The Journey of Faith (My Last Sermon at Pleasant Grove Methodist Church)

Introduction
Do you remember the first sermon I preached here at Pleasant Grove?  Probably not.  That’s OK.  You probably won’t remember this last sermon either. 

But I do hope you will remember me.  I know I will always remember and thank God for you.  You have been a blessing to me and my family.  Most important of all, I want you to remember how good, how faithful, how wonderful is God.

I have preached over 700 times since I came to PG 15 years ago.  But this last sermon I only get to preach once.  So, I have prayed a long time about what I should say.  And through prayer, God told me this last sermon doesn’t need to:  summarize my ministry, justify why I am leaving, or secure my legacy.  Instead, I simply want to:  be a witness to God’s faithfulness, trust God with what I cannot carry forward, and release you.

Hebrews 11:8-16
⁸ It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. ⁹ And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. ¹⁰ Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.

¹¹ It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed^[a] that God would keep his promise. ¹² And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.

¹³ All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. ¹⁴ Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. ¹⁵ If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. ¹⁶ But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Abraham & Sarah
Abraham trusted God enough to leave his homeland and go to a “Promised Land”.  Abraham didn’t even know where he was going, but trusted God to show him how to get there. 

Obviously, I feel a kinship to Abraham.  I spent my childhood moving from town to town.  Then I became a pastor who moves from church to church ever so many years at the Lord's direction.  So, I I can relate to Abraham in the sense of literally following the Lord by leaving a place you love to go where the Lord is sending you.

Sarah also had great faith.  She left her hometown too, going with Abraham.  I am so thankful for my wife, Kelly.  She lived in the same home for her entire childhood.  Then she married me and has been moving every since, because the Lord has moved me and she has been so faithful to go with me everywhere I've gone.  And that takes a lot of faith and dedication.

Sarah also trusted God to give her a son, even though she was old and barren.  And He did.  Sarah gave birth to a son, Isaac; and through him came countless descendants.  Sarah and Abraham had many biological descendants: the 12 tribes of Israel.  

But their descendants also included are many non-biological descendants.  Anyone who chose to follow the God of Abraham became a one of Abraham’s children.  In John 8, Jesus explained being a descendant of Abraham is not about bloodline;  it’s about faithfulness.

Hebrews 13a
Hebrews 11:13a says:  “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it.”

These people who trusted God with everything died without receiving what God promised.  Yet they still believed.

Now think about that.  That takes some deep faith.  Can you trust God even if you die before receiving and answer to your prayers?  True Christian teaching holds that we are saved by God’s grace when we have faith.  God promises that all who repent of their sin and trust in the atonement on the cross shall be forgiven their sins and welcomed into the eternal Kingdom of Heaven.  Do you believe God’s promise to you through Jesus Christ?

God Has Been Faithful to Us
God has been faithful to me. 15 years ago, I was sitting in a hunting blind in the woods on a spring day, hunting turkey in Forsyth, GA.  My District Superintendent called.  That’s the only reason I answered the phone while hunting!  He said, "I know you've enjoyed serving your church in Smarr for 5 years, but it's time to move.  The Bishop plans to appoint you to Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Dalton."  

I didn't know much about Dalton, except the made a lot of carpet.  And it was on the complete opposite side of the North Georgia Conference.  But I promised to go where they sent me.  So, we packed up everything and moved to Dalton.

For 15 years, God’s been faithful to me as I’ve shepherded this flock. He has taken care of my family.  My children each knew your love in ways that shaped them for the rest of their lives.  Kelly and I have been shaped by you too.  I've learned so much , grown as a pastor and a Christian from having been with you.  Thank you for loving me and my family.  And thank you for growing in Christ along with me.

God has used me to bless many here in Whitfield County—not because of my talent or anything good in me.  God has blessed you through me simply because I said yes.  If anything good has come from my ministry here, it is because of God’s goodness and blessing.  Any mistakes or harm that's been done is on me.

Trusting God Means Letting Go
Trusting God means letting go.  You may have your own ideas about how things should go. But you can’t be a control freak about your life and put your trust in God.  It requires letting go.  You may not understand His ways, but you trust His way is always best. 

It’s hard for me to let go when it comes to you.  I love you.  

For 15 years, I’ve focused so much of my heart on you.  And I have a shepherd’s heart.  I always want to protect you.  I always want to lead you in the right direction.  But now God has called me to go shepherd another flock. And I trust God above all else.  And that means I have to let go.  I have to entrust you to another shepherd God will send.

