Sermon Title: Even Healing Is Possible

Sermon Text: Luke 1:26-38

Sermon Date: November 30, 2008

26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

35The angel answered, "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. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."

38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Message

Our service began as an entrance into the first Sunday of Advent with recorders and familiar tunes that remind us of the holidays of our childhood. Now we merge into another holiday, not one of our most favorite. It is called All Saints’ Day and many churches use it as a way to honor and remember those who have passed away in the past year. We have moved it to the first Sunday of Advent because we realize that the holidays can be a lonely place when you are grieving, so why not lay it out there and remember that there is a hole in our lives when we lose someone we love, …..especially at Christmas.

John read the passage from the Gospel of Luke for us today and part of it will be read every Sunday until Christmas. Not so much that you will have the story drilled into your head, but more of a reminder that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. And today God tells us that even healing is possible.

We can’t know for sure but I would suspect that Mary had to do some grieving as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. She was a young woman, anticipating her marriage to Joseph. Thinking about how she would decorate their new home and take walks with her husband in the evening after dinner. She might have been thinking about their first child and the ones that would follow but she certainly didn’t anticipate this sudden change of events. No where in her dreams did she think that her first child would come before her marriage had been consummated and that Joseph would not be the biological father.

So I suspect that while she might have been glowing from the information that she had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah, she was also mourning the loss of her dreams. The days to follow were not easy. She had to tell Joseph, who would have ended things had it not been for another visit from an angel. She had to tell her parents and we don’t know if they were prepared or not. She had to face the people in the village, particularly those women who cut out wedding and birth announcements to see if they matched appropriately.

Yes, Mary had some grieving to do even as she might have basked with the joy of the situation. We just don’t know for we are only given a few details.

Fortunately for Mary, Aunt Elizabeth was prepared and not shocked about this turn of events. Fortunately for Mary, Joseph had become convinced that she had not been unfaithful to him. But still, he would know that their first night together would not be what he had envisioned.

They both had some grieving to do, even as they felt the power of God surrounding them.

I know that their grieving was not like the grieving of many of you today. You are grieving the loss of dreams but more than that you are grieving the loss of someone you dearly love.

When we lose someone we grieve. We must grieve. There is a hole left in our lives and let’s be honest, nothing will ever again be the same. But that doesn’t mean that the hole will always be an open festering sore. With God, healing is possible and the hole can heal, no longer needing to be bandaged to protect it from the slightest bump.

For those of you here today to light a candle in memory of a loved one, our prayer for you is that you will allow God and us to help you to heal. That during this holiday season you will be able to find comfort in the memories of Christmases Past and joy in the laughter and tears they bring. And that you will healing in Christmas Present as well.

For those of you who lost a dream this year, our prayer is that you will allow God to place another dream in your heart. As long as you draw breath, you have a purpose and a place in God’s world.

I really ask that you allow God to speak to you, to offer the healing you need and refreshment as you need it. And that you allow those around you to help as we can. We aren’t brought into the world to do it alone. We need each other to help in the healing, just as Elizabeth helped Mary to heal.

In a moment we will sing “For All the Saints,” one of the great hymns of the church that remind us that each of our lives have purpose and meaning to those around us.

Then as we read the names of those we have lost this year, we invite a family member or friend to come forward and light a candle in his or her memory.

Today is a good day to begin to heal.