. And I could go on and on. God can be trusted.

Christmas begins with worship. Christmas ends with worship. And Christmas is full of worship everywhere in between. Before spending, before giving, before anything else we join Mary and worship a God who responds to the humble. We worship a God who defends the weak. And we worship a God who is faithful to his promises.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Valley View Community Church, feel free to contact us at info@valleyviewseek.org or call 610.631.2707.