Greenbrier First Baptist Church
  • Home
  • I'm New Here
    • Gather-Grow-Go
    • What to Expect
    • Times & Directions
    • How to Be Saved
  • About
    • Meet Our Staff
    • Our History
    • What We Believe
    • Calendar of Events
  • Ministries & Missions
    • Mothers Day Out
    • Dorcas Room
    • Daily Bread
    • Tutoring
    • GriefShare
    • Missions
  • Resources
    • 2018 Sermons
    • Previous Years' Sermons >
      • 2017 Sermons
      • 2016 Sermons
      • 2015 Sermons
      • 2014 Sermons
      • 2013 Sermons
      • 2012 Sermons
  • Contact Us
    • Update My Contact Information
  • Photos

according to your word

12/18/2013

0 Comments

 
There are so many elements to the Christmas story that are worth diving into to see iridescent meaning and application. One such element is the announcement of Jesus’ birth to Mary, His mother-to-be.

When Mary was visited by Gabriel and received word that she would carry and bear the Son of God, her response is probably not what many of us would have in a similar situation. Think about how quickly all of this happened. She was minding her own business, planning her wedding, enjoying life, when she was interrupted by a meeting that would change history.

With rapid-fire succession, the story unfolds with mind-bending twists and soul-stirring turns:
      -An angel appears to her (not normal).
      -He greets her as “favored one,” or “woman richly blessed.” How am I blessed? she thinks.
      -As she mulls this over, she hears something about conceiving a baby. This is impossible; I have never been intimate with a man.
      -Then the angel tells her what to name the baby. Wait, I don’t get to name my baby?
      -His name will reflect the Person He is—the Son of God, the promised King who will reign forever.
      -This is all going to happen by the Holy Spirit, for nothing is impossible with God.

That’s a lot of information for the angel to give at the first meeting, isn’t it? Why couldn’t they get to know each other a little before he dumped all of this on her plate? But there are no brakes on this conversation, and Mary’s fine with it.

What is Mary’s response? Well, it’s not to take a few days off to decide whether she’s going to be in on this endeavor. This is an announcement, not an offer. Her response is not to analyze everything to find out why this is happening and try to connect the dots and make sense of it all. It doesn’t make sense. Her response is not a knee-jerk rebellion in which she asserts her rights and freedoms as an individual. Instead, her response is a calm compliance. It’s a soft submission. It’s a yielding “yes.”

      “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

We can learn so much from those two small sentences. We have to understand our position in relation to God. We are his servants. That means we serve Him. That means our lives serve His purposes—purposes that are much bigger and more comprehensive than our small days here on this earth. We are a part of a much broader whole—one that maximizes the glory to God, one that transcends generational and geographical and denominational and racial and cultural lines, one that sacrifices self for the greater good of the gospel and one that casts off the temporal with a view toward the eternal.

When we see ourselves as creatures designed to serve our Creator, then whatever news an angel brings, whatever direction our Shepherd leads, or whatever comforts we’re called to leave, we will say compliantly, “let it be to me according to your word.” For we know that no matter how crazy it sounds and how much we may think we want out of it, the plan of God is purer, more joyous, more soul-satisfying, and more Christ-glorifying than the small dreams we see through our limited windows. Oh Lord, let it be to us according to Your word.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Nathan
    Washburn

    Satisfied Follower of Christ
    Happy Husband
    Grateful Dad
    Eager Pastor

    follow Nathan

    Picture


    Archives

    January 2017
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012


    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Picture
Click to submit prayer requests.



Picture

Service Times

Sunday
   8:30  Light Breakfast (1st & 3rd Sunday of each month)
    9:15  Small Group Bible Study
 10:30  Morning Worship
   


Wednesday
   5:30 Wednesday Night Supper & Prayer Time
​    6:30  Adult Classes
​              Choir Rehersal
              Children's Activities
              Youth Activities

Location

2518 Highway 41 South
Greenbrier, TN 37073


Get Directions

Church Office Located Behind Church on South Street
Hours: 9 AM - 5 PM M-F
(Closed 12:30-1:30 for lunch)


Phone 615-643-4507
Members Log-In
Members Must Have a Password to Access This Page
Email Us to Request Your Password

Dorcas Room
Food Ministry
107 Parker Avenue
1st Sat of each month - 8:30-10 AM
Copyright © Greenbrier First Baptist Church 2012-2018 All Rights Reserved. 
No part of this website may be reproduced without Greenbrier First Baptist Church's express consent.
  • Home
  • I'm New Here
    • Gather-Grow-Go
    • What to Expect
    • Times & Directions
    • How to Be Saved
  • About
    • Meet Our Staff
    • Our History
    • What We Believe
    • Calendar of Events
  • Ministries & Missions
    • Mothers Day Out
    • Dorcas Room
    • Daily Bread
    • Tutoring
    • GriefShare
    • Missions
  • Resources
    • 2018 Sermons
    • Previous Years' Sermons >
      • 2017 Sermons
      • 2016 Sermons
      • 2015 Sermons
      • 2014 Sermons
      • 2013 Sermons
      • 2012 Sermons
  • Contact Us
    • Update My Contact Information
  • Photos
✕