I was explaining to the kids last week that we talk about Jesus’s birth at Christmastime, but the plan was in place well before that.  After asking them what they thought the gestation of a baby was (and indicating everything from a few months to 5 years) we settled on the fact that the Christmas story may have begun as early as April. 

If I’m honest, I had never given this fact much thought, since probably like you, I tend to focus on the details of Christmas only once per year. That began my wheels turning…  

Let’s look at Luke 1:13. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”

We generally do not include John the Baptist as part of the nativity scene, right? But he plays a significant role in preparing the way for the Savior as Jesus entered in his earthly ministry.  And I think this may be a take away…

God prepares the way.  It is our job to simply follow. John was conceived and consecrated for his mission before Jesus was conceived. God has a plan.

I always interpreted(and I think correctly) that when the angels appeared to Zechariah, Mary and Joseph and the first thing said is “Fear not;” it was because  the presence of the angel himself would be terrifying.  I am beginning to wonder if it really was the message itself that was the scary part. Zechariah had a hard time wrapping his head around it.

It’s not our job to understand how God plans to accomplish His will in our lives.  Our responsibility is to  just follow His lead. I think we do not have to be concerned about striving to work out the details.  Just listen. Follow the instructions. And let Him lead.  

When God is doing big things, it becomes quite clear. After all, he sent a host of angels and a bright star to the shepherds.  They weren’t confused. They knew where to find the Savior…..and so do we. 

We disrupt your regularly scheduled, highly planned-out, perfectly situated life to bring….A complicated mess with seemingly unwinnable odds. Merry Christmas, all!

Take a moment to consider Mary’s plan. If we modernized her situation in an effort to gain understanding it may have looked like this: she’s probably got the ring, said yes to the dress, put a deposit on the venue, and currently has 3 calls into local caterers. Then an Angel of the Lord came to her and said, “Fear not, there has been a change in plans.”

I will always marvel at Mary’s response as it is recorded in Luke 1: 38 “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Being mother to the Savior of the world was not Mary’s plan—it was God’s. Her world must have been turned upside down as she began a journey she could have never conceived of by herself.

But she said “yes” to God. Perhaps, you have had or are currently living through a holy disruption. When your life is shaken and not what you want it to be—What if God’s working out a plan that is wilder and more divine than you could have ever conceived?

Mary’s situation reminds me of another of God’s servants who dared to say “yes” to God when his life took a wild turn he didn’t see coming (pun most definitely intended). These words are from Paul and I share them for you today:

14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Don’t miss God’s direction in the midst of disruption and chaos that we may face. He may just be calling you out to something you could have never conceived otherwise. We should strive to echo Mary’s response: “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be as according to your word.” We can live with a great hope that God’s plans are better than ours, and Jesus makes a way so that His plans can become our reality .