The Lutheran Hour
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"Ordinary? No, Extraordinary!"
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Text: Luke 1:26-38
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In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our true Christmas Gift, whose presence makes the ordinary, extraordinary! Amen!
Let me tell you about a young, ordinary boy named Frank Wilson. It was Christmas, but 13-year-old Frank was not happy. It was true, he had received all the presents he wanted, but he was sad because this was his first Christmas without his brother, Steve, who earlier that year had been killed by a reckless driver.
So, this night, he said good-bye to his relatives and he explained to his parents that he was leaving a little early to see a friend, his scout leader. His scout leader was someone who understood him and knew him well. Maybe wishing him Christmas cheer could bring some joy into his heart.
So, he put on his new plaid coat, his favorite gift, and he placed the other presents on his new sled and then he headed out.
As he walked through the flats, through the poor neighborhood next to his own, he glimpsed an especially shabby room with limp stockings hanging over an empty fireplace. A woman was seated nearby weeping. Frank suddenly remembered His scout master’s creed to do a “good deed each day for others.” The empty stockings reminded him of the way that he and his brother had always hung theirs side by side and the joy that they had when they found them filled on Christmas morning. Here was a way to do a “good deed” for the day, finding a way to put one’s faith in God to work for others. So, before the impulse passed, he knocked on the door. “Yes?” the sad woman asked. Seeing his sled full of gifts, and assuming he was making a collection, she said, “I have no food or gifts for you. I have nothing for my own children.”
“That’s not why I am here,” Frank replied. “Please choose whatever presents you would like for your children from my sled.” “Why, God bless you!” the amazed woman answered gratefully. She selected some candies, a game, a toy airplane, and a puzzle. When she took the scout flashlight, Frank almost protested, but he let her take that as well. Finally, the stockings were full. “Won’t you tell me your name?” she asked. “Just call me the Christmas Scout,” he replied.
He understood that his sorrow wasn’t the only sorrow in the world. And he finally realized that giving was indeed more beautiful than receiving. So, before he left the Flats, he gave away all the rest of his gifts. Even his favorite gift, his plaid jacket was gone. It had gone to a shivering boy.
When he got home, his father asked “Where are your presents, son?” “I gave them away,” he answered in a small voice. “But, Frank, how could you be so impulsive?” his mother asked. “How will we explain to the relatives who spent so much time and gave so much love shopping for you?” His father was firm. “You made your choice, Frank. There will be no more presents for you this Christmas. We cannot afford any more.”
With his brother gone, and his family disappointed in him, Frank suddenly felt dreadfully alone. He had not expected a reward for his generosity, but he also didn’t expect this. He thought of his brother once more and he sobbed himself to sleep.
The next morning, he came downstairs to find his parents listening to Christmas music on the radio. Then the announcer spoke: “Merry Christmas, everyone! The nicest Christmas story we have this morning comes from the Flats. A crippled boy down there has a new sled this morning left at his house by an anonymous teenage boy. Another youngster has a fine plaid jacket, and several families report that their children were made happy last night by gifts from a teenage lad who simply called himself the ‘Christmas Scout’. No one could identify him, but the children of the Flats claim that the Christmas Scout was a representative of old Saint Nicolas himself.
Frank’s father leaped from his chair and he held Frank tight. Frank’s mother was smiling through her joyful tears.”Why didn’t you tell us, son? We didn’t understand. We are so proud of you.” Then the carols came over the airwaves again, filling the room with music–” O morning stars together Proclaim thy holy birth, And praises sing to God, the King And peace to men on earth.”
An ordinary boy discovered that one can have the joy of Christmas with no gifts under the tree. For, the joy of Christmas is not about the gifts that we purchase from the store. It’s not about the parties that we attend or the bonuses that we might receive. It’s about the Gift of God’s Son, who would risk the very wrath of the Father, give His very life away, so that you and I and all those sinful people living in a spiritually rebellious world might have the possibility of Godly, eternal life again.
The Christmas story is about what God can do in the lives of ordinary people who suddenly, even miraculously, trust in God’s grace for their lives and bless others with His love. It is a story of God’s gift to the world, God’s gift to you and the real gifts that you share this holiday.
What Mary is told, God now tells to you, too. For those who put their trust in Him, remember, “Nothing is impossible with God!”
The angel said to a peasant girl named Mary, “You will be with child and you will give birth to a son. ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. For nothing is impossible with God!”
In God’s hands, that which is ordinary, even common, becomes extraordinary and blessed. The Christmas message is for ordinary people, those who need life and salvation by grace.
In fact, the Good News of God is that He saves “nobodies” ….God makes “nobodies, somebody” ….The only people who don’t belong in Christ’s church are those people who think they are somebody without Jesus Christ!
It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “God must have loved the common people, since He made so many of them.” I would modify that to say, “God must have loved the common people, since He made His way of salvation plain enough to be grasped by all.” Incredible!
Salvation seems too good to be true. But remember Jesus’ response in Luke 18, when those who heard Him asked, “Well, then, who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with you is possible with God.”
So, who are the people blessed by God?
Well, they are Advent people, like Mary. People willing to take an honest look at themselves from God’s holy point of view! People who see their sin see their need for a salvation that only God can provide.
Remember, part of our Advent preparation for Christmas has been to admit that we need a Savior! Not an easy thing to do, we are always at the mercy of the Lord! We are simply ordinary, sinful people whose lives depend on the grace of God!
There is a temptation today to move away from Christmas grace. People today feel that they are extraordinary on their own terms. I just recently read that American students’ math and science scores are in a free fall compared to the rest of the world. But when it comes to their self esteem as students, it continues to rise each year! Wow. We live in a world of false bravado, of arrogant pride. The Christmas message turns all of that upside down.
The Christmas message, then, to those who know their utter need for God, get ready, because God has overwhelming, undeserved life and salvation for you. The Angel’s word that “nothing is impossible with God” is how God loves to bless the Marys of the world. Mary, too, is a wonderful example of what a person becomes in Him, by grace through faith. She was no person of false bravado, exactly the opposite. When the text says, “Hail Mary, full of grace;” why? Well, it’s not because of who she was, no, it was that the gracious Lord was with her.
You know, sadly, about this time of year, many people’s nerves are frazzled. They struggle to buy the right gift or to get to that other party. By the end of the holidays, they actually need a vacation. Many of you know that ordinary lives this Christmas are finding themselves pondering war, and recession, and depression because of separation from family or friends.
We ordinary people need more than a Santa, we need a Savior. And that’s the Great Gift of Christmas Day! In the midst of the frantic fever of Madison Avenue’s Christmas, in the middle of the unwelcome heartaches and struggles with job, family and friends that come during the holidays, The Christmas Savior is born, the One who will journey to the eternal punishment of Good Friday’s Cross, so that all who believe in Him can have a new, eternal, resurrection life. And, when we open that gift by faith, joy upon joy, our ordinary lives can and do take on extraordinary significance in Christ’s hands, now and forever!
The angel said, “Mary, you will be with child and you will give birth to a son. “How can this be,” said Mary, “since I am still a virgin.” The angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you. For nothing is impossible with God!”
But maybe you’re saying, “Wait, wait, Pastor Seltz. I mean, how can this be? You don’t know me. I’m not a religious man. I’ve been away from God for a long while. Or, I’m really somebody that no one really cares to know!” No you’re not! Not in God’s eyes, my friend.
Mary asked a similar question. She said, “How can this be? I’m still a virgin.” I don’t fit the model Lord. I’m not a person of means or of notoriety. In this world, I’m a nobody that nobody knows.” But God will have none of that. He is the Christmas Lord. He comes bringing the gifts of life and salvation to all who will believe. When He comes, the angels burst forth in song, the nobody shepherds run for joy, and the truly wise men seek His face.
Mary, it’s not “how can this be.” It is, “it will be as God Himself says!” How? By the promise and power of God! The power of God will bring this to pass! “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, for nothing is impossible with God!”
It is God the Creator of the world who said, “Let there be light,” and there was. Hugh Ross, a noted astronomer, says that the creation of light and dark matter had to be exactly how it is today so that modern man could get a glimpse backward with our technology to see the greatness of the moment of creation. He said, “If things happened out of sync in any way, we, with all of our know-how, couldn’t peer back in time whatsoever. It had to happen exactly as it did, not only for this gift of hindsight, but for the actual creation of mankind itself!” Wow!