So I will not cling to you.  I will not try to meddle in your affairs after I leave.  I will not compete or hinder your next pastor in any way.  Because I trust God is sending you just the right shepherd He has chosen to lead you as God wants you to be lead.  So, I will be very careful not to do anything that interferes with you accepting and following the new shepherd God brings to lead you.

I’ve spent the last few months preparing to depart.  I’ve tried to get things ready.  I’ve turned over duties to different leaders I trust so Pleasant Grove can continue to serve God.

I’ve helped setup a transition team to lead you until God sends a new pastor here.  Amy Harris, David Crawford, Sherry Dickson, and Kelsey Ikerd have agreed to take turns preaching on Sunday mornings.  They already have the next 8 weeks scheduled.

Rev. Don Dexheimer—a retired Methodist minister—will cover pastoral needs that require an ordained minister (holy communion, baptisms, funerals, etc.).  He will also facilitate Wednesday night discussions (resumes Jan 14^th).

Sherry Dickson will teach Thursday morning Bible study (resumes on Jan. 15^th).

And I have never tried to micromanage you because I know God has given each one of you a special gift to help uplift this congregation and carry out the mission to make disciples of Christ.  So, I trust God will help each one of you to step up and support this church in your own way.

I can’t tie up every loose end.  But I’ve done what I can.  Now I want to bless you and commend you to God.  I trust Him to take care of you, just as I trust Him to take care of me and Kelly and our family.

Home is Not A Place on Earth
One of the main ideas in Hebrews 11 that really resonates with me and is so important for us is:
Home is not a place on earth. 

Hebrews 11:14-16a says Abraham’s descendants were, “…looking forward to a country they can call their own. ¹⁵ If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. ¹⁶ But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland.”

Whether you've around a lot or lived in the same home your whole life, I want to leave you with this important truth from Scripture.  Our true Home is yet to come.  God has promised eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven for all who trust Christ as their Lord and Savior.  And that will be our true Home, our Promised Land.

I hope I will see you again in this life.  But even if I don't, I hope we will be together for eternity in our Heavenly Home.  We will gather around the throne of God.  And we will never have to leave each other again, because we will live together with God and each other in perfect harmony.  And there will be no more sickness or sorrow or suffering or death.

Closing Ceremony 
As I close today, I want to have a special ceremony to symbolically release and bless each other as I pass the light of Christ on to you to carry it forward.

I would like to invite some members of the transition team up to the altar.
[David Crawford, Amy Harris, Kelsey Ikerd, Don Dexheimer, and Sherry Dickson]

Pastor:  “The light that has guided us does not belong to any one pastor or season. It is the light of Christ.”

[Light transition team's candles from the Christ candle]

Pastor:  “This light is now carried not by one voice, but by many.  And it belongs not only to those who preach, but to all who serve.”

Pastor Asks the Transition Team:  “Will you serve faithfully in this season, listening for God’s voice and caring for this congregation with humility and courage?”

Transition Team Representatives:  “With God’s help, we will.”

Pastor Asks the Congregation:  “Will you continue in the worship and mission of this church, trusting God to lead you into what comes next?”

Congregation:  “With God’s help, we will.”

Pastor Asks All:  “Will you pray for one another, speak the truth in love, and remain open to the work of the Holy Spirit?”

All:  “With God’s help, we will.”

 

The Angels' Song | A Sermon on Luke 2:8-14

Introduction
Today is the 3^rd Sunday in Advent.  The word Advent actually means, “coming” or “arrival.”
Advent is a time to remember Christ’s first coming as a baby in Bethlehem.
Advent is also a time to prepare their hearts for His coming into their lives today.
Advent is also a time to look forward to His promised coming again in glory.

In the season of Advent, there are four Sundays, and each one is marked by lighting a candle on the Advent wreath. On the first Sunday, we light the candle of Hope, recognizing the hope we have in Jesus Christ. On the second Sunday, we light the candle of Peace, symbolizing the peace we have in Christ. When we follow Him, we have nothing to fear when He comes again, because we are at peace with God, at peace with His people, and secure in His promises.  Then on the third Sunday, we light the third candle, which is often pink or lavender. This candle represents the Joy we have in Christ—a reminder that even in a season of waiting, joy breaks in because our Savior is near.

So far we have studied Mary’s song and Zechariah’s song.
Today, we will look at the Angel’s song.

