Read Luke 1:46-56.
This morning I did something that I do almost every morning, and something that I generally only do on Sunday mornings when I know I’m going to be up here behind the pulpit. I made choices, specifically this shirt and tie combination. Yes, I also chose my pants and my socks, but you can’t really see those at the moment, can you? This might seem like a trivial thing, but I counted and I have 32 collared shirts that I could wear with a tie, and more than 20 ties, so that is a lot of combinations. If you’re wondering why I have so many shirts and ties, back when I worked retail I had a wear to a tie to work most days, and even though I don’t now, I still have most of them.
This is not an especially important choice, but I wouldn’t want to wear something that looks ridiculous or is needlessly distracting, or wouldn’t be appropriate for the season. I don’t wear short sleeved shirts much in the winter, for example, and while my 12 Days of Christmas tie is perfect for this time of year, it would be an odd choice for May or August. So there are some factors to consider in order to make an informed and useful choice.
Every day we make choices. Some are tiny and unimportant, with small and insignificant outcomes, and others much larger, with far reaching consequences. If you are thinking that the topic of making wise decisions is something I’ve spoken about in the past, and a bit of an odd topic for a week and a half before Christmas, or that the scripture I read to start may not have been a good choice for this topic, then I have good news for you – this is not a sermon about making choices. It’s about being chosen. Yes, that’s related, and you don’t have one without the other, but they are not the same. More like opposite sides of a coin.
As people, much like we make choices, we are chosen from time to time. Sometimes these are small choices. At home, for example, such as when I choose to ask one of my children to sweep the floor and ask another to empty the dishwasher. Or at work, I might assign a task to one person rather than another because of who is more available or who is better trained or capable to do it. And likewise my boss might assign me a task because I’m the first person available to do it , or because I’m the best person to do it, or because I’m the only person to who can do it.
There’s a woman sitting in the second row, on my right, I chose her almost 23 years ago to be my wife, and, much to my amazement, she chose me to be her husband. There are other people here who could say something similar, but with different timelines and different stories, but still chosen.
We’re all chosen for something sooner or later. In fact, we’re probably chosen for lots of different things, some that are good, and some perhaps not so good. But eventually we are all chosen.
How do we react when that happens, when we are chosen? Obviously, there is going to be a certain amount of variance depend on what we are chosen for, and why. It’s normal to react with joy and happiness when we are chosen for something that we want, something that we like. Chosen to be on a sports team, chosen for a promotion at work, chosen to get something special. At the potluck tonight there is going to be a table chosen to go and get their food first. We like those types of being chosen.
But sometimes we are chosen for something that we don’t like, or that we are not expecting, or not prepared for. How do we react then? Everyone reacts well when they are chosen for favour, for reward, for honour. But when we are chosen for difficulty, for discomfort, or for dishonour, well, that’s another story, isn’t it?
Ultimately, God will chose us, has indeed already chosen us, for various things. First and foremost, we are all given the opportunity for salvation, God has chosen us to be saved from our power and the penalty of sin and to know Him and spend eternity with Him.
Yes, we could debate free will versus predestination, but that’s not going to be a productive discussion. If you look at the words that Christ said, it’s pretty clear that the invitation is wide open. If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself, we read in John chapter 12. And in John chapter 3, we have God so loved the world, not so loved certain individuals within the world, and whosoever will, not a selected few. As well, the disciples were commissioned to go into all the world and share the gospel with everyone nation, so that the invitation is spread as far and wide as possible. God would have everyone accept His Son and be saved.
Beyond that, God chooses us at different times for more specific things. Sometimes that may be a particular task, maybe large, or maybe quite small. This might be quite obvious or it might be more subtle, but He does this, and it is on us to listen for it and obey. One time God gave me a very direct and specific thought that I needed to give $10 cash to someone at a Bible study. This is someone who was involved in ministry, not a random person. What made this very specific and what felt odd was that I had given him a cheque to support that ministry just minutes before. Why did God ask me to give him the $10 bill I happened to have in my wallet? Turns out that he had no milk at home, and as this was late in the evening, he couldn’t do anything with a cheque at that hour. But he could buy milk with cash. That’s a small thing, but a specific thing that God chose me to do.
We see many examples of this in scripture. Ananias was told to go and find Saul of Tarsus at the house of Judas on the street called Straight in Damascus, and to lay hands on him that his sight might be restored. Peter was told to go and catch a fish and get a coin from its mouth in order to pay the temple tax. That’s very specific and immediate. Various Old Testament prophets were told to do particular and sometimes baffling things to act as examples so that others might see God’s working through them.
Other times God chooses us for ongoing roles. These might be in the church, in the home, in the community, and they could be for a year, a decade, or for the rest of our lives. They might be open ended, and we don’t know how long they might last. I don’t know how much we need to elaborate on this, we certainly see it and experience it in our lives, and we see more examples in scripture than we can count.
We talked a little bit ago about how we react when we are chosen for something that we do not want, or do not like, or do not expect. Because being chosen is half of the equation, how we respond and react is what makes all the difference.
