"Listening for the Master's Voice"

Luke 1:26-28, 2:19 . . . . .(December 20, 1998)

You have probably seen the logo label of RCA Victor records. It's a drawing of a dog sitting in front of an old victrola (a record player with a large megaphone-shaped device projected from a record player (the precursor to a CD player)). the little dog on the RCA Victor logo had his head cocked and his ears perked toward the open end of the victola's megaphone. He was listening intently to what was coming out of the record player. Underneath this picture was the tag line, "His master's voice".

I happen to know a little dog who is very much like this. Whenever I grab my keys and put my shoes on, Ariel sits at my feet and waits to hear the magic words, "take out the garbage", "post office", "walk", "leash", "ride", "car". Her eyes attach themselves to me and don't leave until she has some hint of whether I am going to do something she can participate in our whether it will be one of those things she cannot join in. At her most attentive state her ears snap to attention and she cocks her head to one side to make sure she hears correctly.

This is the perfect picture of what is needed at Christmas time. We must listen carefully for the Master's voice . . . but that's easier said than done. If you go into any mall or store the music is usually blaring, lights are flashing and people are trying to avoid each other as they hustle from purchase to purchase. There are long lines in the check-out lanes, heavy traffic on the roads and everyone has a to-do list which is twice the size of normal.

This morning we look to the familiar story of Mary. In this text you will see Mary as she listens to the voice sent from God. The reason we turn to this passage is that Mary gives us a good example of what it means to listen to the Master's Voice: Mary had a receptive heart, a responsive heart, and a reflective heart.

MARY HAD A RECEPTIVE HEART

Listen to Luke's account of what took place,

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:27-35)

We take Mary's response to the appearance of Gabriel for granted. We will appreciate her response more if we think of all the ways Mary could have responded,

• she could have run away
• she could have started sobbing
• she could have gotten up and complained that her house was a mess and unfit for such a visitor
• she could have run around trying to get all her friends together to witness this event

But, Mary doesn't do any of these things. Instead, notice what she does do. Like the dog in the RCA logo, she listens.

At Christmas God comes to us in the form of the Christchild. But this wonderful message of love is often missed because we are,

• frantically rushing around looking for gifts for the celebration
• feverishly making plans for parties and gatherings
• rushing from activity to activity so we can celebrate with our friends
• simply ignoring the whole thing. We put our hands up and say, "I want nothing to do with this celebration."

If we are going to understand the message of Christmas we are going to have to LISTEN. We will have to slow down long enough to hear . . . not just the noise . . . but the message of Christmas. We have to slow down long enough to hear that Christmas is about God reaching out to men and women in the person of Christ. The difficulty is trying to hear the message through the din of the noise of the season.

The story of a four-year-old girl named Schia has been told many times. Schia begged her mommy and daddy to let her stay alone for a little while with her new baby brother. Her parents at first refused--young children are not known for treating new siblings gently--but after a time, they saw that Schia didn't seem jealous or impatient with the baby, so they allowed her to hold her private conference.

They kept the door cracked open, however, when Schia tiptoed in toward the crib. The curious parents watched as their little girl appraochaed the baby, put her face down close to his, and said, "Please, Baby, tell me what God feels like. I'm starting to forget."

This is what we should be seeking at Christmas . . . to be reminded of what God feels like. So, How can you listen better?

• Sometime late at night, when everyone else is in bed spend some time with the Lord. Make this a time of just you and the Lord. Visualize the RCA Victor dog, and listen for the Master's voice.
• When you go to a time of prayer . . . say nothing. Just listen for a few moments.
• In a time of worship stop singing on one verse of a carol and listen to the words. We hear some of the songs so much that the words are often lost. Try to HEAR the message.

MARY HAD A RESPONSIVE HEART

Now the fact that Mary listened to the Angel is not the only part of the story worth paying attention to. Obviously Mary could have done several things after the conversation with Gabriel,

• she could have walked away without a word.
• She could have started to scream inconsolably
• She could have responded "no way!"
• She could have decided that she was delusional and enrolled in long term counseling.

But that is not what Mary did. Instead, Mary said, " "I am the Lord's servant." "May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38). Mary not only received the message, she acted on it.

This is the difference between Mary and many who celebrate Christmas. There are many who have information but they do not respond to it. Let me give you some examples,

There are some who know the story of a baby born in Bethlehem but they refuse to listen to WHY that baby came and WHO that baby was. They like the idea that God loves us but refuse to hear the truth about our rebellion and our need for a Savior. They are deaf to words like: judgement, accountability, and repentance. They want salvation on their own terms.

There are people who know what the gospel is. They can tell you that to be a Christian means to acknowledge personal sin, to recognize that Christ's death was to pay for sin, and that the person who trusts Christ will be saved. Some of these people know this information well enough that they have led others to faith in Christ. However, they themselves have never responded. The truth has never traveled the 18 inches from their head to their heart.

Others have memorized scores of Bible verses. . . but they have never acted on what they know.