Luke 2:8-14
⁸ That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. ⁹ Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. ¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! ¹² And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Shepherds in Bethlehem
According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, hundreds of thousands of sheep were sacrificed in Jerusalem every year. In the Temple—especially during major festivals like Passover—sacrifices were happening constantly. During Passover, pilgrims came from all over the world. The population of Jerusalem could swell from around 20,000 people to well over a million. Every family wanted to offer a sacrifice, and that meant an enormous demand for sheep.

So where did all those sheep come from?  
They came from across the region. No single area could supply them all. But Bethlehem was one of the main suppliers of sheep for the sacrificial system. It was close to Jerusalem, had excellent pasture land, and made it easy to raise sheep and transport them quickly to the Temple.

That’s why it makes perfect sense that Luke tells us there were shepherds out in the fields near Bethlehem. When I was a kid, I pictured just a few shepherds and a handful of sheep. But the reality was far bigger. At any given time, there were likely 15,000 to 30,000 sheep being raised in the Bethlehem region. Not enough to supply all of Jerusalem’s needs—but a significant portion.

Now think about that.
Fifteen to thirty thousand sheep.

When you drive around Whitfield County and see cattle spread across the land, you know there are a lot of them—but imagine 30,000 animals concentrated in one region. That’s enormous.

A skilled shepherd could manage about 50 to 100 sheep, which means we’re talking about 200 to 400 shepherds working throughout the Bethlehem area. This wasn’t a hobby—it was a major agricultural operation.

And these shepherds—what were they like?

A shepherd in the first century was a lot like what we might think of today as a cowboy. Rugged. Tough. Outdoors almost all the time. Physical labor. Long hours. They often slept out in the fields, just like cowboys driving cattle across the plains. They didn’t clock out at the end of the day. Someone always had to watch the sheep.

They faced danger constantly. Predators. Thieves. Weather. It didn’t matter if it was hot, cold, raining, or freezing—they were out there. With tens of thousands of sheep, it would have been easy for someone desperate or hungry to slip in and steal a few animals without anyone noticing. But the shepherds were alert, watchful, and responsible. Their job was to make sure none were lost.

They were also resourceful. You can’t carry everything with you when you live outdoors. You learn to make do—to turn a rock into a hammer, a stick into a tool, to solve problems with whatever you have on hand. These were men who knew how to survive in harsh conditions.

But that life also made them social outsiders. Shepherds were rough. They didn’t smell great. There weren’t showers out in the fields. They worked with animals constantly. If you’ve ever been around goats—or sheep—you know the smell sticks with you. And socially, they weren’t polished. They spoke plainly. Sometimes bluntly. They didn’t always have filters. These weren’t the people you invited to polite dinner parties.

They were also essential workers. Sheep don’t take holidays off. It didn’t matter if it was Passover or any other holy day—someone had to stay with the flock. They missed religious gatherings, family celebrations, and festivals. They’re a lot like nurses and doctors today—people who still work on Christmas because life doesn’t stop for holidays. Babies don’t wait to be born. And sheep still need care.

And remember David. Before he was king, he was a shepherd. When Samuel came to anoint the next king of Israel, David wasn’t even invited into the room. Someone had to watch the sheep. He was forgotten—until God said, “Bring him to me.”

That’s who these shepherds were.
Often overlooked.
Often forgotten.
But just as God didn’t overlook David, He didn’t overlook these shepherds either.

And on the night Jesus was born, they were the ones heaven came looking for.

“How Do You Spot a Spotless Lamb?”
Shepherds had another skill that would have been especially important on that night.

Shepherds knew how to spot a spotless lamb.

Many of the sheep they watched in the fields were destined for sacrifice in Jerusalem. But you couldn’t just send any sheep to the Temple. It had to be perfect—no limp, no blemish, no deformity. Even its teeth mattered. God required the very best.

Now, if you and I saw a newborn lamb, we’d probably just say, “Oh, how cute!” But shepherds saw more than that. They could look at one lamb and say, “This one won’t survive. Something’s wrong.” They’d look at another and say, “This one will live, but it’s ordinary. You could sell it, use it for food of wool, but this one isn’t fit for sacrifice.”

And then they’d see another lamb and say, “This one is pure. This one is spotless. Set this one aside. This is the kind of lamb you bring to God.”

They knew how to spot it.

So when the angels appeared and told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem, they weren’t just saying, “Go see a baby.”  They were saying, “Go see the Lamb of God.”

And the shepherds would know exactly what they were looking at when they found Him.

