The Family of God

The Family of God

Feast of St. Mary (Observed) T Luke 1:39-55

INI

Today, we celebrate the life of Mary. Not because Mary was holy as Jesus was holy. Not because she herself was without sin. But because as a disciple, she is as we should be. For she is all about Jesus. Mary was not about herself. When met with the conflict of teenage pregnancy and the societal ramifications of that, she responded to her conflict the way we should respond to our own. For when the angel Gabriel told her of God’s plan to use her to birth the Son of God, Mary’s response was “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Word.”

In this way, Mary teaches us how to respond to God when conflict arises: with obedience and trust. It is to your advantage that you say “yes” to God – even when what God directs you toward may cause you conflict, trouble, and hardship. Imagine the conversation with Joseph Mary must’ve had! That surely had to have troubled Mary. But the Lord provided the path forward for Mary who said “yes” to God. He sent an angel to Joseph to reassure him that Mary is a virgin, yet she has conceived by the Holy Spirit.

St. Mary teaches us obedience to the Word of God, trusting that the Lord will provide despite the outcome – but she also teaches us humility. Because Mary is never about herself and her exaltation. Rather, she humbly points to Christ, her Son and her Savior. Her Magnificat from our Gospel reading shows us that Mary proclaimed the wonderful works of God that were worked through Jesus. This proclamation is often pictured in icons of Mary. Most often, her other hand that isn’t holding the baby Jesus is pointing to Him.

But perhaps the most meaningful thing we can learn from Mary is family. She bore a Son, Jesus, who is just like you and me. The Savior of the World had a mom. He had flesh and blood. He was fully a man – which means that Jesus had a family.

His family was huge! It’s constantly growing and expanding! Now of course, there’s some debate whether or not Jesus had other biological brothers and sisters from Mary and Joseph’s marriage. But that’s not what we mean when talking about Jesus’ family. We’re actually talking about you! That’s what St. Paul talked about in our epistle reading – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. “

          When the time was right, God sent His Son to be born of Mary. He came from heaven to earth to find you and bring you home. He was born under the law because that’s where you were – under the law. He came to join you here in the family of humanity, under this curse of death, so that you could join Him in His heavenly family, with the gift of eternal life.

Since Jesus perfectly kept the Law of God in your place, and died in your place because you couldn’t keep the Law, you are redeemed. You’re bought back. Freed from your bondage to sin to live as adopted sons!

God Himself adopted you in your baptismal waters. By water and the Word, the Father makes you a part of His family. That means you share in the same familial relationship as the Father and Son. Jesus is your brother. God is your Father. You’ve been adopted into this family and made an heir of the inheritance that this Father had to give! Which of course, wells up to eternal life.

When God makes us a part of His family, He also shows us what our families should be like. Our families should be places where grace abounds and mercy prevails. We should be quick to forgive the sins and shortcomings of one another. Our families should speak kindly with one another. Our families should be places where correction is given and received with love and respect. Discipline should come not due to punishment or invoking fear, but discipline should come due to love, and the invitation to live a God-pleasing life. Our families should be places of peace and calm, a refuge to which we can flee in the midst of hardship and suffering.

Since the Father has adopted us and made us a brother of Jesus, that means that we are family one with another too. And it doesn’t matter what color your skin is, or language you may speak, or how much money you make – a Christian is more your brother and sister than anyone else could ever be. Because the blood of Christ that unites us runs thicker than the blood of man.

The way that the Church family lives here together should be an example to the world. And if we give in to the same sort of selfishness and hostility that happens out in the world, then we ought to be as ashamed as the family that self-destructs in front of everyone in the line at Disneyland.

Of course, we aren’t immune to this. The big difference between the Church and everyone else isn’t perfect behavior. It’s God’s grace. God’s grace makes us different. His grace won for us on the cross, applied to us at the font, pulpit, and altar, and lived out daily in forgiveness.

There’s a lot to learn from St. Mary – obedience, trust, and humility. But above all, through a virgin’s conception, a new family had come. The Father had sent His Son to be born under the curse of the law, under the curse of death, so that we might be free to be adopted into God’s own family. This is God’s will for us all – to join His heavenly family. To this grace of God, may we respond like Mary: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Word.”

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston