A Baby Changes Everything

A Series on Living in the Wilderness: Part 2
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 1:26-56 

[This is Part 2 in a series of looking at people who lived in the wilderness. Not necessarily the wilderness of nature, but the wilderness of life. In fact, there are times when we all feel like we are living in the wilderness. During those times, it’s important to remember that the Lord is faithful. That He loves you and is always with you.]

 

Getting married is one of those milestones of life that some people dream about for years. 

Every detail of the ceremony has to be perfect. Friends and family are invited to celebrate with you. Those same people bring gifts to help you get started on your new life together. It’s a beautiful celebration of love.

 

Mary, who was engaged to Joseph, may not have had all of those same hopes and dreams, but she most certainly wasn’t expecting to be visited by an angel. And definitely, was not expecting the message that he gave her.

 

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.”  NIV

 

On the surface, this is an amazing promise! But Mary’s mind must have been racing and reeling trying to figure out how she, a virgin, would have a child. How would she explain this to Joseph, her parents, her neighbors, her synagogue? Also, in that culture, an unfaithful woman, could be divorced, or even stoned to death!

 

A baby… changes… everything. Obviously, Mary didn’t know the specifics of how this would change her life, but she embraced it in faith.

 

³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.            NLT

 

The angel left her. She was alone with this new knowledge. I would imagine that Mary must have had conflicting feelings of shame, confusion, fear, her life spinning out of control, doubt (did she really see an angel or, if she did, will his promise come true). Whatever she was feeling, she knew that her life would never be the same.

 

Because of this, Mary lived in a wilderness for nine months and likely longer. The wilderness of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, of escaping to Egypt, of the anger of Pharisees and religious leaders directed at her son and finally, of the crucifixion.

 

But in the beginning of living in that wilderness, Mary responded with these words.

 

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
⁴⁷     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
⁴⁸ For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
    and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
⁴⁹ For the Mighty One is holy,
    and he has done great things for me. NLT

 

There’s a song called “A Baby Changes Everything” by Faith Hill. It tells the story of how Mary may have felt about being a teenage girl that was unprepared for everything that was going to happen. But the final line is about how that baby changed the singer’s life.

 

My whole life has turned around
I was lost but now I'm found
A baby changes everything
A baby changes everything

 

The same could be true for you and me.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

(Below is a link for the above song if you’d like to listen to it.)

 A Baby Changes Everything by Faith Hill

Too Good to be True

A Series on Living in the Wilderness: Part 2
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 1:5-25; 67-80

[This is Part 2 in a series of looking at people who lived in the wilderness. Not necessarily the wilderness of nature, but the wilderness of life. In fact, there are times when we all feel like we are living in the wilderness. During those times, it’s important to remember that the Lord is faithful. That He loves you and is always with you.]

My Dad used to say that if something sounded too good to be true, it probably was. On several occasions, my wife and I have attended travel presentations that promised “too good to be true” benefits. Every time resulted in unmet expectations.

 

The angel Gabriel promised Zechariah something that sounded too good to be true.

 

Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth was unable to have children. And, even though they are described as “righteous in the sight of God”, to be childless in their culture was a disgrace. You were thought to be out of God’s favor, possibly even due to sin. No doubt they felt disappointment at best; anger and shame at worse.

 

Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. When it was his order’s turn to provide services at the temple, he was chosen by lot to burn incense in the Holy Place. It was here that Gabriel appeared to him and made these promises.

 

¹³ But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John... ¹⁵ for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. ¹⁶ And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.                 NLT

 

Wow! It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? That’s what Zechariah thought too. After all, they were not only childless, but very old. He doubted and questioned the angel’s authority and ability to make good on such amazing promises.

 

Keep in mind that Zechariah had been a priest his whole life. He knew all the rules and rituals inside and out. In fact, he was really good at obeying the Lord’s rules, but not so good at a personal relationship.

 

You’d think that being in the Holy Place, in the very presence of the Lord; that he would be receptive, if not expectant, to hear from the Lord. But he wasn’t.

 

Consequently, Gabriel made Zechariah mute until his son was born. As a result, he lived in a wilderness of silence for the next nine months. But even before that, Zechariah had been living in a wilderness of religious rules and rituals. He was spiritually dried up and lifeless from the daily routine and life’s unmet expectations.

