blessed is she who believes

[Forward:
I recently listened to a CCF sermon by Jessie Elledge on the topic of faithfulness.  She taught using the story of Abraham to show that being faithful may not be easy or comfortable, but it is absolutely best.  If you choose faithfulness, you might become lonely or alienated.  If you choose faithfulness, you might have to wait a long time to receive what the Lord has promised.  If you choose faithfulness, you might be tempted at times to take control back from God.  If you choose faithfulness, you might have to do things that do not make sense.
But If you choose faithfulness, you will see the Living God at work in your life.
In Abraham's case, God promised that his wife would bear a child in her old age, and that Abraham would become the father of many nations through this child.  This was the promise of something that only God could do.  Abraham believed God.  He remained faithful to God.  And God kept his promise to Abraham.]

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This Christmas season, I have been captivated by the story of the birth of Jesus and I have spent much time reading and re-reading the passages at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke which detail the account.  In light of what I have learned of faithfulness, there is a certain part of the nativity account which has struck me in a way unlike ever before.

What I am talking about, and what this blog post is about, is the story of Mary.  Her humility, the Lord's goodness, her belief and trust, the Lord's perfect plan and sovereignty-- and the faithfulness of them both.

And [the angel Gabriel] came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

I have always been confused with this part of the story.  Mary seems like she is a bit wary and un-trusting of what the angel is saying to her.  But I took a closer look, and the Greek word used here for "greatly troubled" refers not to one who is anxious or fearful, but to one who is emotionally moved, whose heart has been stirred. Mary's heart is not been hardened!  I imagine that she is overcome by the wonder of feeling God's presence within her.  This simple phrase does not show that she was weak of spirit, but rather that her spirit was willing to be moved by God.  This tells me that Mary has taken a posture of humility and trust before the Lord.

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Again, our English translation does not do justice to the profoundness of what is being said between Mary and Gabriel.  In saying that she has "found favor," the angel proclaims that Mary has come upon grace.  She has been met with the loving kindness, good will, and mercy of the God of the Universe.  God has chosen to bestow upon Mary that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness.  Finding favor with God means that Mary has been given the undeserved gift of grace.

And not only has she been given grace, God also makes a promise to Mary that her son will be the long-awaited Messiah.  This was the promise of something that only God could do.

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

This is another instance in which I assume Mary's intention wrongly based on my understanding of the language.  I have always thought that Mary's asking "how" is an expression of doubt-- that she does not fully believe yet that what the angel foretold can actually be accomplished.  But I think that I was wrong about Mary.  This Greek word for "how" does not imply suspicion or distrust, but instead shows the heart of one who is desiring to be taught.  Mary was not questioning God.  She was seeking him.

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you...  For nothing will be impossible with God.” 

The angel answers her.  I don't know if you will see this as beautiful or not, but it is my favorite part of the story.  God does not choose to treat Mary as a servant who is not privileged enough to know her Master's business.  On the contrary, because of her belief and trust in him, she is treated as a friend of the Master.  It is like God is letting her in on the most beautiful intricacies of his perfect plan-- even when he was not obligated to.  And what is God's secret?  Nothing is impossible for him.  This blows my mind.  After this kind of encounter, I can only imagine that Mary's heart would have not been able to keep from worshiping the Lord in beauty and in truth.

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
   
Mary believed in the Living God.  She chose to be the Lord's servant-- to remain faithful to him.  And God kept his promise, even to a teenage girl.

I just think that is breathtaking.

The last part of the story that I love is the way that God takes care of everything else, and in doing so, confirms to Mary what he promised her.  He sends an angel to straighten things out with Joseph.  He sends the three wise men from the orient to proclaim Jesus as King.  He endows Mary's relative Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit, affirming that this child truly was the Lord.

And Elizabeth exclaimed, "blessed is she who believes that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord!”

being made new

In my experience, one of the things that God does best is transformation.  I have seen it over and over in my heart, in others, in Scripture…

Night to day. 

Darkness to light. 

Death to life. 

Evil to good. 