The Angels: Reality vs. Myth (Baby Angels)
And that brings us to the other prominent characters in this story—the angels.

First, an unnamed angel appears. Scripture doesn’t tell us his name. It could have been Gabriel, since Gabriel has been active throughout these events—appearing to Zechariah, to Mary, and to Joseph. But Luke doesn’t say, so we won’t assume. What we do know is this: when the angel appears, the glory of the Lord surrounds the shepherds. Not just the angel—but the shepherds themselves are engulfed in God’s radiant presence.

And the angel says, “Do not be afraid.”

Now, shepherds were not easily frightened. These were tough, rugged men—outdoorsmen who protected sheep at night from predators and thieves. But when an angel appears and the glory of the Lord surrounds you, it’s no wonder that even the toughest shepherd—or cowboy—would be shaking in his sandals.

The angel’s first words make sense: “Do not be afraid.”

Our modern images of angels don’t help us much here—just like our modern images of shepherds. We tend to picture angels as little babies floating through the sky with wings—cute, gentle, harmless. But that image comes from art and tradition, not Scripture. The Bible never describes angels as babies.

In fact, throughout the Old Testament, angels usually appear human-like—often mistaken for ordinary people. Angels visited Abraham, sat with him, and even ate with him. Sometimes you don’t realize you’re dealing with an angel at all.

But this angel is different. This angel is radiant and glorious, unmistakably supernatural, shining with the light of God’s presence. I included an image of an angel—not because it’s perfect, but because it helps us imagine something closer to the biblical picture. This angel is powerful. Clothed like a warrior. Radiating fire. Not soft. Not harmless.

And that matters—because this angel is not alone.  He is soon joined by a heavenly host—literally, the armies of heaven. This language is military language. These are not decorative beings. These are soldiers. Holy. Pure. Powerful. God’s messengers and God’s warriors.

And yet—here’s the surprise—they don’t come to fight.  They come to sing.  That alone tells us something profound about the kind of King who has just been born.

God’s Message
Throughout Scripture, angels are God’s messengers, sent to deliver His word to His people. And the message they bring that night is good news of great joy—and it is for all people.

Not just for important people.
Not just for those in the city.
Not just for those who attended the great religious festivals.
It was for the shepherds out in the fields—the ones people overlooked, forgot about, and didn’t want to be around because they were rough, unpolished, and, quite frankly, smelled like sheep.

The message is for all people.  Not just the Jewish people—but Gentiles as well.
This is good news because a Savior has been born—the Messiah, the Lord, born today in Bethlehem.

People were already longing for a savior. Not only the Jews, but the Romans too. But their idea of a savior was a powerful military leader—someone who would enforce peace through strength, domination, and fear.  

This Savior is different. 
He is the Messiah—the Anointed One, appointed by God from King David’s royal line.
He is the Lord—the one with true authority and sovereignty over all.
And that’s especially striking because in Rome, Caesar was often called “Lord.”  But in this announcement, God is saying:  “I am sending the true Lord—the Lord of lords, the King of kings.”

Not a ruler who forces obedience, but a King who brings peace by His presence.

The Angels’ Song
And then—suddenly—this one angel is joined by a host of angels, the armies of heaven.

Now think about that. One angel appearing would have been overwhelming enough. But the word Luke uses is plural—armies. Not a single unit. Not a small group. Multiple armies of heaven filling the sky. How many were there? Scripture doesn’t say. All we know is that heaven opened, and the shepherds were standing there, trembling in their sandals.

And then the angels sing:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

We can hardly imagine the sound. Not one voice, but armies of angels lifting their voices together in thunderous praise.

Picture the scene.
The armies of heaven surge onto the field.  They assemble in formation.  They are poised—ready, powerful, overwhelming.  And then they stop.

They do not advance.
They do not invade.
They do not fight.

Instead, they sing God’s glory.  They announce God’s peace.
And the sign of it all—the proof of heaven’s message—is not a weapon, not a throne, not a fortress.

It is a baby.  A spotless Lamb, born in a manger.

Key Take Aways
Now, there are three key takeaways I want to leave you with today.

First: God still comes to ordinary people.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re nothing special—just an ordinary person—if you’ve ever felt forgotten, overlooked, or unnoticed, hear this clearly: God does not overlook anyone. He does not forget anyone.

The fact that God sent His messengers to shepherds reminds us that He comes to all people. That includes you. You matter to God. You are seen. You are not forgotten.

