A Willing Body

In one paragraph

The pastor opened the third Sunday of Advent with the annunciation passage from Luke 1, tracing the word "grace" through Gabriel's greeting to Mary and drawing a line from her willing response all the way to what God is asking of this congregation today. The sermon's anchor image was a steel sculpture Ray made in art school, a headless, armless figure that turned out to be a cross when viewed from...

Read together

1. Luke 1:26-38 main text of the sermon, the annunciation to Mary, read in full and expounded throughout
2. John 3:16 quoted as 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son' to ground the message of grace toward everyone in the room
3. Luke 1:46-50 Mary's song read during the advent reading: 'My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior'

Talk about it

1. The pastor talked about how Mary was confused and disturbed by the angel's gracious greeting. Have you ever felt unsettled or caught off guard by grace, whether from God or from another person? What was that like?
2. The word the angel used, which we translate as 'favored,' is closely tied to the Greek word for grace, meaning something freely given and not earned. How does it sit with you that God's favor toward Mary, and toward us, had nothing to do with what she or we had done?
3. Mary's response, 'I am the Lord's servant, may everything you have said about me come true,' was described as the posture of a willing body, passive and surrendered rather than striving. What does that kind of surrender actually look like in day-to-day life, and where do you find it hardest?
4. The pastor used William Booth's words, that he made up his mind that God Almighty should have all there was of William Booth. Is there an area of your life where you have not yet made that decision, and what holds you back?
5. The sculpture looked like a man from the front and a profile from the side, but from above it was a cross. The pastor said that is what God sees when He looks at someone who has accepted Christ. How does that image land with you, and does it change how you think about how God sees you right now?