• they know what sin is, but have never repented of their own sin
• they know what prayer is but have never been honest with God
• they have memorized the Bible but have not allowed it to penetrate their heart
• they are active in the church but have never followed Jesus
• they are nice people but are trusting their own ability rather than the gift God has extended in Christ
• they have mastered "God Talk" but don't really have a relationship with God.
• they have had an "experience" but have never really surrendered to the Savior. They cried at a meeting once. They were moved by a song. They prayed and felt a chill. And now they are relying on this "experience" as the basis of their faith. Faith is not based on experience . . . it is based on fact.

Jesus has come to set you free. He has opened the door of your prison cell. You are free to live in freedom. But you still need to walk through the open door.

How are you responding to the truths of Christmas? Don't answer quickly . . . . think about it. I'm confident that you know the story. But how is it changing you? What do you need to do this Christmas in response to God's Spirit?

• Turn to Christ as your own Savior and Leader? Do you need to move the truth from your head to your heart?
• Mend a relationship?
• Reach out to someone who is in need?
• Reoganize your priorities?
• Turn from a Sinful practice?
• Change your attitude? Perhaps you need to take the message of salvation more seriously and live with joy rather than under a cloud of gloom.

MARY HAD A REFLECTIVE HEART

A third thing we see in Mary. She "treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19) In other words she thought about them over and over. She never forgot what happened and what she was told.

Many people view Christmas . . . and the Christ of Christmas, like they do a billboard on the side of the road. They see it. They read and recognize it. They enjoy the billboard as they are looking at it, then they drive on by. It is only a memory that fades as time goes on.

Mary frequently recalled the words of the angel, the Shepherds, the Magi, Anna and Simeon. I suspect she thought about these words as her son taught on the shore of the sea of Galilee. She thought about them as she watched Him place His hands on the hurting. I suspect she even reflected on these words as she watched her son struggle with the cross on his journey to Golgatha, die a horrible death, and be placed in a borrowed tomb.

Even when she was confused she returned to what she knew was true. She remembered the promises and then held on. In her reflecting she gained perspective and focus. That's good advice for all of us.

You see, it is too easy for us to just go through the motions. The best things in life can easily lose their luster and value if we don't take care of them and remind ourselves of how valuable they are. We have to deliberately counteract that danger. Think of how easy it is to take your marriage for granted. Because of that, every year on our wedding anniversary I like to dig out the wedding pictures and remember all the dreams I had that day and then how God surprised me by making marriage better than what I had even hoped it would be. Looking back reminds me of how fortunate I am. It reminds me of the storms we have shared and the joys we have known. It reminds me that what I have is a treasure.

It is just as easy to take our family for granted . . . . and our Savior. It is too easy to become accumstomed to the words and phrases and they begin to lose their intensity and wonder. So, let me share a few suggestions for being more reflective this Christmas.

1. Find some quiet time to think about WHO Jesus is and WHY He came to earth.
2. Ask yourself a simple question: "What would the world be like if Jesus hadn't come????"
3. Remember where you WERE and where you were heading before He found you. Dare to imagine where you might be if He hadn't come and changed your life. What would life be like now? Would your marriage be over? Would you have killed yourself with reckless living? Would you be on a treadmill headed no where? If you remember what you were saved from you will appreciate what you have been saved to.
4. Remember where you are GOING as a child of God. Try to gain a picture of the glory that is to come. Allow your mind to imagine that first time you see the smile of the loving Father. Let yourself sense what it would be like to know that gasp of wonder when you take that first step into the eternal kingdom. Try to imagine what it would be like to have all evil gone.

You see, this Christmas we are called to follow the example of Mary. We must be receptive to the message and listen even in the midst of the noise of the season. When we have heard we must respond. And once we have responded we must never forget. We must remind ourselves often of how we became a child of God. We must remember where we were and where we are going. We must repeat the words over and over to ourselves so that when life gets noisy again, we'll still be able to hear the whisper of His love.

"A Shopper's Psalm"
I'm weary, Lord.
Bone tired.
In spite of the fact that my shopping's half done
I need to crash.
The crush
of the crowd has gotten to me.
So, too, the deafening sounds
of a pre-Christmas city
throbbing with incarnate greed.
I need to be reminded
that this season's more
than plastic Santas,
perpetual sales,
and Muzak.
I need back
on the track
of reflection.
I've derailed, Lord.
My emotional fuel is leaking.
I'm about to explode.
And then I see it.
A miniature creche
in a gift shop window.
A guardian father;
a grateful young mom;
a baby asleep on the hay.
A trio maintaining their harmony
despite the dis-chord all around them.
And with my nose pressed against the frosted pane
my inner pain subsides.
At once I am rested,
renewed, and revived.
And I linger
and ponder
God's peace.
(By Greg Asimakoupoulous)

Rev. Bruce Goettsche

The Union Church of LaHarpe, IL

PO Box 493

LaHarpe, IL. 61450