Second: Heaven declares peace, not war.
When the armies of heaven appeared that night, it must have been terrifying. But the angel said, “Do not be afraid. I bring good news of great joy.”

That matters for us today. God is here with us right now. He is present in this sanctuary. And He comes in peace.  God is not here to crush you.  God is not here to punish you.  Though He would be justified in judgment, He comes instead with mercy. He extends the olive branch.  

The armies of heaven show us what God could do.  The baby in the manger shows us what God chooses to do instead.  And that is why we have every reason to be full of joy—not because we deserve it, but because God comes to us in grace.

Third: Peace requires surrender.

When the God of heaven says, “I come in peace,” there is still a response required. You cannot have peace with God while continuing to resist Him. You cannot receive peace while still fighting against the King.

Peace comes when we surrender—when we lay down our resistance and submit to the rightful ruler.  So as we prepare to close this morning, here is the question for each of us to consider:

Is there any part of your life where you are still resisting God’s peace?
He does not come to attack you.  But too often, we are still fighting Him.  And in His mercy, He holds back.  In His grace, He waits.  In His love, He offers peace—again and again.  

The invitation is still open.  Will you accept God's rightful rule in your life and receive peace?

Zechariah's Song | A Sermon on Luke 1:68-79

Introduction
As we look at the biblical songs of Christmas, we come to Zechariah, father of John the Baptist.

Zechariah was a priest—an older man who had served faithfully for many years. In this story, his priestly division was scheduled for its week of service in the Temple. Each division took turns throughout the year, and during that week one priest was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense before the Lord. This was a great honor.

So they cast lots, and Zechariah’s was chosen. You can picture them drawing sticks—like deciding who gets the last piece of pie at Thanksgiving! Some might say it was chance, but Scripture makes it clear: God chose him. That’s why they cast lots—to discover whom God had appointed.

Zechariah entered the Temple to burn incense, and he stayed longer than expected. Everyone outside was wondering what was taking so long. Here’s why: while he was in the sanctuary, the angel Gabriel appeared. Gabriel told Zechariah that he and his wife, Elizabeth—both advanced in years—would have a son. This son would be a great prophet, “like Elijah,” and they were to name him John. John would prepare the people for the coming Messiah.

Now, Zechariah was an old man, and naturally he doubted. “How can this be?” he asked. “My wife and I are old!” He asked for a sign. Have you ever felt the Lord nudging you to do something, yet found yourself second-guessing it? That’s where Zechariah was. He knew the Lord was speaking, but he struggled to believe it.

Gabriel’s response is almost humorous. You can read it in Luke 1. Gabriel basically says, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. I'm an angel!  Isn’t that sign enough?” But then he adds, “Since you need a sign, you will be unable to speak until this child is born.”

And so Zechariah entered nine months of silence. I imagine Elizabeth may have enjoyed the peace and quiet! But for Zechariah, those nine months must have felt very long.

Sure enough, Elizabeth became pregnant, and nine months later they gave birth to a baby boy. On the eighth day, according to Jewish tradition, neighbors and relatives came for the circumcision ceremony—a time of celebration and worship. This was also when the child received his name.

Elizabeth said, “His name will be John.”
But the relatives pushed back: “You can’t name him John! No one in your family has that name.” Tradition said you named a child after relatives.

So they turned to Zechariah.  Zechariah motioned for a writing tablet. And he wrote clearly: “His name is John.”

At that moment—instantly—his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak. And the first words out of his mouth were not, “I can talk!”  Scripture says the first thing he did was praise God.

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and then he gave the powerful prophecy I call Zechariah’s Song, found in Luke 1:68–79.  Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

Luke 1:68-79
⁶⁸ “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
⁶⁹ He has sent us a mighty Savior^[h]
    from the royal line of his servant David,
⁷⁰ just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.
⁷¹ Now we will be saved from our enemies
    and from all who hate us.
⁷² He has been merciful to our ancestors
    by remembering his sacred covenant—
⁷³ the covenant he swore with an oath
    to our ancestor Abraham.
⁷⁴ We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,
⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness
    for as long as we live.

⁷⁶ “And you, my little son,
    will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
⁷⁷ You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.
⁷⁸ Because of God’s tender mercy,
    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,^[i]
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    and to guide us to the path of peace.”

A Prophecy of Old
Zechariah reminds us that all of this was part of God’s prophetic plan from the very beginning. In his song, he reaches back to King David, and for us that can be hard to grasp. We struggle to comprehend the vast span of time God has been working through.

