Submitted by Pastor Brad Dush, Fairfax Methodist Church

This time of year is always emotionally charged, whether those are positive or negative emotions. These emotions, often driven by memories, can leave us feeling nostalgic, sad, frustrated, lonely, and the list could go on. For me, this Christmas brings emotions driven by nostalgia. Our church has been working through an Advent devotional that inspired the sermon series this December, “The Wonder of it All,” by Rev. Mark Sorensen. In the introduction, he defines wonder as “A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.” It is a more profound definition than I would have attributed to the word initially. Thinking of the wonder of Christmas, I was taken back to a memory of lying under the Christmas tree as a small child and sleeping at night. I would sneak out of my bedroom after being tucked in for the night so I could marvel at the beauty of the tree, and I loved watching the bubble lights do their thing. While that was wonder and awe in a young boy’s heart and mind, Rev. Sorensen takes the concept in his devotional further to challenge the reader to look at aspects of the Christmas story with wonder and awe. He encourages the reader to observe the story from a 1st-century perspective and the vantage point of someone living in modern times.

The second Sunday of Advent focused on the story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary to share the news that she would be the mother of Jesus, as found in Luke 1:26-38, NLT. Rev. Sorensen pointed out something I had never pieced together before. In nearly every other place where an angel’s visit is recorded in Scripture, the angel opens by telling the person not to be afraid. With Mary in the verses above, Gabriel greets Mary with the words, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Gabriel leads right into Mary being favored. The Bible notes Mary’s reaction in verse 29, “Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.” Mary was in a word in “disbelief,” like a Why me? Or how? state of mind. Regardless, she was not sure about the angel or the words; she was at a loss. After Gabriel explained it, Mary’s response changed: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” In a more modern vernacular, she went from, “What . . .?” to “I’m game!” Her story in the text fits the definition of wonder given by Rev. Sorensen well, which brings us to this challenge.

What should our response be when we encounter the Word of God this Christmas season or at any time in our lives? What if we respond initially with confusion, doubt, or worry? Well, we would be in good company. Mary didn’t know what to think; she listened, contemplated, and responded. Her response is essential in her story; she said, “I am the Lord’s servant . . .” Regardless of an initial response to God’s calling on our lives, we must be willing to, in the end, be a servant of God. Mary’s story is infused with wonder, but more importantly, in the end, she demonstrates great faith in the promise of the Word of God brought by the angel Gabriel. My challenge to everyone, including myself, this Christmas season is to lean into the WONDERful truth of the Christmas story: God is a miracle-working God who is still on the throne and whose greatest miracle is in the provision of Jesus Christ; the reason for the season! Merry Christmas, Atchison County!