God has a unique and beautiful way of making things new.  This is exciting for many reasons… I mean, I know that I want to be made new, I want to see other people made new, I want the world to be made new.

This is also good news because, if you had not heard, there was a flood in Thailand.  More than a third of the country, including Grapevine, was underwater for weeks.  The water has receded and we are back at Grapevine now, but mostly everything inside of Grapevine was damaged beyond use.  Here are just a few photos….

 

My first thoughts upon returning... “Lord, where do we start?  And where do we go from here?”

It is not only the furniture at Grapevine that was damaged.  The whole semester has been shaken up and the Grapevine staff has decreased in size.  Annual events like the Halloween party, Thanksgiving and Christmas parties, and the retreat may not happen now.   Thammasat students are beginning their semester two months later than normal and will likely be taking Saturday classes to make up for lost time.  Grapevine events will wind up looking just as different as Grapevine itself.

Whether we asked for it or not, Grapevine is being made new.

And after the initial shock of it, it is quite exciting that we have front row seats to watch God do what he does best:  transform.  I am encouraged when I remember that God already has a plan for what he is going to do with us and in us this semester.  God is able to completely redeem and revive what is damaged and use it for his purpose and his glory.

JOY

I love Christmas.

In my book, the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year.  I have loved it ever since I was a little girl.  There is something about the glow of Christmas lights mingling with the smell of Christmas cookies and Bing Crosby’s Christmas album playing in the background that makes it seem as though all is well in the world.  I like the cold weather, I love gathering with family, I like giving gifts, I love eating holiday food, I like Christmas music on the radio, and I love the decorations.

Another thing I love about Christmas is that it makes it so easy to talk about Jesus.  It is one of the few times of the year that I do not feel like a weirdo for finding so much joy in my faith in Christ.  Because that is what everyone is doing.  I mean, there are probably not many people in America who (whether they are believers or not) do not know that Christmas is supposed to be about Jesus.  There are also many Americans who do not celebrate it as such, but at Christmastime, even non-Christians will join in to a chorus of “Joy to the World” even if they do not believe what the verses were meant to convey… because its Christmas.

I know there are lots of Christians who hate what Christmas has become in America—the “holiday season,” all about shopping, consumerism, and forced family interaction.  Drop a dime in the Salvation Army bucket to feel like you have done your part in feeding the poor, then head into Starbucks and buy your $5 latte… Yes, I know.  But isn’t there something exciting about the widespread acknowledgement of the birth of Jesus Christ, year after year?  Even if the acknowledgement is mixed in with Kohl’s advertisements, it is there.  I think that Christmas is a perfect time for churches and Christians to share the Truth of Christ with people when they are most willing to hear it.  And no, I do not consider “sharing the truth of Christ” something that fits on a bumper sticker.  It is something much more intimate than that.

But I am not in America this Christmas.

I am in Thailand.

I must admit, I was worried that spending Christmas in Thailand was going to be awful.  I fully expected to have a culture shock melt down by now… no silver bells, no candy canes, no lights, no trees, no baking, no family, no caroling, no snow, no nativity scenes… How will I even survive?!

I am very happy to say that this is one expectation of Thailand that has not been met.  On the contrary, I have thoroughly enjoyed the holiday season so far.  Yes, most of the things I love about Christmas are not here: family, food, cold weather, nationwide decorations… But there is one thing that remains the same in Thailand…

Jesus.

Although I do miss spending Christmas in America, I can honestly say that Christmas in Thailand has allowed me to find great JOY in the birth of my Savior—a different kind of joy than the joy given by Christmas lights and Bing Crosby.   It is a joy that I can feel flowing within me, a kind of expectancy of something big and beautiful that God is about to do.  It is a joy that has caused me to wake up with a smile on my face in the morning, my first thought being of God’s goodness to send us salvation in the most unlikely of circumstances.  Joy, that the child of a virgin was the Son of God.  Joy, that there is hope.  Joy, that there is grace and peace and forgiveness and light.  Joy, that there is Jesus.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!