"A Consecrated Vessel"
Text: Luke 1:39-56
12-22-2024
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. This time of the year, there are certain traditional Christmas sights and sounds that we sort of come to expect. Christmas carols, Christmas trees, Christmas presents, and oh yes, the ever-popular Christmas movies. Unfortunately, though, most of those movies really have nothing to do with Christ and the true meaning of Christmas. But there’s one that actually gets it right. It’s called “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” They just released an updated version in theaters. In case you’re not familiar with it, here’s a summary of what happens.
There’s a group of rough and undisciplined kids from a dysfunctional family called the Herdmans. Totally by accident, they get interested in being part of a local church’s Christmas pageant. Since these kids are so unruly and have never been in church before, let alone in a Christmas pageant, everyone is convinced they’ll ruin it. To make matters worse, through some finagling, Imogene Herdman gets to play the part of the Virgin Mary. She’s the most unlikely and least deserving candidate for the job. But ironically, she ends up portraying Mary in such a moving way that there isn’t a dry eye in the church. As she holds the bundled little doll that’s supposed to be baby Jesus, the significance of what happened 2,000 years ago suddenly hits her. The tears stream down her dirty face as she gently rocks the Christ Child.
The reason why I shared this with you is because that image of the Virgin Mary is not the one that we normally see and hear at Christmas or any other time of the year for that matter. And yet, that’s more accurate than a lot of the depictions we see of her whether in paintings, statues, or in movies. Mary was an unlikely candidate for the special task that God chose her for. And Imogene Herdman did a good job of showing how truly humbled Mary was to be selected for this highly honored role in God’s plan of salvation.
But can we be honest here? We Lutherans have a hang-up or a phobia when it comes to discussing the Virgin Mary. We’re so, so worried about making the mistake of worshiping her that we go to the other extreme and fail to show the proper honor and respect that she deserves. Maybe it’s about time that we let God’s Word redirect our thinking. A good place to start is the Gospel Lesson for today. In the verses preceding our text, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she had been chosen by God to conceive and carry the Savior in her womb. Gabriel also told her the amazing news that her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant by a miracle of God. So, Mary hurried off to Judea to visit her. As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, the baby in her womb, which was John the Baptist, leaped for joy. Why? Because he knew he was in the presence of his Savior who was now growing in the womb of Mary. But how could a baby inside a mother’s womb possibly know that? Obviously, the Holy Spirit revealed it to him just as He revealed it to Elizabeth. They didn’t have telephones or the Internet back then. The only way that Elizabeth could have known Mary’s glorious secret was if God had told her.
Next, look at what Elizabeth says to Mary. "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Please notice that the honor shown to Mary is directly linked to the Christ Child in her womb. Elizabeth didn’t feel privileged simply to be in the presence of her cousin. She had certainly been around Mary in the past without uttering such words of honor. No, Elizabeth honored Mary because God had given her the privilege of being the mother of the Savior, Jesus. Apart from that, Mary was just a normal Jewish girl who trusted and believed in God. But what made Mary special was that she was chosen by God’s grace for this highly honorable task.
As I mentioned earlier, we have a hard time grasping how and why we should honor the Virgin Mary without worshiping her. Maybe an object lesson will help. I’d like you to look over at the altar. I intentionally uncovered the vessels that we use for Holy Communion. Let me ask you something: When the miners dug up the gold that was used to make these items, do you think it was from some sacred mine? No. There’s nothing special or holy about that gold. It’s the same metal that gets used to make your jewelry and other common items. But wouldn’t you agree that these vessels are special? We use them in a very sacred meal here in worship. We treat them with reverence and special care. Why? Is it because these items themselves are holy? Not at all! It’s the precious body and blood of Christ that they hold within them that makes them special. We worship and praise Jesus our Savior, not the vessels that hold His body and blood.
Hopefully you can see where I’m going with this. These vessels were consecrated for a special use in bringing Christ to His people. In the same way, the Virgin Mary was chosen by God for a special purpose, namely to bring Christ to a lost and dying world. Mary was a consecrated vessel for the Lord’s work. Even so, she was the same as the rest of the people around her. She too was a sinner who needed forgiveness like any other human being. She even says so in her Magnificat which begins in verse 46 of our text: "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God MY Savior...” That begs the question: Why would she need a Savior if she wasn’t a sinner? The truth is that by His grace, God chose and used a sinful, but willing, young woman to bring about His holy will.
What made Mary special was the precious body and blood of Christ that she carried within her womb. Like our Communion ware, we don’t worship Mary the consecrated vessel. Rather, we worship Jesus who was within that vessel. Likewise, just as we treat these vessels with reverence because of the special task they are used for, we should also show honor and respect for Mary because of the special task God used her for. Sadly, we sometimes “dispose” of Mary after the Christmas story is told. We wouldn’t think of throwing away these precious vessels after we’re done with Communion. Then why do it to Mary, the consecrated vessel of God? She deserves a place of honor as a faithful believer who God used for His holy purpose. And that’s what the Virgin Mary was: a faithful believer in God’s promise of salvation. Listen again to what Elizabeth said about Mary, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” By faith, Mary trusted what God had told her. By faith, she willingly submitted herself to the Lord’s will. When Gabriel told Mary the glorious good news that God had chosen her to give birth to the Christ Child, she said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
You see, Mary was a grateful and humble servant of God. When she found out that she was chosen for this special task, she didn’t do an end zone dance like an NFL player, saying, “Oh yeah! That’s right! I’m the best and God knows it. That’s why he picked me!” Instead, her response was one of humility. In her Magnificat she said, “For He (God) has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” And throughout the rest of that song of praise, she gives God all the credit for this marvelous thing He has done.
So, what’s the point to all this? Well, it’s not just that we should show proper respect for the Virgin Mary. That’s true. But more importantly, she provides a good example of how we believers should respond to the good news that God graciously chose US to be His consecrated vessels. That’s what you are, you know. If you have faith in Jesus Christ, then you have been chosen by God for a special task, even though you’re just as common as any other sinful human. In Baptism, the Holy Spirit consecrated you and made you His holy temple. You were an unfit vessel due to your sin but He cleansed your soul and gave you saving faith. As a result, Christ now dwells within you. As you receive Holy Communion, the very body and blood of Jesus are placed in you, God’s consecrated vessel, so that you may be used for His Holy purpose of carrying Christ within you to the world around you. God didn’t choose you for this privilege because you were so good and deserving. No, like Mary, God chose you simply because of His grace.
And how should we respond to being chosen by God? Well, like Mary, all we can do is humbly submit ourselves to God’s good and gracious will. Like Mary, we too can say that we are blessed because “He who is mighty has done great things for me...” With wonder and amazement, Mary watched how God unfolded His plan of salvation right before her very eyes. Her heart was filled with humble awe as she contemplated how God would use her as His consecrated vessel for His holy purpose. May God fill our hearts with that same wonder and amazement as we recognize how He has graciously chosen US as His consecrated vessels to bring about His holy will. Realizing that, let’s show proper respect for our fellow believers who are also God’s consecrated vessels for His divine purpose. And may our response be humble thanks and praise to God for sending His Son to be our Savior. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!