Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] Speaker A: Welcome to the weekday podcast of Sugar Hill Church, where we desire to help you know God and discover your purpose, whether you're exercising, driving, meditating, or just hanging out while you tune in with us today. Thanks. We hope these next five minutes help you feel encouraged and inspired for your day.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: Hi, everybody. Pastor Chuck Allen here with another weekday podcast where, as we close in on Christmas, I want us to talk about Mary's response today. I want to explore her incredible response to an angel's announcement that you're going to have the son of the living God. The scripture found in Luke, chapter one, beginning in verse 30, says this. Don't be afraid, Mary. Think about this. An angel shows up, and of course you're afraid. But the angel says to this teenage girl, don't be afraid, for you have found favor with God. Good news, right? You have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, and he will reign over Israel forever. His kingdom will never end. And Mary responds, I love this. Mary responds, I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true. What a beautiful picture of embracing God's will for your life when it is terribly inconvenient. I can't even imagine how Mary had that conversation with her mom and dad. Hey guys, I'm pregnant, but I've never been with a man. Can you imagine trying to explain that to your friends? Can you imagine in that time how she literally could have been stoned to death for what the gift God gave her was? Mary's response is remarkable when you consider a situation. A young woman in her teens receiving news that would completely upend her life and her family's. She could have responded with doubt, with fear, rejection, and instead, this is why we revere her, because she chose faithful obedience. Not because she is divine herself, but because of her faithful obedience to. To the one that is divine. Her words, I am the Lord's servant, reveal a heart of complete and total surrender. She didn't fully understand how everything was going to work out, but she trusted God's plan. I love that this wasn't just blind faith. It was genuinely grounded in her knowledge of God's character and his promises throughout Israel's history. Today, my friend, consider this. How do you and I respond when God's plans differ from our expectations? And can we, like Mary, the mother of Jesus? Can we trust his bigger picture. I find it hard to do at times, and I bet you do too. So let our prayer today be God, let me have the kind of faith that Mary had to trust your bigger picture with my life and your will. God bless you, friend. Thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast. And Merry, Merry Christmas.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: Thanks so much for joining us today for the weekday podcast. Our prayer is that the encouragement you just heard would help you live more like Jesus today. We would love to see you at Sugar Hill Church for one of our gatherings each Sunday at 9, 15 and 11, and we're always streaming live at Live Sugarhill Church. Thanks again for joining us today. As always, if Today's message encouraged you, share it with friends and family by tapping the share button. Have an awesome day.
