Bible Text: Luke 1:26\u201338 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Advent 2019 | A pri\u00adson cell is a good com\u00adpa\u00adri\u00adson for the Advent situa\u00adti\u00adon. The door is locked and can only be ope\u00adned from the out\u00adside. In Jesus, God came to our world as a human being to free us from our pri\u00adsons. The only appro\u00adpria\u00adte respon\u00adse to God\u2019s grace is that of Mary when she says: \u00abI am the ser\u00advant of the Lord and bow to his will.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\tTry to under\u00adstand and tell each other how Mary might have been in this situa\u00adti\u00adon. How would you have reacted? Bible Text: Luke 1:26\u201338 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Advent 2019 | A pri\u00adson cell is a good com\u00adpa\u00adri\u00adson for the Advent situa\u00adti\u00adon. The door is locked and can only be ope\u00adned from the out\u00adside. In Jesus, God came to our world as a human being to free us from our pri\u00adsons. The only appro\u00adpria\u00adte respon\u00adse to the\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[62],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-advent-2019","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2589","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nOn 21 Novem\u00adber 1943, Diet\u00adrich Bon\u00adhoef\u00adfer wro\u00adte from the Nazi pri\u00adson to his fri\u00adend Eber\u00adhard Beth\u00adge: \u00abBy the way, such a pri\u00adson cell is a very good com\u00adpa\u00adri\u00adson for the Advent situa\u00adti\u00adon. One waits, hopes, does this and that, ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly tri\u00advi\u00adal things. The door is locked and can only be ope\u00adned from the out\u00adside.\u00bb In a news\u00adpa\u00adper, Woo\u00addy Allen, famous Ame\u00adri\u00adcan direc\u00adtor, con\u00adfes\u00adses that he leads \u00aba sad life wit\u00adhout hope, frigh\u00adtening and gloo\u00admy wit\u00adhout pur\u00adpo\u00adse or any mea\u00adning\u00bb. More than 70 years lie bet\u00adween the state\u00adments of the\u00adse two men \u2013 both in pri\u00adson. One locked in a meanin\u00adg\u00adless life, the other in a very real, actu\u00adal pri\u00adson cell awai\u00adting his death. One leads a sad life wit\u00adhout hope becau\u00adse he is an athe\u00adist and sim\u00adply can\u00adnot belie\u00adve that anyo\u00adne is able to open the door from the out\u00adside. The other can hope despi\u00adte the most adver\u00adse cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances becau\u00adse he knows that someone has ope\u00adned the door from the out\u00adside. This is pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly the Advent and Christ\u00admas mes\u00adsa\u00adge, that God in his grace has ope\u00adned the door from the outside.
\nIn the ser\u00admon text we learn three things about grace: the other\u00adness, the con\u00adtent and the respon\u00adse. Each of the\u00adse aspects is con\u00adnec\u00adted to one thing we learn about Mary in the text.
\nOther\u00adness of grace
\nGod sends the angel Gabri\u00adel to a young woman named Mary. She is enga\u00adged to Joseph, but is still a vir\u00adgin. The pro\u00adce\u00addu\u00adre of a Jewish wed\u00adding con\u00adsists of two steps: The first step was the betro\u00adthal, which invol\u00adved the legal agree\u00adment that the cou\u00adple would mar\u00adry and com\u00admit to marital fide\u00adli\u00adty. Legal\u00adly, this was sea\u00adled by the groom\u2019s fami\u00adly pay\u00ading a bri\u00adde pri\u00adce for the bri\u00adde. The second step fol\u00adlo\u00adwed about a year later by brin\u00adging the bri\u00adde home and con\u00adsum\u00adma\u00adting the marriage.
