The Lord's Servant

Please read this first!!

At this time of year, so many things pull at us from all directions--traffic, commercial advertising, lists upon lists of gifts, coordinating a million family gatherings, exorbitant amounts of food, tension, busyness, pressure, time constraints, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. Heck, we even have to battle odd, anti-Christ boycotts by some of our favorite retailers.

If we aren't careful, it's pretty darn easy to lose Christ during the Christ-mas season.

At the same time, there are still so many things that are just downright special and inspiring about this time of year. Wonderful music, an extra focus on charity/giving, joy, peace, beautiful lights, an emphasis on Christ, and a whole host of other enjoyable things.

So, where is the balance? How do we, as believers, maintain the true Christ-focus at our Lord & Savior's birth "season?" How do we become lights shining in the dark world of commercialism, hustle and bustle, and busyness?

I think we need look not too much farther than Christ's very own mother and her amazingly humble response to finding out the most astounding news any human has probably ever been given.

"You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High." (v. 31-32)

The angel Gabriel delivers this message. Paraphrased, "You will be the mother of God's son."

"The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." (v. 32-33)

Again, paraphrased, "He will be Lord of all, forever. You will be the mother of the Lord and Savior of the world."

Wow!!! Does it get any more powerful than that?

A lowly servant girl. A mere child. Young, naive, innocent. And, here she is, receiving potentially the most unbelievable news anyone has ever been given.

And, her response is simply, "How can this be?"

Some argue that Mary's words indicate doubt, a lack of faith, but I totally disagree. If you compare/contrast them with Zechariah's words in response to a very similar message from the very same angel, Gabriel, just 16 verses earlier in the very same Chapter of the Gospel of Luke, you see a distinct difference.

READ ZECHARIAH'S RESPONSE HERE

"How can I be sure of this?" Zechariah asked, clearly indicating a need of tangible proof. He wants to see actual evidence before he will let his heart believe this Heavenly being. In addition, this doubt comes from a man who is versed in scripture. He's a religious man, and he's been praying for this very miracle. Yet, he still doubts. And, if we need any additional confirmation of Zechariah's doubt, we need only read Gabriel's forthcoming punishment.

"And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time." (v. 20)

As you can see, there is a stark contrast between Zechariah's words and Mary's. Personally, I believe Mary's words didn't express doubt, but more a sense of wonderment at how what God was revealing to her through the angel was actually going to come to pass. A mere questioning of the mechanics of the whole thing. After all, she was a virgin. It must have all seemed so odd to her.

Yet, after Gabriel explains to her that the Holy Spirit was going to come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, she says what I believe are some of the most powerful words in all of scripture:

"I am the Lord's servant."

It didn't matter that she was poor, that she was just a girl, that she was a virgin, and that she really didn't understand how it could be possible. She simply set herself out there to be used by God.

A servant.

So, what can we learn from this response? And, what can we take from it that we can use to be better Christian witnesses at this time of year? Amidst all the Christmas craziness bustling around us, what can we do to set ourselves part so that family, friends, co-workers, and yes, even strangers can actually see the Christ in Christ-mas?

I suggest and encourage you to simply approach the coming season as Mary approached becoming the mother of the Savior of the world.

As a servant!!

At your fourth Christmas party, serve others. As you buy gifts for the 99th person on your list, maintain a servant's heart. As you wait in long lines at your last department store after four hours at the mall, remember that you are an outcropping of the body of Christ.

Over in Chapter 2 of the book of Luke, there is a lot of description of the shepherds and their response to the news of Christ's birth. And, amidst all this description, there is an interesting verse that stands out to me.

It reads: "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (v. 19)

It's somewhat oddly placed, in my opinion, since it comes right in the middle of all this stuff about the shepherds; however, again, it speaks very strongly to Mary's mindset as well as the state of her heart at this time.

And, again, I think we can learn a lot from this very young, innocent, naive servant girl.

Treasure this time. Don't let all the nonsense spoil this season for you, and don't allow it to ruin this wonderful chance to show others what Christ-mas is all about.

Be a servant and treasure the opportunity.

God bless, and Merry Christmas,



Sean Hanzelik
http://www.readtheletters.com/


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