Zechariah says the coming of the Messiah was prophesied long ago—by David, who lived around 1000 BC. That’s a thousand years before Zechariah’s time. Think about that. Most of us can trace our family line back maybe to our great-grandparents, perhaps a little further if we’re fortunate. Some families know their ancestors settled in this area in the 1820s—about 200 years ago.
But Zechariah is pointing back a thousand years.

And then he goes even further. He mentions Abraham, saying God is fulfilling the covenant He swore to him. Abraham lived around 2000 BC—that’s 2,000 years before Zechariah.

We all have doubts. When something threatens our health, our family, or our future, we pray, we worry, and we wonder whether God hears us or will work things out. But remember this when you doubt:

God has been working out the details of your salvation for over 4,000 years.

He has not forgotten you. He has been faithful for millennia—and He will be faithful to you.

He is not slow or silent.  But your rescue is difficult because your sin-sickness is deep. 
And God is not just saving you; He is saving the whole world.

A Prophecy for the Future
Then Zechariah turns to the future.  He prophecies about his son, John:
“And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
⁷⁷ You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.

John came to prepare people for Jesus.  He was the voice crying in the wilderness:
“Make a straight the path for the Lord.” 

Now, you may not know this, but in ancient times when a king traveled, he never traveled alone. He came with his guards, his servants, and his whole entourage. And before the king arrived, they would send a detachment of soldiers and servants ahead of him to make sure the road was clear.

After all, how embarrassing would it be for a mighty and famous king to be rolling down the road only to be stopped by a herd of cows wandering across his path? At that point it doesn’t matter how powerful you are—you’re stuck like everybody else, waiting for the cows to move! Kings wanted to avoid that, and far more importantly, they wanted to avoid bandits or an ambush up ahead.

So the advance team would clear the way. If someone was blocking the road, they’d shout, “Move aside—the king is coming!” And if people wanted to stay there, they’d better be ready to cheer and welcome him. Towns would gather, crowds would line the streets, and a parade of sorts would form as the king approached.

It’s not so different today. Imagine the President of the United States trying to drive through Atlanta in his motorcade and getting stuck in a traffic jam. It would make headlines around the world—and it would be dangerous. So what happens? The route gets cleared. Roads are blocked off. Everyone else sits in traffic so the motorcade can pass safely.

That’s John’s job. John came to “make straight the path for the Lord”—to prepare people for the arrival of the greatest King of all. His message was simple:  “The King is coming. Either get out of the way—or join the parade.”

And that’s the message for us too.  If you think about it, we should all be like John the Baptist.
We should, “prepare the way for the Lord.”
We should, “tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.”

Salvation through the Forgiveness of Sins
Here’s the situation.  All have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23)
Every single person in this room (and in the whole world) is guilty of sin.

And the consequence of sin is death. (Romans 3:23a)  You will die physically because of sin.
And you face eternal punishment for your sin.  You cannot save yourself. 

You are guilty and there is no hope for you—except through Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:23b says, “the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.”
It is a free gift.  You cannot earn it.  You cannot be good enough to deserve it.  It is God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Romans 10:9-10 says, “⁹ If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

So, we must accept Jesus as Lord.  And we should become little “John the Baptists” declaring:
“The Lord, Jesus Christ, is coming!  He is coming!  Either become join the victory parade by becoming one of His subjects or get off the road, because the King is coming down this road very soon!”

The Meaning of Advent

We are now in the second week of Advent.
The first Sunday focused on Hope—the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Before Christ, we were sinners under the penalty of death and eternal punishment. But because of Him, we have hope where there was none.

The second Sunday is the Sunday of Peace.
Christ did not come as a conquering king. He came as a baby, offering peace to a rebellious world. It’s as if God said:  “Yes, you have turned your back on Me. Yes, you have rebelled. But I am offering you peace—not a sword. Not judgment. Peace. Turn back to Me, and you will be forgiven. You will be welcomed into My kingdom. I will be your King, and you will have peace.”

But there is no peace without Christ.
If we remain in rebellion against God, how can we have peace? Peace is found only in surrendering to Him.

So we mark the First Sunday—Hope.
We mark the Second Sunday—Peace.
And we still have two more Sundays before Christmas.

Advent is a time to remember Christ’s first coming as a baby in Bethlehem.
Advent is also a time to prepare their hearts for His coming into their lives today.
Advent is also a time to look forward to His promised coming again in glory.

