Fleming Rutledge has said, "Advent begins in the dark..." but the whole point of Christmas is the coming of the Light of the World. Here we’ll look at another response to Christmas: a troubled teen. While it is easy for us to romanticize the story of the Incarnation with nostalgia and the bigger picture, it was incredibly difficult for those who lived through it - especially Mary. For her, Christmas is nothing less than disturbing. She was "greatly troubled." Christmas disturbs her, ruins her dreams, and then... leads her to rejoice. How can we have that, too? Let's talk about how Christmas disturbs our weary world in order that we might begin to rejoice with Mary.
Discussion Questions
Christmas disturbs us
Read Luke 1:1-4. What is Luke communicating to his readers? Knowing he traveled with Paul to Jerusalem (Acts 21:1-6), and that Acts opens with Mary worshiping with the disciples there (Acts 1:14), has led many scholars to conclude Luke received these accounts firsthand from Mary. What parts of our passage require firsthand knowledge of the events? Do you have confidence in the historical reality of Christmas, or is it too mysterious and miraculous to embrace?
Read vs.28-29. How would you have responded to this? What emotion do you think would accompany Mary being "greatly troubled"? At the same time, Mary seems to remain inquisitive, "trying to discern" (v.29) and asking "how will this be?" (v.34) What are we learning about Mary's personality? She is repeatedly told she is "favored" (v.28,30), but would you have heard this sort of news as favor initially? What news have you received in the past that did not seem favorable at that time, but eventually you saw that God was moving in your life?
What do you notice about Gabriel's explanation of what is going to happen to Mary (v.35)? Would it have been satisfactory for you - even in these circumstances? Read Luke 2:19 & 2:50-51. What pattern do you see in how Mary processes unusual events in her life? Since she has a long and protracted way of wrestling with God's work in her life, how might we find that encouraging in ours? (Israel means “wrestles with God” because Jacob did just that.) How have you wrestled with God, and did that push you away from Him or draw you closer?
How does Gabriel describe this child Mary is going to have (v.32.33)? Read God's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13. What echoes do you notice? In light of Elizabeth's additional description of Jesus (v.41), what does Mary know about the child within her womb? With all of this happening to her, how is her inner thought life an encouragement to you? Why is it important to know that God welcomes our questions and doubts, especially in crises? And - if Christmas was this disturbing for Mary, should we be surprised when Christ's coming into our lives is equally disturbing?
Christmas ruins our dreams
In what ways might Mary's pregnancy ruin her pre-existing dreams for her own life? In John 8:19 & 8:41, the Pharisees strongly imply they are aware of the questionable conditions of Jesus' birth, even mocking him. If Jesus is getting such treatment 30 years after-the-fact, what can we infer about how Mary was perceived & treated socially during those decades? In an honor-shame society, why might that be additionally devastating? How has God called you into a lifestyle or ministry that is rejected or even mocked by the culture around you?
In v.31, Gabriel gives Jesus' name. Why might God remove that parental right from Mary & Joseph? How does this highlight the unique inversion of authority in the parent-child relationship here? Though Mary is a great example of faith for us, how is this a reminder that she - just like us - equally needs a savior?
In light of all the challenges we've seen so far, why is Mary's response in v.38 so astounding? What is she risking - not only socially but also with Joseph? Why might some see this sort of religious surrendering of control as dangerous? How has it been abused - even among Christians? How will Christ's use of authority differ so greatly from how virtually all others use power? Where have you “let go to let God”, and where have you held on to do it on your own? If there are places you don't like what Jesus has said, what does this sort of surrender require of any follower of Christ? Whose opinion must matter more in my daily life? Why is that so difficult? How might Mary's own wrestlings be an encouragement to us even there?
Christmas remakes us
Why is Mary favored? Has she earned this privilege? Remember what we saw in Ephesians 2:8-9. If this is God's grace she is receiving, if grace has ruined her dreams, how does it now remake her life? In what areas have you been remade, by the grace of God, that is different from maturing or learning from bad mistakes? …You were undone and made into something different.
Notice well: though Mary begins to process the theological truths Gabriel tells her, when does she actually begin to experience joy as a result? Does an angel's visit bring her that joy? Why would even that be insufficient for her (or us)? Why would her visit with Elizabeth make that joy practical in a way even an angel had not? What does this show us about our need to practice our faith in community? Have you ever experienced divine confirmation in community that you hadn’t while going through the different phases, parts, or pieces?
Read the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). What is it precisely that Mary is celebrating? What causes her to rejoice (v.47) and where does she place her focus throughout the song? As the song goes on, note the pronouns: what pronouns fade and which increasingly have focus? How might Mary's focus in prayer and song challenge us to reconsider our own and help us to share her joy? Is there a way you let God’s truths take hold of your emotions, as much as you let movies, social media, or the music you normally choose? After all, we hit “share-heart-like”, or boast about a TV series we love, or even make people look at our screen to see something that’s funny (Did you see this one?! Check this out!). Do you have joy that comes from God, and how can you share it more than you share other things?
GOSPEL: Christmas disturbs Mary with news that forces her to think intensively. Christmas ruins her dreams and brings her into a heightened state of vulnerability. And yet Christmas - the coming of Christ - remakes her, precisely because she will watch as her son takes all of that on himself, for her sake and ours. This baby came to be crushed. We now have a God-man who sits upon the throne of existence with scars borne on our behalf. How do Christ's wounds help not only to heal Mary's wounds, but enable her to deal with them as they happen? How does the fact that Jesus has the audacity to become vulnerable himself help us when we face our own crises? May we consider: what child is this, growing within Mary's womb?