\nThe angel Gabri\u00adel comes to Mary, who was thus bound to be faithful to Joseph: \u00abHail! You are bles\u00adsed with gre\u00adat grace! The Lord is with you!\u00bb (Luke 1:28 NL<\/span>). Alt\u00adhough the angel expres\u00adses hims\u00adelf loud\u00adly and cle\u00adar\u00adly and she hears ever\u00ady\u00adthing acou\u00adsti\u00adcal\u00adly per\u00adfect\u00adly, Mary is per\u00adple\u00adxed and asks hers\u00adelf what this is sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to mean. Why me of all peo\u00adp\u00adle? Have I done some\u00adthing spe\u00adcial, that God turns to me in a spe\u00adcial way? No, pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly not! Mary was neither par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly holy nor spe\u00adcial that God would have to say, \u00abHey, she\u2019s so gre\u00adat, I have to do some\u00adthing spe\u00adcial with her!\u00bb The angel tells Mary that she has found God\u2019s grace, free\u00adly, wit\u00adhout con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons, wit\u00adhout her doing any\u00adthing. It is God\u2019s gra\u00adcious initia\u00adti\u00adve. Grace is different.
\nFrom the very begin\u00adning of Chris\u00adtia\u00adni\u00adty, at the announce\u00adment of the birth of Jesus, it beco\u00admes clear that the Chris\u00adti\u00adan faith is fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from any other reli\u00adgi\u00adon, phi\u00adlo\u00adso\u00adphy or belief sys\u00adtem in the world. Usual\u00adly the way it works is explai\u00adned to you like this: \u00abBy making an effort, by per\u00adforming, by doing cer\u00adtain things, you draw clo\u00adser to God.\u00bb Even in phi\u00adlo\u00adso\u00adphies whe\u00adre a per\u00adso\u00adnal God does not even fea\u00adture, it is like this: you have to do cer\u00adtain things to break through to hig\u00adher, bet\u00adter and spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal things. The bet\u00adter life is bey\u00adond the pri\u00adson and the door has to be ope\u00adned from within.
\nChris\u00adti\u00adan grace means: God comes to do what we can\u00adnot do \u2013 open the door \u2013 from the out\u00adside. Not even Woo\u00addy Allen will suc\u00adceed in ope\u00adning the door of his suc\u00adcessful glos\u00adsy pri\u00adson. He knows it and says sad\u00adly, \u00abHere\u2019s my life, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s very gre\u00adat, but I can\u2019t get the door open.\u00bb God opens the door from the out\u00adside. Mary expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces here what count\u00adless peo\u00adp\u00adle after her have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced and you can also expe\u00adri\u00adence today: God comes to us by grace.
\nCon\u00adtent of grace
\nThe angel explains to Mary what this grace of God means: \u00abYou will con\u00adcei\u00adve and give birth to a son whom you shall call Jesus. He will be gre\u00adat and will be cal\u00adled the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will place him on the thro\u00adne of his father David. He will reign over Isra\u00adel fore\u00adver, and his king\u00addom will never fall!\u00bb (Luke 1:31\u201333 NL<\/span>).
\nGabri\u00adel knows the Bible and refers to the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment in 2 Samu\u00adel 7:13f. Alt\u00adhough the Davi\u00addic roy\u00adal house had almost com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly lost its power and influence, the hope of the eter\u00adnal king\u00addom still exis\u00adted among the Jews. In this respect, Gabriel\u2019s mes\u00adsa\u00adge is enorm\u00adously signi\u00adfi\u00adcant. Mary is to give birth to the eter\u00adnal ruler for whom ever\u00adyo\u00adne is wai\u00adting. Hard\u00adly sur\u00adpri\u00adsing is Mary\u2019s con\u00adfu\u00adsed reac\u00adtion: \u00abBut how can I have a child? I am still a vir\u00adgin\u00bb (34). Mary is con\u00adfu\u00adsed. She knows the bio\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal pro\u00adces\u00adses: no pregnan\u00adcy wit\u00adhout a man. And now it gets exci\u00adting. Many scep\u00adtics of the vir\u00adgin birth of today think that the peo\u00adp\u00adle of that time might have belie\u00adved in it. In today\u2019s enligh\u00adten\u00aded socie\u00adty, howe\u00adver, this mat\u00adter can be brushed asi\u00adde. One should not argue quite so light\u00adly. If the\u00adre was talk of a vir\u00adgin birth back then, it was just as ridi\u00adcu\u00adlous as it is for us today. Mary did not lis\u00adten and think: \u00abWow, ano\u00adther vir\u00adgin birth! And this time it\u2019s just me. Hammer!\u00bb
\nMary knew that if God fol\u00adlo\u00adwed through with this plan, a mira\u00adcle would hap\u00adpen. The mira\u00adcle is not so much that a woman beco\u00admes pregnant wit\u00adhout the invol\u00advement of a man. At the latest in modern repro\u00adduc\u00adti\u00adve medi\u00adci\u00adne, this is no lon\u00adger a pro\u00adblem. The mira\u00adcle of the vir\u00adgin birth is that the Most High, God Hims\u00adelf, beco\u00admes man. Gabri\u00adel explains to her how this works: \u00abThe Holy Spi\u00adrit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overs\u00adha\u00addow you. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, the child you will bear will be cal\u00adled holy and the Son of God\u00bb (35). We know the word overs\u00adha\u00addow from Exodus 40:34f. The tent of God is overs\u00adha\u00addowed by a cloud and the glo\u00adry of the Lord fills the insi\u00adde. God is pre\u00adsent. His glo\u00adry is so phy\u00adsi\u00adcal\u00adly pre\u00adsent that Moses could not enter the tent. The glo\u00adry of Almigh\u00adty God comes to us. That is the grace, that is the miracle.
