Incarnation: LOVE

BOX for new converts at citychurch

Fourth Sunday of Advent Readings: Love

Luke 2:8-20

INCARNATION – LOVE

70 women 2 groups – dialogue about this verse

Gift – grace

Luke 1: 26-39 The Birth of Jesus Foretold

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

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He 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,33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

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

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

announcement that changed your life?

Police met them at work – spouse

September 11^th  ALL OF US – His was personal

Annunciation – paintings Leonardo DaVinci

SLIDE: PICTURE OF MARY

Henry Tanner The Annunciation, 1898. Found in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia.

FAVOR

SLIDE: Luke 1:28 The angel went to her (Mary) and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Favored – Charis

God extending Himself to freely bestow grace (favor).

Noun – root – a gift of grace, an undeserved favor – a FREE gift

is used twice in the NT (Lk 1:28 and Eph 1:6), both times of

SLIDE: Ephesians 1:4-6

⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he^[ predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has “freely given” us in the One he loves.

FAVOR again

SLIDE: Luke 1:30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.

“Found” – She was “found” to be with child

Shepherds –  FAVOR – heavenly host

SLIDE: Luke 2:13-14 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to “those on whom his favor rests”.”

SLIDE: Thayer’s Greek Lexicon

“men on whom His favor rests (i. e. not a particular class of men (viz. believers), but the whole race, contemplated as blessed in Christ’s birth)”

Incarnation declares GOD’S LOVE =

God’s FAVOR rests on ALL of the human race

Mary is amazing!!  –

she is a virgin, line of David, at the right time

Favored – “The Lord is with you!”

Emmanuel = “God with us”   YOU TOO!!

Mary – Favored 2xs –  – God’s favor – PERSONALLY

Mary’s response – clarification – not doubt

SLIDE: Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary is obedient to God’s word and God’s call

SLIDE: Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”  (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

SLIDE: PICTURE Joseph

Humbling – covering her shame

God is in charge

Joseph dreamer

1. The work of the Holy Spirit
2. Obedience – his plan – God’s plan timing

Frederick Bruner:  Everything Joseph previously understood as righteousness told him that divorce was the only honorable solution to this awful situation. Joseph, Matthew says pointedly, was “a righteous roan”. But Joseph was overcome by a divine intervention and was moved to make a new decision. In Jesus a “revaluation of values”.