SERMON OUTLINE FOR SUNDAY AM, November 29, AM, 2009


Pastor Peter Hogeterp

Covenant Christian Reformed Church

Winnipeg, Canada

           

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38,42-55
Sermon Title: FROM WONDERING TO WONDER: MARY (Contemplation)

Introduction:
Our theme for Advent this year is: WE WERE THERE. We’re going to look at some of the people involved in the original Christmas story: Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, the Shepherds, Jesus Himself, and the WiseMen. A sub-plot will be observing the different approaches to spirituality we find in each character (see today’s bulletin insert). And we’ll see how God merges all of these “streams of spiritual life [into] a mighty River of the Spirit” (Richard Foster).

  1. Mary experienced God through contemplation (silence; meditation)
    1. Mary has a lot to ponder in her mind
    2. She’s a young girl, in Nazareth
    3. She’s engaged to be married to the carpenter, Joseph
    4. An angel comes to her and calls her “highly favoured-one!”
    5. She was going to become the mother of the Son of God

 

  1. How Mary could have responded to the angel’s message
    1. The Rejective Response
    2. The Aggressive Response
    3. The Passively Submissive Response
  1. How Mary actually responded
    1. The Actively Submissive Response (Francis Schaeffer)
    2. “May it be to me as you have said”
    3. “My soul doth magnify the Lord; my Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”
    4. “From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His Name.”

 

Conclusion:
In this Christmas season, once again God greets each of us this morning as his highly-favoured ones! Out of pure grace, He has chosen us to be those in whom His Spirit dwells. He will not force Himself on us; we have options as to how we will respond. Let’s follow Mary in her response, “May it be to me as you have said!”