It's all a dream

A hospital chaplain had a great idea to publicise some of the Christmas events in the maternity unit using the slogan, ‘It’s a boy’,obviously referring to the birth of Jesus. Unfortunately the publicity wasn’t going quite as planned, particularly the ordering of the banner… When walking through a crowded waiting room of expectant parents the chaplain’s phone rang and it was the company making the banner once again checking the details of the wording and the size – rather exasperated he shouted more loudly than he intended, ‘It’s a boy ! 5 feet long and 2 feet high !’  Some of the ‘mothers-to-be’ looked just a little worried !

Today on this 4th Sunday in Advent we think about Mary, the mother of Jesus and her willingness to answer God’s call – a call as worrying as if she’d been told she was to have a child 5 feet long and 2 feet high… And the thoughts of Mary are combined with the theme of love running through this last Sunday in Advent. And so today, I want to think about Mary and I want to think about love – and I want to think about the words of the Angel to Mary in our gospel reading (Luke 1: 2-38) that ‘nothing will be impossible with God’. 

Mary, as we know, was a girl probably in her early to mid teens who was engaged to be married to a local carpenter who was probably quite a lot older than her, and she received a vision that she was to give birth. Whilst she may have had no doubt about the reality of that vision and of the virgin birth, she must also have known and feared what people around her would have been thinking. The disgrace and shame she had brought on her family would only have been part of the problem for her. If she escaped a literal death sentence, life may just as well have been over because she would have been rejected for ever by the close knit community and she would have had no means of supporting herself. 

And so these things make it all the more remarkable that she should then sing a song of praise that we hear in the words we know as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). The task that she had been given by God was obviously one that was daunting and fearful however her response acknowledges that she is aware that God is in control and that he is worthy of her praise. 

She knows her world will be turned upside down - the fact that a young unmarried virgin was to conceive a child who was the Son of God is huge, particularly when you add to it the fact that she was not of noble birth or upbringing, and that there was not a palace in sight. Yet she celebrated and accepted God’s will without question… My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour… 

And she recognised the magnitude of what God was doing – he was sending his Son, the Messiah, the Saviour, into the world, not with power ready to conquer the institutions of the world, but through a woman, a young ordinary unmarried working class woman. 

And from that time on her life would be changed and she would be remembered from generation to generation and called ‘Blessed.’ For centuries there has been a huge debate in the Church as to the position of Mary – in some traditions she has been given a huge prominence as the mother of God, as sinless herself, but I think this just distorts the message that God was giving, and that is that he can and will use anybody who accepts his call to do his work. 

Mary was remarkable not because she was perfect but because she said ‘Yes’. Mary was remarkable because she didn’t question, she didn’t doubt, she didn’t moan or worry about what people may think – she accepted that God had a plan, and that God’s will would triumph over any hardship that may have to be faced… we don’t need to make Mary any more remarkable than that… 

She was a remarkable woman who displayed remarkable love – there was that willingness to listen to the call of God without question – a willingness surely borne out of love for God. And the love she showed towards Jesus was remarkable too – she would have been there for him as he grew up, as he began his ministry, and of course, what pain she must have felt seeing a Son she loved so much being nailed to a cross… 

And as we think of Mary’s love we’re reminded that God calls us to love one another extravagantly – to love as Jesus loves.. and that isn’t easy ! A Vicar was speaking one day about this command to love one another… 

"Now," he said, "I'll bet that many of us feel as if we have people we don’t like in our lives, so raise your hands," he said, "if there’s a lot of people you don’t like." And quite a few people raised their hands. 

"Now raise your hands if there’s a few you don’t like." And quite a lot more people raised their hands. "See," said the Vicar, "most of us feel like we have people we don’t like."

"Now raise your hands if there’s nobody you don’t like." And the Vicar looked around, and finally, way in the back, a very, very old man raises his hand. He stood up and said, "I have no enemies whatsoever!" Delighted, the Vicar invited the man to the front of the church. "What a blessing!" the Vicar said, "What a wonderful Christian life you lead! And tell us all how it is that you have no enemies."

"Well I’m so old they’ve all died!"

Loving everyone isn’t easy but it is what we’re called to do – and with God’s help we can seek the power to do it – if the will is really there on our part… because there is a danger that we don’t really care for some people. There is a danger that we can set ourselves up as better than someone else, or right when they’re wrong – God commands us to love with no conditions… 

And with God, as our gospel reminds us, nothing is impossible. This is the God of creation, the God of chance after chance in spite of our rebellion against him – the God who still calls us to him whatever we’ve done or failed to do – this is the God who loves enough for Jesus to die on the cross… for us… This is the God who spoke through the angel to Mary… this is the God who loves each one of us with an indiscriminate and unending love… The God who knows each one of us by name… who cares about every detail of our lives… 

This advent there will have been people preparing for Christmas in all kinds of ways, some filled with joy, some with anxiety, some with sadness, some just fed up of the busyness of it all ! And there will be some who will be preparing for Christmas without Jesus… 

Now to a bit of a hobby horse of mine – there’s some wonderful Christmas songs around, some Christian, some secular – and one of the popular ones is Johnny Mathis’ rendition of ‘When a child is born’ – it’s played on lots of Christmas shows… You’ll all know it – hum away in your minds if you like !

But then think of the words – wonderful words about a tiny star lighting up a brand new morning, about a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter, 

hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone's neighbor. And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever… 

Amazing words until the next verse - ‘It's all a dream, an illusion now 

It must come true, sometime soon somehow’ and then Johnny Mathis sings on about waiting – actually he’s singing a song denying that the Christmas we celebrate is real – he’s saying it must come true sometime in the future… 

One of the most popular Christmas songs is actually a song denying Christmas… And for many, for too many, they will live this Christmas without Jesus – waiting for something perhaps – for peace in the world, for a new job, for family harmony, for a bit more money to live on… 

And that is why we must shout out about a Saviour born for us and for them, whoever they may be – about a Saviour who has come to bring peace and hope and joy and love, about a Saviour who has transformed history and offers to transform us as well… 

Some haven’t realized it yet, perhaps we haven’t told enough people, but the world isn’t waiting for a Saviour, but is too often missing a Saviour – and so in these last days before Christmas, and in every day that follows, celebrate Jesus, trust him, love him and know his love for you… AMEN