\nA good and wise Per\u00adsi\u00adan king loves his sub\u00adjects and shows gre\u00adat inte\u00adrest in kno\u00adwing how they are doing. He wants to see with his own eyes how they live, how they are doing and what their joys and needs are. That is why he mingles inco\u00adgni\u00adto with the peo\u00adp\u00adle. He puts on the clo\u00adthes of a worker or a beggar and visits the poo\u00adrest of the poor. One day he comes to his very poor hus\u00adband in a gloo\u00admy, cold cel\u00adlar. Alt\u00adhough he does not know him, he eats his food with him. He talks to him and has a good time, is kind to him, encou\u00adra\u00adges him and then lea\u00adves. After a few days, he returns to the man and reve\u00adals hims\u00adelf to be the king. He expects that he will now be con\u00adfron\u00adted with one or other of the poor man\u2019s wis\u00adhes. But the lat\u00adter says to him: \u00abYou have left your palace and your glo\u00adry to visit me in my dark and dir\u00adty cel\u00adlar hole. You have eaten the food I have to eat every day, and you have spo\u00adken kind\u00adly and gra\u00adcious\u00adly to me. You have brought joy to my soul. You know, you have given gre\u00adat gifts to many peo\u00adp\u00adle, but to me you have given yourself!\u00bb
\nThe King of glo\u00adry lea\u00adves his glo\u00adry in hea\u00adven and gives us hims\u00adelf. The Holy Son of God beco\u00admes man, he comes from out\u00adside and opens the doors of our pri\u00adsons. This is the con\u00adtent of grace.
\nRespon\u00adse to grace
\nMary beco\u00admes our role model with her reac\u00adtion: \u00abI am the ser\u00advant of the Lord and bow to his will. May all that you have said come true and be done to me\u00bb (Luke 1:38 NL<\/span>).
\nMary expres\u00adses impres\u00adsi\u00adve\u00adly that she accepts what God intends to do with her: If you want to act on me like this in your grace, then I am with you. I can\u00adnot ima\u00adgi\u00adne the con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces, but you are God and I am the ser\u00advant. What you want shall hap\u00adpen. Here is my life, I give it to you! This is not a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal or roman\u00adtic knee-jerk reac\u00adtion in the face of an angel. Mary was very awa\u00adre that she was put\u00adting her repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon on the line. Joseph will say, \u00abIf you are unfaithful to me, that\u2019s it for our rela\u00adti\u00adonship.\u00bb She will be a sin\u00adgle parent, which was a dis\u00adas\u00adter at the time. Alt\u00adhough she could hard\u00adly fore\u00adsee the con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces, she says: If you, God, turn to me in your grace, then I can\u00adnot help but say: Here is my life!
