Episode Transcript
CONSECRATE
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
HEAR
Luke 1:34–38 ESV
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
CONSIDER
As we launch into Gospel #3, I am remembering a children's Sunday school class story.
The teacher asked the children to define faith. As they went around the room giving their various Jesus-y answers, one smug kid spoke up with his answer: "Faith is having the audacity to believe what you know is not true."
In truth, nothing could be further from the truth. That is having faith in faith. Luke is writing so we will have faith in God. Here's a better working definition of faith: Faith is having the audacity to risk everything on what you know to be the truth—the Word of God. This is why Luke is writing us this account.
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (1:1–4 NIV)
Luke opens with the story of Zechariah, the priest, who while on duty encountered an angelic being who told him his aged wife would become pregnant. I want us to note Zechariah's response to the angel: "Zechariah asked the angel, 'How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years'” (1:18).
Faith does not ask, "How can I be sure of this?" Faith acts on the truth of the revelation. Zechariah found himself struck dumb (unable to speak) as a result of his lack of faith—until what was decreed did happen.
Now, let's look at Mary, who also encounters an angelic being who says to her: "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus" (1:31).
Notice how Mary responds:
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
She does not ask Zechariah's question, "How can I be sure?" She accepts the fact and asks, rather, how it will happen since she does not intend on having intimate relations with a man until she is married. And the angel tells her how it will happen.
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God."
Despite this unprecedented declaration, Mary doubles down now with perhaps the most powerful consecration of faith in the whole Bible.
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Faith is having the audacity to risk everything on what you know to be the truth—the Word of God.
And did you notice our watchword? Yep, Mary called the angel to "Behold"! I want Mary's consecration of faith to become our consecration of faith henceforth on this gospelling journey.
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
PRAY
Lord Jesus, behold! I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. I will say it again: Behold! I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And now, for good measure, I will say it yet again: Behold! I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. It will be for your glory, for others' gain, and for my good. And in your name, Jesus, amen.
