Plan B
Luke 1:26-38
May the Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you ,Oh Lord. Amen
Plan B. How many times in our lives have we planned something that didn’t quite work out the way we planned? It could have been when we were a child. A teenager. A young adult. A thirty-something. A forty-something, etc, etc. Your plans could have been this weekend, or even this morning. Take a minute to think of a time when something didn’t quite work out the way you planned…. Got it? Just one for now. Remember the way you felt when things didn’t work out the way you planned? Were you happy? Sad? Angry? Elated? Relieved? Confused? Hold that feeling for a few minutes. We will refer back to it shortly.
Mary apparently had her life planned out like any young woman of her day. She was engaged to a nice Jewish boy. She was faithful in her worship and service. We know these things because the Gospel tells us that “she found favor among women” with God. She was doing the right things. Life was going as planned.
BOOM!!! Gabriel shows up. BAM!!! Mary has no idea what to think. Who is this man? What does he mean that I am favored by God? Gabriel tells her to “be not afraid” and then drops the BOMB - the biggest change in plans in the history of mankind - “you are going to conceive a son and you shall name him Jesus and he shall be…. “ And so on and so on… I don’t know about you, but when God changes my plans suddenly, my mind sort of shuts down. I start thinking of alternative plans instead of really listening. Mary was different. From what we read, she listened. She thought for a moment, then asked a simple question: How can this be? It was a very fair question! Gabriel explained the details — nothing is impossible with God. Wow! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.
Mary thought again. Did she get angry? Did she cry? Did she object? Did she explain that she already had the hall rented for the wedding? The invitations already went out? How would she EVER fit in the dress in that condition? She could have thought about the awful possibility that Joseph would not understand and would have her put away. She could live her life in shame and loneliness. Mary knew in her heart that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. There were lots and lots of “scenarios” that could have raced through her mind, but we read in this passage that Mary had a very simple response - “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
I am not going to ask you to put yourself in Mary’s sandals. I ask that you remember the situation you thought about earlier. Recall the feelings and emotions you experienced. Those feelings can be intense. How did you react in that situation?
Think about how we would feel, how we would react, if God wanted us to change our plans.
Hmmmm. Would Gabriel paying us a visit be the only way we would consider it? I chuckled to myself when I was working on this sermon. Gabriel visiting us in the 21st century sort of sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit.
Knock at the door. “Who is it?”
“Gabriel. You are blessed amongst women.”
“What???”
“You have found favor with God”
“Uh, go away or I am dialing 911.”
“Pizza”
“I know that is you. Go away”
“Loan shark” BUT I digress…
Someone I know very well had a Plan B moment recently. He felt in his spirit through his prayers and Bible study that he would face something AGAIN. Through the skill of doctors and the grace of God, he overcame cancer several decades ago. He seemed to know he would face that old foe again. Nothing happened for a couple of months, then BOOM! One of his doctors told him that there was a good chance he had cancer. BAM! When telling the story of the doctor office visit, he reacted to the news by comforting the doctor! “Don’t be afraid. I have been through this before.” After he left the doctors office, he asked God “How can this be?” Several weeks passed as he went through the process of tests and getting test results. While sharing his experience with friends, he was very transparent. He wanted to pray “I am a servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” He often prayed “Lord, if this cup can pass from my lips, please let it.” Many times he prayed “Seriously, God? Again?” He spoke of faith. He spoke of “nothing is impossible with God”. He also worried about all the “scenarios” that could happen like anyone would. Then the news came… He found out he did not have cancer. It sounded like the doctor was even happier about the test results than he was! Sometimes the bombs are really duds!
Just like many of those “I have a friend” stories turn out, that friend was me in October of this year. My plans, my life, were on hold while I went through this period. God asked me to re-evaluate my plans, my priorities. I am a “planner” so it was difficult for me!
Enough about me. How about you? What kind of BOOM, BAM and BOMB moments have you experienced? How did you feel? How did you react? What was your conversation with God like? We all have our own plans and our busy schedules. What is God asking of you now? It could be something like “Go visit someone who needs a friend” or “help with the homeless ministry this month” or “Call those folks who just moved to the area and invite them to church”. Maybe even “Take that four year EfM class”. Yikes! Are you willing to give your plans to God? Are you willing to let God change your plans? There is often fear involved when we consider this question! “God is going to make me do something I just can’t do” or “What if God sends me to Africa to be a missionary?” We all seem to think of scenarios that help us talk ourselves out of doing the things that God asks us to do.
Thinking again on our Gospel reading, please consider three things:
First— Be NOT afraid! From what I have seen in my life, being afraid of what God might ask us to do can be paralyzing. We can get stuck in a place where we just sort of drift through our lives. We do good things but we don't give ourselves completely to God. Fear can be a big part of that. Be NOT afraid. Remembering this will help you handle the BOOM moments.
Second -- “Nothing is impossible with God”. In my faith history, there is a rousing revival song by this title. <> I remember bouncing around the house for days after the meetings humming or belting out that song. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could rest in that promise each and every day. That short sentence will help you handle the BAM moments.
Lastly -- Consider starting your day by praying “Here am I, the servant of the Lord ; let it be with me according to your word.” Surrendering our lives to God is a truly amazing adventure. I am not going to lie to you. This life will not be all sunshine, rainbows and unicorns. Life without God isn't either. We can have a meaningful life of loving God and each other. A life of giving of ourselves. A life where fear cannot overtake us. A life where we truly believe that nothing is impossible with God. Saying "Here am I “ every moment of every day helps us defuse the BOMBs of life.
Amen.