The word Advent actually means, “coming” or “arrival.”
It is a season of preparation for the Lord’s coming.
Yes, we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, but we also prepare for Christ’s return.
The first time He came in peace as a child.
But He promised He will come again in the clouds—not as a suffering servant, but as the conquering King.
For those who have already joined His “victory parade,” His coming will be a glorious celebration.
But for those who refuse His offer of peace, His return will be a day of reckoning.

So let me end with a question for you to seriously ponder:  Are you ready?

Mary's Song | A Sermon on Luke 1:46-55

Introduction
I’ve always felt like Christmas and music naturally go together. When I was a little boy, that was one of my favorite parts of the season. Even as a young child, our family was always singing Christmas carols—whether we were at home, riding in the car, or out running errands.

Honestly, I think my mom used singing to keep us occupied. We didn’t have smartphones back then, and half the time we weren’t even buckled in. We were just bouncing around the car while she tried to do her Christmas shopping with four kids in tow. She needed something to keep us under control, so she sang carols with us.

Those memories are deeply ingrained in me, and I think it’s fitting—because music has always been a part of Christmas.

Over the next few weeks, we will study the songs of Christmas from the Bible. In the Bible, Christmas has always had music.  Not about snow or mistletoe; about Jesus. Several prophecies, songs, and psalms in the Old Testament foretold Jesus’ birth. And in the New Testament we have the angels singing gloria to announce the birth to shepherds. But, before angels sang, before shepherds rejoiced, before wise men bowed—there was a young girl who trusted God enough to bear His Son.  And Mary sang a song about it.  Mary’s Song (also known as Mary’s Magnificat) is found in Luke 1:46-55.

Luke 1:46-55
⁴⁶ Mary responded,
“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.
⁵⁰ He shows mercy from generation to generation
    to all who fear him.
⁵¹ His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
    He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
⁵² He has brought down princes from their thrones
    and exalted the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away with empty hands.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel
    and remembered to be merciful.
⁵⁵ For he made this promise to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and his children forever.”

Who Was Mary?
When Mary sang this beautiful song of praise, she was likely only about 13 years old. In her culture, girls typically married between 13 and 16.

She came from an obscure little town—Nazareth—and yet she carried an extraordinary lineage. Most people know she was a descendant of King David, but they often forget she was also connected to the priestly line of Aaron. That means Jesus was born to her both as King and Priest—the perfect fulfillment of God’s plan.

Mary was a woman of deep faith, humility, and trust. And that matters, because we often think praise is something we offer after God answers our prayers—when life is good, when things make sense. But Mary praised God before any of it made sense. She trusted God even though His plan would first lead her through hardship.

She was betrothed to Joseph but not yet married, and now she was pregnant—claiming, truthfully, that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Imagine having to explain that to your parents, your neighbors, and to Joseph, the man preparing to marry you. It wasn’t just embarrassing—it was dangerous. In her culture, an unwed pregnancy could cost you your life.

And yet Mary still said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”

Mary Praises God
She sees and trusts that God is going to do great things. She even says, “He has done great things for me.” Now, most people in a life-threatening, humiliating situation like hers wouldn’t be saying, “God has done great things for me.” But Mary does. Through the eyes of faith, she looks far beyond her present circumstances and says, “Generations will call me blessed.”

How many of us have that kind of faith when we’re facing difficulty? When the situation seems overwhelming—when all we can see is sorrow, struggle, or hardship—can we still say, “The Lord has done great things for me”?

Can you see beyond the obstacle in front of you to the blessing God intends to bring in the future?

The Great Reversal
Mary sings about the dramatic changes God is going to bring through her Son. Her song announces what I call the Great Reversal. God is going to overturn the usual way the world works.

He scatters the proud and exalts the humble.
He fills the hungry and sends the rich away empty.

These are powerful statements. In fact, they can even be threatening. They were in Jesus’ day. There were powerful people—religious, political, and wealthy—who thought very highly of themselves, dressed in fine clothes, and expected everyone else to look up to them. And then there were the lowly—poor, dirty, ignored, and pushed aside.

Yet Mary declares that God is going to reverse all of it.
He will lift up the humble.
He will bring down the proud.
He will feed the hungry, and the rich will walk away empty-handed.

And this dynamic hasn’t been unique to Jesus’ day. It has existed in every time and every place. What we might see as a harmless little passage has often been viewed as dangerous.

Did you know this passage has actually been outlawed or banned by several governments?

