Prepare for the Impossible

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

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of this father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "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. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38

It was a dark night and I was driving home from the worst choir practice ever. The choir director had invited me to come, and I liked to sing, so I showed up. I hadn’t sung in a choir since seventh grade, when my mom finally let me quit the children’s choir (believe me, it was hard being the only kid singing bass…). The practice was… not the best. First of all, the "bass" part was way too high for me to sing; I was used to singing whatever I wanted, usually the melody a couple of octaves below everyone else. So not only was I singing a real bass part, but we were singing Black Gospel and they often split into 3 parts instead of 4: soprano, alto, and "men." And those "men’s" parts are really, really high. So I had a terrible headache from trying to sing too high. Oh, and did I mention that as the new guy, I got to sit on the end of the row, next to "Ed" who had a policy of picking one note and sticking with it? To make matters worse, besides the director, I had only even met one person there, and he kept annoying me when I was trying to sing.

So on the way home, I had me a little conversation with God. Well, God, I showed up and sang. Good enough, eh? Then God’s voice came through: What are you doing for me? That was a fine question, because, after all, I was a seminary student! I was training to lead people for Him!

Then God answered: No, what are you doing for me?

It wasn’t long until I realized what God was saying: I was going to have to stick it out in the choir. Even though I couldn’t sing the part, and even though I didn’t know anyone, I was going to have to sing God’s praises in front of people.

Have you ever had a conversation with God? One where you have all the answers, but God has something else in mind? Where you know what is possible, but God has something else for you?
Just because you know the story, don’t gloss so quickly over this conversation Mary had with God. First of all, an angel showed up. "Greatly troubled" sounds so innocuous. I think I’d use the phrase "freaked out." Here’s the ironic thing: she was freaked out before the angel told her what was going to happen. The angel’s mere appearance and greeting were enough to mess her up.

But the angel told her that God planned to do the impossible.

Mary’s response: I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.

Doesn’t she know that regardless of what an angel says, that virgins don’t give birth? But the angel told her that God had different plans. Think about it: God was the One who created the reproductive system; certainly He can change the way it works! It’s like this: one year for Christmas I received an electric train set. I loved setting my train up and driving it. It was fun watching the train go round and round. But sometimes the train went off the track. Then I’d reach down into the train scene I’d built, pick the train up, and set it back on track.

God can reach down into His creation at any time and can change the parameters.

  • He is not constrained by money – or lack thereof.
  • He is not constrained by disease. Cancer’s got nothing on Him.
  • He is not constrained by the rules of physics; He created Physics!
  • We know that God will act in accordance with His character , but He is not constrained by our understanding of Him.
  • He is not constrained even by our actions. Jesus told a bystander that if his people didn’t praise His name, then the very stones would cry out. Did you know that right now in Muslim countries with nary a missionary, Muslims are having dreams of Jesus Christ and are turning to Him for salvation?

What I see here is really a control issue. We don’t only want to know how, where, and when God will work, but we really want to control how God works and through whom God works. Once when I was serving as associate pastor, we had a healing service. The Senior Pastor asked for prayer for his shoulder, as he had slipped on ice earlier, and his shoulder really hurt. So I prayed for him. The next Sunday, he told me, "You don’t have the gift of healing. My shoulder hurts worse than ever." Whatever the case, his comment said this to me, "I want to know and control how God works."

Really, not having the gift of healing has freed me up greatly; I don’t have to have the gift of healing for God to do the healing, and then if God chooses to heal someone after I’ve prayed for them, He gets the glory, not me.

Mary had faith enough to tell the angel "May it be to me as you have said."

Even though it doesn’t follow the hard and fast rules of biology. Even though it was way above her pay grade. Even though she had no understanding of how it would happen.

What would it be like if we were to give God that same offering? I am the Lord’s servant: may it be to me as you have said.

What would God do with this church?

  • I see a church tearing down Satan’s strongholds in Millersport and beyond.
  • I see a church so compassionate that the lost and the lonely are found and enfolded in fellowship.
  • I see a church on a mission, making disciples of Jesus Christ.
  • I see a church transforming people into Christ’s likeness, one person at a time, that we would be characterized by repentance and response to Christ’s call to salvation.
  • I see a people who are so on fire for Jesus Christ that they will count the cost and pay whatever the price to see revival sweep this land.
  • I see a church whose heartfelt praise and worship reaches to heaven as a pleasing gift to God – not just as we sing, but as we live.
  • I see a church where buildings can’t contain our growth.
  • I see a church whose message is so clear that lives are changed forever.
  • I see a church who desperately care about the souls of their neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family members, and will stop at nothing to see them transformed.
  • I see a church who daily communicates with God through Bible reading, study, and meditation.
  • I see a church who is characterized by listening prayer: who wait on the movement of the Holy Spirit, but when the Spirit moves, are ready to move.
  • I see a church characterized by intercession – that we won’t sit back and allow Satan to have victory in any aspect of our lives or the lives of the families in our church.
  • I see a church that is a healing place: that we are known as somewhere that people are healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
  • I see a church where young people are not only accepted and invited, but cherished and empowered for ministry.
  • I see a church serving in mission, here in Millersport and throughout the world.
  • I see a unified church: not two services who tolerate one another, but one church on a mission for God.
  • I see a church whose head is Jesus, whose help is the Holy Spirit and whose focus is the Great Commission.

Yes, the church that I see could well be our church.

What could we be if we will say along with Mary: I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.

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