\nA woman comes to a church and says to the pas\u00adtor: \u00abYou know, up to now I have only heard that I have to make an effort. If I am good, God accepts me. That is the mes\u00adsa\u00adge I have heard for years \u2013 in churches, at home and ever\u00ady\u00adwhe\u00adre. And now here I am hea\u00adring the gos\u00adpel of grace, I am hea\u00adring about the other\u00adness of grace, I am hea\u00adring about grace in Jesus Christ and it con\u00adfu\u00adses me. It even frigh\u00adtens me. If I am rede\u00ade\u00admed by my good works, then the\u00adre is a limit to what God can ask or expect of me. Just as a tax\u00adpay\u00ader ear\u00adns cer\u00adtain rights. I have done my duty and now I have a right to get some\u00adthing out of life. But if I am a sin\u00adner rede\u00ade\u00admed by grace alo\u00adne, then the\u00adre is not\u00adhing God can\u00adnot ask of me.\u00bb
\nThe gos\u00adpel of grace can be frigh\u00adtening. Mary rea\u00adli\u00adses this imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly when the angel spo\u00adke to her. She beca\u00adme awa\u00adre that the\u00adre is not\u00adhing God can\u00adnot ask of her. Mary knew pre\u00adcious litt\u00adle at that time what would beco\u00adme of this sto\u00adry. We have the full pic\u00adtu\u00adre and know that Jesus came \u2013 left his glo\u00adry for us. We know that Jesus died on the cross to open your pri\u00adson and mine from the out\u00adside. He lived the life that we should have lived. He died the death we should have died. He gave hims\u00adelf. How much more are we cal\u00adled to give our\u00adsel\u00adves com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly to Jesus! If we have recei\u00adved the grace of God and live by that grace, it must be clear to us that the\u00adre is then not\u00adhing that God can\u00adnot ask of us. If God in his grace has ope\u00adned the door in your life from the out\u00adside, then the\u00adre can only be one respon\u00adse to that, and that is Mary\u2019s respon\u00adse. That is not an achie\u00adve\u00adment, but a reac\u00adtion to grace. Mary could not do any\u00adthing to make what the angel announ\u00adced hap\u00adpen. The only thing she could do is: \u00abOkay God, if you turn to me in your grace, I will put my life at your dis\u00adpo\u00adsal.\u00bb Fran\u00adcis Schaef\u00adfer calls this acti\u00adve pas\u00adsi\u00advi\u00adty. We pas\u00adsi\u00adve\u00adly, com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly unde\u00adser\u00adved\u00adly and wit\u00adhout our doing, recei\u00adve God\u2019s grace. To this we respond actively by say\u00ading, \u00abLord, let your will for my life be done.\u00bb
\nWha\u00adte\u00adver my histo\u00adry, wha\u00adte\u00adver my pre\u00adsent cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances, you know it all, you own my life. I ser\u00adve you. I ser\u00adve you with my mar\u00adria\u00adge. In my mar\u00adria\u00adge, let your will be done. I ser\u00adve you with my time. In my prio\u00adri\u00adties, let your will be done. I ser\u00adve you with my thoughts. In my thoughts, let that which is important to you come to frui\u00adti\u00adon. I place mys\u00adelf at your dis\u00adpo\u00adsal, I ser\u00adve you. I make mys\u00adelf available to you even in all my weak\u00adne\u00adss, in all my doubts, in all my limits, with my bro\u00adken\u00adness, in the midd\u00adle of my pri\u00adson. You are the Lord. And becau\u00adse you are a gra\u00adcious Lord, the\u00adre is only one respon\u00adse to your grace: Here is my life. I am the ser\u00advant of the Lord. What you want to hap\u00adpen to me, I want to hap\u00adpen to you. If that is your honest pas\u00adsi\u00adve acti\u00adve respon\u00adse to God\u2019s grace, then God can do ama\u00adzing things in your life \u2013 like Mary.
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Luke 1:26\u201338<\/p>\n
\n\tHas God alre\u00ada\u00addy ope\u00adned the door in your life from the outside?
\n\tBased on this ser\u00admon, how would you explain the gos\u00adpel of grace in a few words?
\n\tWhat is the appro\u00adpria\u00adte respon\u00adse to God\u2019s grace in con\u00adcre\u00adte terms for you? Have you alre\u00ada\u00addy sur\u00adren\u00adde\u00adred your life to Jesus? What is pre\u00adven\u00adting you from doing so?
\n\tWhat is the dif\u00adfe\u00adrence in living life ful\u00adly sur\u00adren\u00adde\u00adred to Jesus or only partially?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"