• During British rule in India (1910s–1940s), authorities discouraged Indian Christians from reading Mary’s Song because it inspired hope for the oppressed.

• In the 1930s and 40s, Nazi Germany also restricted it for the same reason.

• Other regimes have done likewise, fearing its message of God overturning unjust power.

When people cling to their own kingdom—when they want to stay in control—Mary’s song is a threat. It declares, “It’s not about you. It’s about God’s kingdom.”  Some people don’t like that.

So what does this Great Reversal mean for us?  Most of us may not feel wealthy, but compared to much of the world, we are. We have resources. We have influence. We like to be respected. And Mary’s Song reminds us:

Stay humble.
Don’t be too proud.  Take pride in your work, but don’t think the world revolves around you.  Don’t look down on others because they have less.  Don’t think you are better than anyone else.  If pride takes root, Mary warns us: Christ will scatter the proud and lift up the humble.

And don’t trust in your riches.
The Bible doesn’t condemn having wealth—many heroes of faith were wealthy. The issue isn’t possession, but dependence.  The danger comes when we trust our wealth, our position, or our status more than we trust the Lord. Wealth can disappear in a moment. It cannot save us, protect us, or give us identity.

Our trust must be in God alone.  Because God, through Christ, still scatters the proud, exalts the humble, fills the hungry, and sends the rich away empty.

The Greatest Reversal
But Mary’s not just singing of social reversals.  She is announcing the greatest reversal in human history.  As Isaac Watts wrote in Joy to the World:  “No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground! He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found Far as the curse is found Far as, far as the curse is found.”

Jesus reverses the curse of Genesis 3,
the curse brought on us by Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden.  

You may remember the specifics of the curse: pain in childbirth.  But as I thought about that this morning, it’s not just the pain of childbirth—it’s also the pain of raising children.  There are all kinds of pain wrapped up in parenting.  Sometimes it’s as simple—and as heartbreaking—as watching your kids grow up and move out. There’s a joy in seeing them become who God created them to be, but it also leaves a hole where they once were. That’s a kind of pain you can’t avoid—and honestly, you wouldn’t want to. It means they’re growing.

There’s also the pain that comes from generational differences.  I hear my kids talk sometimes and think, “They’re just young whippersnappers—they have no idea!” And then I remember I used to think my parents views seemed old-fashioned to me; and now my kids think my views are old-fashioned. And one day their kids will think the same about them. Every generation thinks differently. That’s part of the curse—this tension, this inability to fully see eye to eye.

Then there’s the curse on marriage.  God told Eve that her relationship with Adam would be strained:
“Your husband will rule over you.”  In other words, what was once perfect unity would now be marked by conflict, power struggles, and misunderstandings.

There’s also the curse on the ground.  God told Adam he would have to scratch out a living from the dust and that the soil itself would fight him—thorns and thistles instead of fruit. That’s why I love that line from the hymn Joy to the World:  “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground.”

Imagine being a gardener with no weeds, no thistles, no pests… everything you plant just springs up beautifully. Anyone who has ever worked in a garden knows that is not the world we live in. Gardening is often a battle.

And finally, there is the curse of physical death.  Our bodies wear out. We grow tired. And eventually, we pass away.  

But Jesus came to reverse all of this.  Imagine:

• No more pain in childbirth—or in raising children

• No more strain in marriage, but perfect unity and harmony

• No more curse on the ground—work becoming joy instead of toil

• No more physical death—eternal life with our King

This is what Mary is singing about.  
Her Son came to undo the curse and restore the world to what God always intended it to be.

Closing
Mary didn’t fully understand God’s plan. 
She didn’t know she’d flee to Egypt.
She didn’t know she’d watch her Son die for the sins of the world.
She didn’t know He would rise from the tomb.

But she knew this: 
God keeps His promises.  God sees the humble.  God lifts the lowly. God saves His people. 
And so she sang.

The first Christmas carol is not about nostalgia, snow, or sleigh bells.
The first Christmas carol was sung by a teenage girl who believed the impossible—
that God was about to undo the Curse and rewrite human history.

The same God who did great things for Mary wants to do great things in you.

The same God who brought His Son into the world through her trust
is still looking for people who will say, 
“I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

So today, as we enter this Advent season,
may your soul magnify the Lord,
may your spirit rejoice in God your Savior,
and may you trust that Christ has come to reverse every curse, heal every wound,
and make “His blessings flow far as the curse is found”—even to you.