With God, nothing is impossible. The Christmas Lord who suffers the cross in your place, He is the One who says, “In Him, your sins are forgiven.” Your life can begin anew with repentance and faith. Trust Him. It will be as He says and as He does for you!
How can this be? Nothing is impossible with God for you, and that means the same faith that Mary had in God’s promises, in God’s Son, can be yours today, too, by the gift of His Holy Spirit.
Simply by faith in Christ, all His gifts become yours! That’s just how the God of the Bible is. When He makes a promise, He fulfills it just as He says. Look and see what God does with all of the characters of the Christmas Story and beyond.
– May it be as you have said! Martha, Zechariah, you will have a son, John! Just as God said.
-May it be as you have said! Simeon, Anna, waiting in the temple for the Promised Messiah, the waiting is over, your savior Jesus is here! Just as God promised.
-May it be as you have said! Zacchaeus, come down, for salvation has come to your house this day! Just because Jesus has come into your life!
Simple faith in Christ. All of God’s promises are yours because of Him.
Years ago, there was a wealthy man, who, along with his devoted son, shared a passion for art collecting. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and many others adorned the walls of the family estate.
But the day came when war engulfed their nation, and the young man left to serve his country.
Only a few short weeks afterward, his widowed father received a telegram that his beloved son had been killed while carrying a fellow soldier to the medic.
Years passed, but the father struggled to move on. Finally, one Christmas morning, a knock came at the door of the old man’s home, as he opened the door; he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand. He introduced himself to the man saying, “I was the friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. I came to give you this gift.”
The old man unwrapped the package; the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of his son.
Though crudely crafted, the painting captured his son’s look and personality. The father was overjoyed. It wasn’t too long after that that the old man died.
His artwork was to be auctioned off. The day arrived and the art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular paintings. But, the first piece was no Picasso, no Monet, no Van Gogh; no, it was the marine’s picture of his son, a painting that had literally brought joy back into the father’s heart.
The auctioneer asked for the opening bid. The room was silent. “Who will open the bidding with $100?” No one bid. Complaints began to be heard about starting the auction with such a sub-par piece. But the auctioneer replied, “This one must sell first. Now, who will take the son?”
Finally, a simple man said, “I loved the boy, so I’d like to have it. I’ll bid $100.”
The auctioneer said “I have a bid for $100. Will anyone go higher?” After a long silence, the auctioneer said, “Going once. Going twice. Gone.”
And the gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone said, “Now let’s get on with it!” But the auctioneer looked at the audience and announced that the auction was over.
Stunned disbelief quieted the room. “What do you mean it’s over? We didn’t come here for a picture of some old guy’s son. We came here for priceless works of art. We demand that you explain what’s going on!”
The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son gets it all.” Extraordinary! Extraordinary!
Our Advent preparation has come to an end. The time is here! The presence of that Baby in the manger, that Baby on the cross, is God’s yes to your life. Whoever takes the Son gets it all.
Mary had nothing to offer the Lord, but oh, what He had to offer her. With God nothing is impossible, and ordinary lives take on extraordinary significance in Him. Elizabeth calls us to emulate Mary’s faith when she says of her in Luke 1, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”
Mary would learn throughout her life that the baby she bore in the manger was not merely her Son, but God in the flesh, her Savior. She would hear hard words from this Boy. She would experience tremendous pain at His death on the cross, but ultimately, she would cherish Him as her Lord. Extraordinary, yet it’s the same for anyone of you listening today who would trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, too!
This Christmas, then, God the Father offers you again the Gift of His Son. May your Advent repentance give way to Christmas faith in Jesus and may you see that the God, who so richly blessed a simple virgin girl named Mary, can bless your life with salvation, too, now and forever. For in Christ all things are possible and in Him the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Amen!
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for December 18, 2011
Topic: Is Praying to Win the Lotto a Sin?ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions. I’m Mark Eischer. Today a listener asks, “Is there anything wrong with praying to win the lottery or even playing the lottery for that matter?”
SELTZ: Mark, that’s a practical question because it seems to be all around us today. Everywhere you turn lotteries, casinos are being trumped as solutions to a variety of societal issues.