There are several ways in which we might react to being chosen, and we see a wide variety of examples in scripture. I’m not going to have you turn to read all of these, because there are a lot of them, so this is going to be quick overview of some Biblical characters that were chosen by God and how they reacted.
First, we see the reaction of refusal and rejection. The best known example of this is of course the prophet Jonah. God told him to go and preach in Ninevah, the capital of the Assyrian empire, who were enemies of Israel. Jonah decided that he wanted nothing to do with that, so instead of going several hundred miles inland to Ninevah, he took a ship going in the opposite direction. We probably know how that ended up, between the storm and the unplanned swimming lessons and the unconventional fishing trip. He did eventually go to Ninevah, and preached a message of repentance or destruction, and then sat and waited for God to bring destruction.
King Saul is another example of this, after he was anointed king of Israel he went back home and didn’t tell anyone about it. Then when Samuel called the people together to announce the new king, Saul went and hid in the luggage, and afterwards, he went back home again. That’s pretty much the opposite of ready acceptance.
Neither of these men accepted what God had chosen them for, and basically had to be dragged kicking and screaming to it. When they did eventually do the work, it was as much about selfish interest as it was about serving God. Clearly, this is not an ideal way to respond to the Lord’s leading.
Next, we have examples of people who accept, but they express a certain amount of reservation and reluctance. Gideon comes to mind, after having an angel appear to him and tell him that he had been chosen to lead the armies of Israel against the invading Midianite host, he still has doubts. He leaves a fleece out so that God can use it to give him a sign, and have it become wet on a dry ground. And then Gideon does it again the very next night, but the other way around. He didn’t say no, but he but he needed a lot of reassurance.
Moses is another example of someone who needed some persuasion. When he spoke with God in the burning bush, he had all manner of objections. Who am I to go and do this? Who shall I say sent me? They aren’t going to believe that you appeared to me. Why would they believe me? I’m not good at talking, you should send someone else. We are told that God actually got angry with Moses over all of this, but once all the objections were overcome, then Moses did as he was told, and he served faithfully for the next four decades.
Another example is Esther. She had been put into a special and privileged place as the wife of the Persian king, and when her people were threatened with extermination, she was in a unique position to intercede on their behalf. But she was concerned for her own safety, and reasonably so, as going to see the king uninvited could easily lead to immediate execution. And so she held back until her cousin Mordecai reminded her that maybe she was only in the palace so she might help her people. And so she agreed, but asked that the Jews in the city all fast for three days beforehand.
All three of these individuals had concerns about what God had chosen then to do, and they had some hesitation about it, but once resolved they did what they were called to do, and they did it effectively.
Finally, we have those who quickly and gladly accepted without delay once they were chosen. The prophet Elisha, he followed after Elijah at once even though he was called in the middle of ploughing a field. John, James, Andrew, and Peter, they were fishing and left their nets to follow Christ. Abraham and Ruth, both of whom left their idols and their homelands to go and live where a God that they really didn’t know all that well sent them. These all went out in faith and while they may have had difficulties and hurdles to overcome, and some speed bumps to deal with, they continued in faith and served for many years.
Those are all good examples of how best to respond when God chooses you for something, how we should accept it. But I have one more example that I’d like to look at, and if you were paying attention to the scripture reading earlier you might know who that is. This is the key example, and given the season, I think it’s a highly appropriate one.
Luke 1:26-38 (26) And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, (27) To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. (28) And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. (29) And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. (30) And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. (31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (33) And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (34) Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? (35) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (36) And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. (37) For with God nothing shall be impossible. (38) And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Mary was a young woman, almost certainly in her teens, when she was chosen for a specific and very important role. She was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, which was an honour of the highest order. This was something that had been awaited for millennia. Countless women had no doubt dreamed that they might be the one to do this, but I can’t imagine that many of them really expected that they would. We might imagine what it would be like to win the lottery, or a Nobel price or reach some other great achievement, but you don’t actively plan on that happening. Certainly Mary was not expecting it. Why would she? This was a unique, one time in all of time thing.
Mary’s reaction is simple and sincere. How is this going to happen, she asked. I’m not married yet, how am I going to have a baby? The angel told her that the Holy Spirit would do this in divine power, and to eliminate any confusion, that this would indeed be the very son of God.
Furthermore, her cousin Elizabeth, who was well past normal childbearing age, was also six months pregnant, which was completely unexpected, the angel told her.
Mary’s reaction to this is understated and we can learn much from it. After having her initial question addressed, she responded with “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.” She effectively said “Okay, I’m ready to serve in this role.”
Keep in mind, this is a teenage girl, she was not yet married, she was not she had no prior warning, she was not prepared to be a mother, much less the mother of the Son of God. This was a far larger commitment than we might realize. Yes, there would be nine months of pregnancy, which is its own significant obligation, but then there would be years of parenting to follow, with all that entails.
Yes, being a parent is a normal and common thing, but it’s not easy, as anyone with children will attest. Most people, though, choose to be parents, either intentionally seeking to do this, or by making choices that are likely to lead to pregnancy. Mary had not made any of those choices, not at this point in her life. But still she was willing to do this.