 

Like Zechariah, there are times when I feel like I’m in a wilderness of religious routine; like the Lord doesn’t speak to me or isn’t working. Zechariah spoke these prophetic words in response to the birth of his son John. Words that are still true today.

 

⁶⁸ “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
⁶⁹ He has sent us a mighty Savior
    from the royal line of his servant David,
⁷⁰ just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.   NLT

It turns out that the Lord’s promises to Zechariah weren’t “too good to be true”. In fact, his promise to you and me of a personal Savior in Jesus who loves, forgives and is always with us… isn’t “too good to be true” either.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

An Adrenaline Rush

A Series on the “I Am” statements of Jesus
“I Am the true vine”
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 14:15-15:17

[Moses encountered God at the burning bush where the Lord gave His name as “I Am”. Jesus used that same name for himself, thus claiming to BE God. In this series, we’re looking at the “I Am” statements of Jesus to learn about him and about God.]

 

Some people love to take risks; even risks that feel dangerous. Extreme sports fall into this category. Things like skate boarding, sky diving or bungee jumping. Before taking the plunge, the participant experiences an adrenaline rush… so I’m told.

 

You might compare an adrenaline rush to the Spirit of God.

 

In the Old Testament, the Spirit was present in “a specific person, at a specific time, for a specific task”. Think of Gideon when he was about to battle the Midianites; or Samson bringing down the temple on the Philistines; or Elijah facing off against the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel.

 

In John 14, Jesus is just finishing in the upper room with his disciples. He knows what his future holds and is preparing them for it. It’s here that he promises them the Holy Spirit. Not for a specific time and specific task, but as an in-dwelling, continuous advocate.

 

²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.         NIV

 

Then in John 15, Jesus makes this statement.

 

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.            NIV

 

This is a metaphor that helps us to understand how the Holy Spirit works; how we stay connected with Jesus and each other; and how we bear fruit for the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches and God the Father, is the gardener.

 

Jesus promised the disciples the Holy Spirit. That promise holds true today. He is called the Advocate, Counselor, Comforter, Encourager, Intercessor and Helper. He is always with you and me to keep us connected to the true vine, to each other and to bear fruit.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

Broken Eggs

A Series on the “I Am” statements of Jesus
“I am the way, the truth, and the life”
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 14:1-14

[Moses encountered God at the burning bush where the Lord gave His name as “I Am”. Jesus used that same name for himself, thus claiming to BE God. In this series, we’re looking at the “I Am” statements of Jesus to learn about him and about God.]

  

A friend of mine ran the high hurdles in college. In practice, his coach used to put an egg on the top edge of each hurdle so that if he so much as nicked the hurdle, the egg would fall and break. When he had completed the hurdles, he could look back and see how good or bad he had done by how many broken eggs there were.

 

In the upper room story of John 13, Jesus told the disciples that… 1) Judas would betray him. 2) Peter, arguably the leader of the disciples, would deny him. 3) Jesus would leave them, and they couldn’t follow him (at least for now). But all that the disciples heard was they couldn’t follow him.

 

Each disciple had invested the past three years of their life by leaving their job, their family and their friends with the expectation that Jesus would save the Jewish nation, and they would be by his side.

 

Now, they must have felt like the ground was beginning to crumble beneath them; like the hurdles of life were too much; like all of their eggs had been broken.

 

Seeing that the disciples were upset by his words, Jesus further explained that he was going away to prepare a room for them in his Father’s house; that he would return for them; and that they knew the way. Here is what followed.

 

⁵ “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me…

⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

⁹ Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!    NLT

 

Sometimes in life things don’t go the way we had planned. In fact, things go way off track, and all of our eggs seem to get broken. We lose focus. We lose sight of Jesus; of who he is; of his love for us and his faithfulness.

 

When those times happen, let us keep focus by remembering Jesus’ words to the disciples, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me”. And then follow Philip’s lead by praying, “Lord, show us the Father”.

 

Jesus concluded this passage in the upper room with a promise to the disciples, which is also a promise to you and me.

 

¹³ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!                    NLT

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams