MARY IS TOLD

Luke 1: 26-38

This last week Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition in Ft. Collins Colorado, was in town to share insights with both grieving persons and with those who counsel or comfort grieving persons. It was evident from the beginning that grief, even unmanaged grief, happens to people of every class, every background, and every age. He told the story of a very powerful and wealthy executive who called and booked a three hour time slot with Dr. Wolfelt. He flew to the Center on his company Lear Jet. Upon arrival, Dr. Wolfelt said before they could begin a session, he wanted him to take a chair on the porch of the lodge-like offices, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, and just breathe, look out, and gather his thoughts. The man, obviously wanting to get on with talking, nevertheless did as requested. As he sat down, two beautiful Siberian Huskies quietly and slowly walked to the chair where he was sitting. One was on his right, and one was on his left and, as if on cue, they laid their heads down on his lap, looking straight at each other, nose to nose. For 15 minutes, this busy executive had two well training or perhaps instinctive dogs on his lap, still, breathing steadily, calming him down, and giving his subconscious time to reflect. Then after that time, the dogs arose and left. It was time for the man’s appointment. He spent the next couple of hours in therapy, but at the end his said “Dr. Wolfelt, as good as I know you are from reading your books, the most transformational time for me today was not our conversation, it was sitting there with two beautiful animals next to me and then gently resting their heads on me. What a gift that was.

How few people, from children to youth to adults, find sitting for 15 minutes anything but boring, but in those few minutes of stillness, the man found peace. Most dogs that listen and follow commands have been well-trained; I have seen dogs that were not trained and I’ll take the trained ones any day. Likewise, we have seen children and teenagers, who perhaps reflect a lack of good training or upbringing. Perhaps they are disrespectful, perhaps they bully; some can’t put a proper sentence together or handle simple math. Some have parents who have been unable to parent effectively, or parents who are tired and have given up, or parents and children who fight constantly. Television is filled with the images of rock and sports stars who exhibit extreme narcissism; that is, they act like the world revolves around them. Narcissus was a teenager in Greek mythology who fell in love with his own image when he saw it in the still waters of a pond. That’s what narcissism looks like. Those who fall into that deep hole of darkness often find some of their idols have used drugs to get ahead. The world notices ruefully that court sentences court given out to stars seem to much lighter than they are toward regular public. Yet some still long for that life. Of all the time that children and youth spend in their lives, many of the hours are spent talking or texting on their phones, checking Facebook, or hanging out with friends. So the information they are getting about life is from peers, many of whom are not the clearest source of wisdom; the other place they put great weight is on shows or movies that are created with enough sordid details to make teenagers the greatest source of revenue for the film industry. This is the world that is teaching many of our teenagers.

But, there are those unsung people who are not noticed by many; to the teenagers who are here today, you might sometimes feel unnoticed or unappreciated; or you might be the target of taunters in school. Children may get that in their elementary school too. Are you one of those girls who quietly goes about your work, listening to parents and teachers, and getting good grades? Are you in some good after school activities? Or are you one of those boys who does some of the same things? Long ago, God was not looking for someone who was the most popular at school, he wanted someone who listened at home; he was not looking for someone who had a hundred friends, he was looking for someone who knew Him. God was looking for someone who had been brought up in a good home, had a decent relationship with relatives, and someone who did her chores. On some days this special girl might have even asked herself: “Is this all there is to life: listening, responding, following instructions, and doing for others? God searched the entire planet earth, with eyes better than Google Earth, with a heart who knew the ones he had created, and with a knowledge of his children so complete that he even knew how many hairs were on their heads, how many freckles were on their body, and where they focused most of their attention. God knows and sees you today in the same way. With all the importance of teaching that Santa Claus “sees you when you’re sleeping; he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness’ sake,” it is so much more important to know that God is watching you, and perhaps even deciding whether to choose you for something special or not. God doesn’t do “American Idol” searches or “America’s Got Talent” searches; God searches souls, and situations, not just highways, but also the byways.After all, in the first century he was searching for a human being, a girl, to be the mother of his Son, a Son who would be human-yes, but also be God. He would also need to find the right family where the man would agree to marry this woman carrying God’s child; a man who would still agree to raise this child as if he were his own. It was a tall order. No one knows how long God looked, but God must have looked; and looked; and looked. Of all the wise men or women in the world back then, few if any would have guessed that the mother of God’s son would come from a no-place town like Nazareth. A couple of hundred people their, maybe. And God chose her? God chose him? God chose them? How odd; or was it?

