Blessed Are You
Luke 1: 39-45
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the fourth Sunday in Advent is the Gospel reading Luke 1. What does it mean to be blessed? What are the first things that come to your mind when you think about being blessed? We all have many ideas of what it means to be blessed. We often think that wealth is an important blessing. The person with the biggest house and nicest cars is the one who is truly blessed. We think that the one who has accumulated the most land and has the most toys is blessed. We think that the person who looks attractive on the outside is the one who is blessed. We think that people with great intelligence are blessed. We think that the great athlete is blessed. We think that people with a lot of charm are blessed. We all have ideas of what it means to be blessed.
These ideas of what it means to be blessed can affect the way we think in the church as well. Several years ago I visited a church that built a community center near their church building. Their church community center had a weight room, a room for the youth group, a gym and a swimming pool. This church community center that I toured was an amazing site. The first thought that came to my mind was that this church is blessed. We all have ideas of what it means to be blessed.
But when we look at our Gospel reading for today, we see that the word “blessed” is not used for any of things that I have mentioned in the last few minutes. The blessings that we often think about are indeed gifts from God but there is more to it. The blessings that we often think about do not last forever. Wealth and land can be lost. Outward appearances eventually fade away. The sharp mind can eventually become dull. The athlete will grow older and slower. Charm can only get you so far. Earthly blessings are only temporary. The blessings that we often think about are not the most important.
A couple of minutes ago I told you about a church community center that had a weight room, swimming pool and gym. It was quite impressive. But then the person who gave the tour said something that I will not forget. In reference to the church community center she said, “Of course all this would mean absolutely nothing without the Gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed to the church and to the world”.
In our reading for today the word “blessed” is used several times. What does it mean to be truly blessed? Elizabeth told Mary that she was very blessed. Mary was a young woman who lived in the first century. She was going to marry a carpenter. That tells us that she was not wealthy. We don’t know anything about her outward appearance because Luke never tells us what she looks like. But what is very clear is that she is blessed. The angel proclaimed that her child would be conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary, a virgin, was chosen by God to give birth to Jesus Christ. Mary was blessed because the promised Savior was coming into the world.
Mary was blessed but so was Elizabeth. Elizabeth was the wife of Zechariah, a priest that served in the temple. She was not young like Mary; she was advanced in age. Those that get older don’t always think that they are blessed. Yet Elizabeth was very blessed. Luke tells us that she was righteous in the site of God. She was given the gift of faith to believe that God would keep His promises. She knew that Christ was coming to bring redemption to the world. Mary and Elizabeth were blessed but so was John. John the Baptist was still in Elizabeth’s womb and yet he leaped for joy when Mary appeared. The child of Elizabeth was filled with joy because the child of Mary was the promised Messiah. The unborn child was blessed. The godly young mother was blessed. The woman who grew older in the wisdom of the Lord was blessed. They were all blessed through the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What does it mean to be blessed? Our sinful nature is often blinded about what it means to be truly blessed. Our sinful nature tells us to only look at ourselves. The blessed life is one where we always get our way. The blessed life is when we are not inconvenienced by others who require too much of our attention, care and love. The blessed life is when our earthly success is greater than others. Luke reminds us that sin and selfishness are not the blessed life. The selfish life only leads to eternal ruin. Luke tells us that Mary, Elizabeth and John were truly blessed. They were all blessed because of Jesus Christ the Lord.
Consider Mary. On hearing that she would be the mother of our Lord, Mary did not succumb to vanity or engage in empty boasting. She has no ideas of self-promotion or self-fulfillment. Instead she finds herself raised up by the grace of God. She finds fulfillment in what the Lord has promised. Mary’s beauty is in her humility and trust. In response to the angel’s word, she said simply, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” This is no blind obedience or ignorance. No, Mary trusted in the Lord because she knew that He was trustworthy. Throughout the ages, our Lord had kept His promises. He has a long history of raising up the lowly and showing kindness to the poor. Mary knew that through her child great things would happen.
Consider Elizabeth. The mother of John the Baptist was most excited by the fact that Mary would give birth to the Savior of the world. Elizabeth could rejoice with Mary, apart from jealousy because she looked at what God had done for her and saw the One who would come forth to bring salvation to us all. Consider John. Even in his mother’s womb he was already pointing to the Lamb of God, who would take away the sins of the world.
Mary, Elizabeth, and John are truly blessed because of Christ and so are we. So let us look to Jesus and be truly blessed. Jesus who came down from heaven to become a human being that He may dwell with us in the flesh. Jesus who went to the cross and died on the cross to rescue us from the bondage of sin and Satan. Jesus who rose from the dead to defeat death and give us life. Jesus who ascended into heaven and now intercedes for us. Jesus who forgives us and restores us. Jesus who will return to bring us to be with Him for all eternity.
Our Lord did not choose to enter into some perfect and ideal world. He chose, instead, to enter our world, with all of its flaws and blemishes. Why? Because He loves us, even with our flaws and blemishes. Indeed, He comes to wash away the blemish of our sins. He presents us, His church, as His Bride, clothed in baptismal spender, without spot or wrinkle, that we might be holy and without blemish. We are truly blessed. We are blessed through Jesus Christ the Lord. Let us look to the Lord and see the true glory and blessing of Christmas. Amen.