Just Say "Yes!"

Welcome to Advent, the season of preparation and waiting. The word “advent” means “coming” or “arrival.” Advent is a celebration of two things: the celebration of the birth of Jesus and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King. The season of Advent started in the 6th Century AD as a four-week journey before December 25. Christians were to dedicate themselves to both remembering and anticipating Jesus during those four weeks. Advent is a time for us to slow down a bit and to look at both the past and the future. In the present, we find ourselves looking back and also looking forward at the same time.

At this weekend’s worship services, we lit the first candle of the Advent wreath: the Hope candle.  The Hope candle represents the hope that comes from the announcement of Christ’s birth and the expectation of His certain return.  We lit the candle as a symbol of God’s light shining in the darkness.  The Light has come into the world and it shines as brightly now as it did on the first Christmas.  The darkness didn’t overcome it then and it never will!

I can’t help but think of Mary this week.  I remember the many Sunday School Christmas pageants I was in at Calvary when I was growing up here.  All of us girls wanted to be Mary.  Sadly, I was only an angel most years--an angel with a rather crooked little wire halo, I might add! I remember my mom telling me that it was an angel who gave Mary the news that she was going to have a baby and that the angels were the ones who visited the shepherds.  She convinced me that being an angel was a really ‘big” deal and an important part of the Christmas story.  Still, deep down inside, I really, really wanted to be Mary. 

Think about Mary for a minute.  Here she is a 13-15 year old girl who has been told that she is favored by God and will bring into the world God’s Son.  Can you imagine!  Mary’s story is one of risk, sacrifice, deep faith and love.  Mary’s “yes” to God changed the world forever!

All week I’ve been thinking about Mary’s “yes.”  How often are we called on by God to do something and we either ignore His request, fail to hear His request or say no to His request?  So over the next three weeks of Advent, when God nudges your heart, why not try saying ‘yes” like Mary did and see what happens.  Open yourself up!  Open your heart wide and be a servant of the King in a way you’ve never done before.  Take a risk and say, "Yes!"  Do it boldly and without hesitation. 

Here is a wonderful song by Randy Albright called Mary Said Yes.   May the hope of Christmas lift your spirit and may you say “yes” to God with a servant’s heart this week.

Christmas Hope,

Pastor Carol