In today’s text, if we read carefully, we find that Mary came from a good family system. Most readings, even ours today, begin with verse 26: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.” First, we know God wanted someone from “the house of David” since prophets said the messiah would come from that line. Check. Second, Joseph would have to adopt this boy as his son to make it so. Check. Finally, Mary had to be pure as the driven snow. Check. So much is contained in that one sentence! What is the significance of the sixth month? We have to read the verses before it to find out that her relative (probably a special woman to her) named Elizabeth, had been a person who prayed. Her husband was a priest in the Temple and he also believed strongly in God. Their lack of children would have made people in town, (like the media of today) presume that God had forgotten them or was punishing them. Still their faith taught them not to give up hope, even as they got to be quite old. Then they learned that they, old as they were, were going to have a child: a son! He was to be named John! The Bible says Elizabeth hid herself from the public until her fifth month, perhaps waiting to be sure she would carry the child to term. She did not want to share her joy with others if she was going to have her heart broken again. But her heart wasnot broken; not only was she finally able to share her joy with others, she learns in her sixth month—there’s where the sixth month comes from, it was Elizabeth’s sixth month carry her child—that Mary is being sent to her because she in her young age—perhaps 13 -15 years old—is carrying a child even before she is married! Certainly she is betrothed—that is, engaged, which was much more of a promise than our engagements today, but she had not gone through the marriage ceremony yet. She was ushered out of town, way out of town to Ein Karem where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived. That kept Mary from facing the possible taunting of friends or finger-wagging of neighbors, She would have the support that only God could have planned: a new safe home for the time being with a trusted relative, one who had faith and wisdom to share, one who would nurture her knowledge of God, help her connect the dots of he family tree, and one who could share all the changes of body that a woman has when she is expecting a child. God had arranged for her to be where she could hear human affirmations instead of criticism, a place of joy instead of heartache. And she could connect with God in ways beyond the dreams that a virgin girl might have had a few months before. At her age, most of her friends were innocent as she was; it was only at that age that wise Jewish parents started to find a husband for their daughter. In those days over half the population died before they were 15, so having a girl with many child-bearing years in front of her was ideal. Her parents would look for a man who came from “good stock” as my Georgia aunt used to say; they would check out his parents, and make sure he was good at his trade; and they would see if they could get along with them. They would likely pick a young man a bit older than their daughter so he could protect her, provide for her, and have a little more wisdom than most girls had at that age. It was a loving matchmaking process, although some today may resent their lack of choice in the matter. But check the divorce stats for the first century and compare them with our century before you condemn arranged marriages! God had found the right family: Mary was likely a good learner, a faithful daughter, a girl respectful to her rabbi, and one who did as she was directed to do. Sometimes teenagers who do as their parents or teachers tell them to do today without arguments are called nerds or geeks, and some are teased or tormented at school. But God, and parents, and teachers, and later employers, will call you special; they will call you a blessing, and a joy to have around. I know some excellent students who once did poorly on some tests just so they could get the poor grades, keeping them from being tormented by those who hadn’t studied. But those of you who do well, dear teenagers and children, you will be leading the companies where poorer students may one day be applying for entrance level positions! You keep at being excellent; be quietly excellent. There is so much poor information and damaging information you will find on your social networks; the one God chose years ago was not in a popularity contest, but later she was lifted up as the most revered mother in the world; and I myself lift up Joseph as one of the most revered men in the world: what were his qualities? He was patient; he was able to listen to God and to wrap his mind around something miraculous; and he was also faithful even when his arranged marriage was so different and his wedding plans so altered from what he must have pictured. But he went along with God’s angel. I admire that; the world admires that; and the world honors Mary. Extraordinary things happened to them; it all began to fit into place when they said yes to one of God’s messengers. It might not seem like it now, my teenage students who are here, but when you get through the petty words and actions or insecurity of other students, God—who has known you from the beginning, and has watched your reactions to torment or teasing with tears in his Holy eyes—God will meet you at the end of your torment, or perhaps take you from your torment and say: You; you; do not be afraid; I have been watching how you handle your world. You stand out to me; and I have good plans for you.”

May you go about the good work of listening to your parents even if your friends don’t listen to theirs; may you go about learning when others only want to play; and may you take time for God, by reading your Bible not just owning one; by coming to church, and by talking about your questions to me or to Cara, or to your parents, even if your friends would laugh if they learned you were doing it. God may have more in store for you than you have even dreamed! Don’t let glamorized, over-paid, drug influenced persons on television be your idol! The people the world will never forget, long after the light of the world’s superstars has faded, are Mary and Joseph: chosen by God, to teach our Savior Jesus. God still has plans for the world, and they could include you in some special way! Thanks be to God who, in this busy world, comes along side of us and invites us to stop texting, to stop watching television, to just be still, even for 15 minutes, like a couple of Husky’s taught a busy business man. Sometimes we need someone to just sit with us and be with us. Thanks be to God for those teenagers who choose a different path from the crowd.

Jeffrey A. Sumner December 18, 2011