Sermon: Fourth Sunday of Advent

The Very Rev. William Thomas Deneke, rector
> Scripture for the day

This Christmas there has been more preparation than usual going on for my son, Chris, and his family. They have also been getting ready for the birth of their second child – a boy – William Courtland Deneke.

Ella, my son’s four year old first born, has been very excited about becoming a big sister. However, when it became apparent that her baby brother might arrive earlier than expected, Ella voiced her concern. “I want him to come after Christmas, and I want snow!”

Well, this past Wednesday, December 17, William Courtland Deneke was born. When Deborah talked to Ella on the phone after Ella saw her new baby brother at the hospital, Ella said with a deep sigh, “Mimi, he’s already here!” Ella might have thought she was all prepared for Christmas, but I don’t think she was truly ready for her baby brother’s birth.

Are you ready for Christmas? That’s a question we hear a lot. And the truth is we are never fully ready for Christmas. We are never totally prepared for the birth of the Christ child. The good news is that’s ok. Getting ready for Christmas means in part realizing that it is not all up to us.

That is one of the things so appealing about today’s gospel story of Mary. We have heard John the Baptist admonish folks to make a straight path for the Lord, but today we hear of another kind of preparation. An angel says to Mary, Do not be afraid; you have found favor with the Lord.

Advent weaves together the themes of judgment and grace. On this Sunday before Christmas the emphasis is upon grace, upon finding favor with the Lord. And that is something we need to hear.

I remember Christmas celebrations from my childhood. There was an emphasis on getting everything just right and working ever so hard to make sure it was. You had to be ready for Christmas. Nothing could be left to chance.

Today in the scriptures, we hear of a different kind of preparation: one of the heart. A letting go of our anxieties and fears. Mary trusted that God would do God’s part; it was not all up to her.

What a refreshing model of discipleship. Letting go of the need to be always in control, giving up the belief it is all up to us. Taking on the faith to trust in God and to let ourselves be empowered by God.

The early church struggled mightily with understanding the incarnation of God in Christ. Finally the vision emerged of seeing Christ as both fully divine and fully human. In Christ we see a partnership of humanity and divinity. In Mary we see humanity trusting and accepting the divinity of God.

Getting ready for Christmas is not only about making straight paths in our lives for God, but also about receiving the grace that transforms us into Christ bearers.

The frightening part of that is trusting God to do God’s part. Yet if we are to respond faithfully to the Christmas invitation to partner with God, we cannot stop with John the Baptist; we must also embrace Mary. With Mary we must find the courage to say, Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.

I like what Barbara Brown Taylor says about our fear of accepting God’s favor. She writes,

You can decide to say yes. You can decide to be a daredevil, a test pilot, a gambler. You can set your book down and listen to a creature’s strange idea. You can decide to take part in a plan you did not choose; doing things you do not know how to do for reasons you do not entirely understand. You can take part in a thrilling and dangerous scheme with no script and no guarantees. You can agree to smuggle God into the world inside your own body. Deciding to say yes does not mean that you are not afraid, by the way. It just means that you are not willing to let your fear stop you.

Following our Lord does not take away all fear. We can imagine that Mary had many fears over the years. As his mother, there were doubtless many times she was overcome with anxiety and fear of what lie might ahead for Jesus. However, she must have reminded herself time and time again that she had put her trust in God. She had accepted the mission presented to her by the angel. She would not let fear deter her from serving her Lord.

Today’s gospel reminds us that Mary was invited to step out boldly and act in faith. And to do so trusting that she was in partnership with God. It was not all up to her.

That invitation comes to all of us in some way. Somehow life conspires to lead us into holiness, into making decisions as servants of the Lord. In Mary that invitation was presented and received in such grace that we count the story as special and unique. But God’s spirit calls all of us. Calls us to be Christ bearers. Calls us through grace to give birth to God’s incarnated presence. From our humanity blessed by God can come hope and life and salvation. From us can emerge forgiveness and redemption not just because we have gotten ready for Christmas by making paths straight, but also because we have trusted the favor of God that rests upon each of us.

Thanks to Mary, we know that getting ready for Christmas is a process pregnant with possibilities beyond our imagining and beyond just our doing. Possibilities as wondrous as the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.