What made her situation different was that she was going to have to endure years of whispers that she had been an unwed mother. People would look down on her and judge her for something that she had not done. People were going to think badly of her not because of her mistakes, but literally because she had been chosen by God.
It’s hard to be unjustly criticized. Frankly, it’s not easy to be criticized when it is entirely justified, but Mary was going to suffer a certain measure of disapproval for the rest of her life, and it would be completely undeserved.
She didn’t know all that the future would bring. When the angel had appeared, she was already betrothed to Joseph, how was he going to react to this? Would he reject her because of this unexpected pregnancy? We know how that turned out, but Mary didn’t know. She knew she was chosen, but she didn’t know what that would look like. But she still accepted this without resistance or hesitation.
Earlier we had a reading from the later part of this chapter, this is called the Magnificat, in which Mary worships God and expresses thanksgiving for what was going to take place. She saw His majesty and power and His divine providence in arrival of the promised Messiah, and in her part in this. Most of her attention is not spent on her part, but rather on the glory and goodness of God himself. Instead of saying “What about me?” she says “God is good, and God is merciful.” What a different reaction from what we see in so many others!
This brings us to an important question: How do we react when God chooses us for something? We might react in all sorts of different ways when other people choose things for us, or choose us for things, but how do we respond when it comes from God?
As mentioned, we can react as Jonah or Saul, and refuse or resist. We can react like Moses, Esther or Gideon, with questions and hesitation before deciding to obey. We can react like Elisha, Abraham, Ruth, or those Galilean fishermen, and follow. Or we can react like Mary, and embrace the choice, despite the difficulty and uncertainty it will bring.
Our reactions are important, and so often how we respond more closely resembles the first names on that list, rather than the last names. But oh, what we miss out on when we act more like Jonah than like Mary!
If we decide against responding to a specific task that God has chosen us for then we miss out on participating in that particular work. It’s not that the work is necessarily thwarted, although the timeline may change, but God can use other means if we don’t want to be a part of His plan. He is not limited. Our blessing, though, that might be. Whatever blessing that God had intended to flow through us will not be realized in the same way if we do not accept the role that God has chosen for us. Our part in that might be reduced or even entirely missed.
If we are chosen for a role, but instead of accepting that role and fully embracing it, again, it is our loss, and also there is harm done to the work. If we step into a role but only do so half-heartedly, if we agree to the job with our words but our actions do not follow through, and we don’t put in the required effort, then we haven’t really accepted the role, and we have not accepted what God has chosen for us.
Finally, if we reject the offer of salvation, well, that is a reaction which matters most of all. It matters more than how we react when we don’t get picked for a promotion at work, or when we aren’t selected for a role in a play or on a team. It matters more than how we react when a person that we care about chooses against us. Our reaction to the choice of salvation determines our eternal destiny, and it’s not something that we can afford to ignore or avoid.
If we reject other callings we might miss out on blessings, on participation, on belonging to something larger than ourselves, all of which would be unfortunate. But if we fail to accept the offer of salvation that God has chosen for us, then we miss out on eternal life. We miss out on knowing our creator. We miss out on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We don’t know what choices God has made for each of us, other than salvation. But we can trust in Him, even when we don’t know.
There’s a song we might be familiar with called “Mary, Did You Know?” That song asks a number of rhetorical questions of Mary, and I’m not going to go through it in detail now, but for the most part, Mary didn’t know. She knew only what the angel had told her. She knew that she had been chosen to bear the Messiah, but she didn’t know what that would really look like. She didn’t know how people would treat her, she didn’t know how the rest of her life would unfold. Frankly, she didn’t know if she might die in childbirth, which was a real possibility in those days. But still she accepted this, she agreed to it, she didn’t protest or quibble or negotiate. She embraced what God had chosen for her.
I don’t know what God has chosen for you. You might not know that either, if fact you probably don’t. Maybe you know a part of it, but far from everything. You don’t know the scale or the scope, if you are chosen for many things or few, for things common or extraordinary. But it’s certain that God has chosen good things for each and every one of us. He loves us, and sent His own Son to die for us so that we might have a relationship with Him. He would not choose bad things for his children.
We must remember that these are probably not easy things, not safe things, and almost definitely not comfortable things. None of the people in the examples we considered were chosen for lives of comfort or ease. God has chosen things for us that we would not expect, and likely most of them would not choose for ourselves, perhaps would not even imagine for ourselves. Gideon never imagined that he would lead an army of 300 against countless thousands, and be victorious. Esther never imagined that she would prevent the genocide of her people. Mary never imagined that she would give birth to the Saviour of all mankind.
I don’t know what God has chosen for you. But I do know that whatever that might be, it will be best that you accept it without argument and without complaint. So often we worry about our own situation, our own enjoyment, our own glory, instead of the part we can play in the larger plans of our creator and in bringing glory to Him. When we do, we may miss out on the best of what God has chosen for us.