ANNOUNCER: And our listener is not sure whether he can be part of that or not.
SELTZ: I agree…
ANNOUNCER: Well, should he play and pray?
SELTZ: Interestingly enough, he’s already praying about this every time he prays the Lord’s Prayer. There he says, “Give us today our daily bread.” It would seem already in that prayer that he is not saying, “Give me all of my life’s bread now” which is exactly what lotteries tend to do if one wins.
ANNOUNCER: Okay, so there is wisdom, then, in asking God to give you only what you need for that day.
SELTZ: That’s right. To depend on God “daily” is to grow in your confidence that He is there to meet your every need. In fact, that He is the resource for your life, period.
ANNOUNCER: All right. Given that, I would say, then, that the “spirit of a lottery prayer” might be somewhat out of step with the spirit of depending on God for one’s daily needs.
SELTZ: Well, it sure does divide one’s allegiances, even one’s hopes, that’s for sure. But, I think that the greater temptation of the lotteries and gambling is the challenge it poses to faith in God, period .
ANNOUNCER: Really? How so?
SELTZ: Well, such a prayer makes some assumptions. It assumes that having “enough money” is the real solution to the big problems we face. And that the only barrier to solving one’s struggles, is financial resources. Now, if that were the case, there would be no need for Jesus, His cross and resurrection. So, when you play the lottery, winning might be full of even greater temptations than merely playing.
ANNOUNCER: Like Jesus says, “That it’s hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
SELTZ: Right, but, even there it’s not money that is the problem, it’s the temptation to feel that you are self-sufficient without God. Winning millions on a whim makes that even more of a temptation because a person doesn’t have the value and discipline of work to temper the temptations, the power, and the responsibility of sudden wealth and riches.
ANNOUNCER: Okay. So, God doesn’t just wish for us to trust Him daily for our needs, but also He’s given us things that teach us, let’s say, through work and service to pursue those needs.
SELTZ: That’s right. Work, service, and learning to put our wealth at work to bless others by faith, that takes time and maturity. I like how the New Living Translation translates Proverbs 13:11 – “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.” Those lotto windfalls might overwhelm us because we’re not really ready to handle the pressure of dealing with so much money either.
ANNOUNCER: And there are so many stories of those who win the lottery and they actually find that life is more difficult for them afterwards.
SELTZ: There are books out there that document the fact that this seems to be the rule, not the anomaly. In fact, I read that one person said, “I don’t play because I might win.” So, it appears that the Bible’s wisdom is proven correct again, it’s one’s relationship with God that is key to life, not merely having an overabundance of stuff.
ANNOUNCER: So, I guess, avoiding the temptation of the lottery seems best, we’ve not even yet talked about the fact that there are other, better ways to invest our resources so that you could reap the benefit of growing financial strength in the time that you need it.
SELTZ: Right. The lottery thing does seem to have a lot of headwinds working against it, that’s for sure. So, while the Bible doesn’t really say that lottery or gambling, in general, are sinful in and of themselves. The motivation, if it’s greed and selfish self-reliance, those are sinful desires according to God’s Word; and if those activities turn us away from God and from our responsibilities to others, they have led us into sin.”
ANNOUNCER: All right. So, I guess it’s probably better just to pray and not to play.
SELTZ: Well, for the Christian, that seems best because I think that God has better ways to bless you, and resource you, and empower you this side of heaven. And leaning on Him prayerfully, day after day, is the way to strengthen your faith as you look for Him to supply your needs.
ANNOUNCER: Very good. That’s certainly wisdom to live by. Thank you Pastor Seltz, this has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Gabriel, You Brought to Mary” by F. Samuel Janzow & Paul Bouman, arr. Kevin Hildebrand. From Hymns for All Saints: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany (© 2005 Concordia Publishing House)
“Angels We Have Heard on High” arr. Robert Sterling, Fletch Wiley, & David Winkler. From Oh Holy Night by Jeannine Dennis (© 2006 Dennis Music & Productions)
“Variations on ‘O Sanctissima'” by J. Schildknecht. From Organ Music for the Church Year (© 1995 Japan Lutheran Hour)