Introduction.

1. The true attitude of a servant was expressed in the 1981 December issue of the Reader's Digest in an anecdote about Mrs Emily Wilson. ‘John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family's housekeeper: It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. "Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson." "He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him." "Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him." "No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you." When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. "Tell that woman I want her here in the White House."'  What does it mean to be a servant? It means being committed to serving and doing your master's will above all things. Everyone who loves the Lord is a servant of the Almighty and doing his will should to be their highest priority. Serving the Lord must always be seen as a great privilege and never as a burden.
   
   
2. The Apostle Paul opens his epistles to the Romans, Philippians and Titus by introducing himself as, Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ. A bondservant denotes a man who is not at his own disposal, but is his master's purchased property. Bought to serve his master's needs, to be at his beck and call every moment, the slave's sole business is to do as he is told. Christian service therefore means, first and foremost, living out a slave relationship to one's Saviour. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, ‘do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.' Christians belong to Christ and owe him the full and humble service of their hearts, minds, wills, and bodies. Describing His own ministry, Jesus said: "For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45). If we are Christians, then we have been saved to be servants of the Lord Jesus. Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:19 says, ‘For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all,  that I might win the more.'  Paul said these words at a time when every second man was a slave. Paul was not a slave; he was a free man but made himself the slave to all in order to win more for Christ.
   
   
3. In Luke 1:26-38 the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. Mary's three responses are firstly fear in seeing the angel, then puzzlement in being told that she will give birth to a son, and then thirdly submission saying, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be according to your word.' The greatness of Mary's faith needs to be seen in her willing submission as a servant to the will of her Lord and Master.

1.  Servants of God are prepared to carry the cost of serving their beloved Lord.

1. The angel Gabriel told Mary that through the power of God the Holy Spirit coming upon her she would fall pregnant and give birth to Jesus who would be the Son of God. Mary submitted to the will of God even though from a human point of view it had the potential to destroy her life. The fact of her pregnancy had huge consequences in community and family life. The seriousness of sexual sin according to Scriptures was still upheld. Mary would have known that her friends, neighbours, and family would probably brand her an adulteress. In the best case scenario she could have anticipated some form of persecution, snide remarks, ridicule, scorn, derision and contempt from the villagers. In the worst case scenario she could have been charged, judged and punished by the zealots according to Deuteronomy 22:13-15, which says, ‘If a man meets a virgin in a city and has sexual relations with her, but she is engaged to another man, you must take both of them to the city gate and put them to death by throwing stones at them. Kill the girl, because she was in a city and did not scream for help. And kill the man for having sexual relations with another man's wife. You must get rid of the evil among you.' (The New Century Version.) We need to accept that if we had been among those who first heard Mary's story of the visitation by the angel Gabriel we would had difficulty believing her and would have been very sceptical. Mary would have known that being pregnant would have had real consequences and that being put to death or ostracised by the community were possibilities. In some ways that attitude of the community in which Mary lived can be likened to the present situation in Saudi Arabia were anyone converting from Islam to Christianity can expect to be put to death or totally shunned. Mary knew the consequences of doing God's will, yet in faith submits to her Lord.
   
   
2. Mary would have known the fact of her pregnancy had the potential to end her engagement to Joseph. Matthew 1:18-19 gives us a clear indication of Joseph's intensions, ‘This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they married, she learned she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because Mary's husband, Joseph, was a good man, he did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly.' Engagements according to custom at the time of Jesus' birth were far more binding than today, and a breaking off of an engagement was considered equal to a divorce. Engagements were broken only if there was a serious and scandalous problem. A young woman who had a child out of marriage was often so stigmatised and scandalised that no man would desire to marry her. We also need to remember that Mary would not have had access to Centre-link and welfare entitlements that single mothers have in Australia. From a human point of view Mary could easily have ended up destitute and seeking refuge among outcasts and lepers. Mary would have known this and yet in faith she submits to the will of the Lord.
   
   
3. How did Mary's father and mother react to the news that their unmarried daughter was pregnant? We can safely assume that the marriage between Joseph and Mary had been arranged by their parents. Joseph and Mary would have consented to the marriage even though they were young. In all probability Joseph would have been in his late teens while Mary would have been somewhere between 14-16 years old. Following the custom of that day Joseph's father would have paid half the dowry at the engagement and the on the day of the marriage the remaining portion of the dowry would be paid. It was not uncommon for parents to disown their daughters if they brought the shame of an illegitimate child on the family name. How did the wider family of uncles and aunts react? Are we meant to read between the lines in the record of the census ordered by Augustus Caesar? In order to register in the census Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem. The event of the census explains why the inn was full. The fact that hospitality was one of the very strong aspects of Jewish life raises a question, why were Joseph and Mary not invited to stay with relatives? There is every reason to believe that Mary like Joseph was of the line of David. This means that all the families of Joseph and Mary would have had to travel to Bethlehem for the census. In all probability both Joseph and Mary had family in Bethlehem, yet no family member offers them hospitality. Could it be that the family would have nothing to do with them? The narrative of the birth of Jesus gives the impression that Joseph and Mary were alone when the baby was born. The birth of a baby particularly a son was reason for a great celebration particularly by the grandparents, but the Scripture is silent on this matter. It is possible that Joseph and Mary were cut off by the families due to her pregnancy. Mary would have known that such consequences were a real possibility, yet in faith she submitted to her Lord and was willing to carry the cost.
   
   
4. It is highly probable that Mary was confused by what the Lord was asking her to do. The Scriptures strongly advocate sexual purity, yet Mary's pregnancy strongly suggested to others that she was not sexually pure. With the hind-sight of the New Testament we know that the Saviour had to be born of a woman under the law, and that he had to be sinless. Had Jesus been naturally conceived he would have been corrupted by a sinful nature and therefore would need salvation like all other men and women. In order to make atonement and to be the propitiation for our sin Jesus had to be without sin; therefore he could not have a biological father. Mary may not have understood this theological answer, but it did not stop her from submitting to God's will. Mary was prepared to trust God even when his plan and purpose were unclear. Being confused can be costly in the sense that it causes stress and anxiety. Mary was prepared to bear the cost of being confused.
   
   
5. On the eighth day after Jesus was born Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to be circumcised. It was in the temple courts that they met the godly Simeon who by the power of the Holy Spirit recognised Jesus as the promised Messiah. Listen to what Simeon tells Mary, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Simeon warns Mary that she will pay a high cost in pain and hurt as Jesus fulfils the work that the Father sent him to do. Mary was a woman of remarkable faith and therefore says, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." Mary is a wonderful example to us of a faithful servant who was willing to submit to the will of her loving Master even when the cost was particularly high. Every Christian is a servant of King Jesus and must be willing to submit to the will of the Saviour even if the cost is high.

2. God's grace towards his faithful servants is always more than sufficient.

1. The task the Lord gave Mary carried a high cost. Our loving Lord never assigns a task to us without providing enabling, encouraging and sustaining grace. The Lord knows all things; therefore he knows our weaknesses, failings, faults and struggle with sin and provides great grace so that we can glorify him. God's grace towards Mary is remarkable and ought to encourage all God's servants. Mary was and remained an ordinary woman; a woman born with a sinful nature and in need of a Saviour. The Lord's grace towards Mary can be seen in at least seven ways.
   
   
   1. The angel Gabriel not only gave her the news concerning the birth of Jesus, he also ministered to her. Listen to his greeting to Mary, "Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" He tells her to rejoice, which is to give thanks and praise to the Lord. Mary is to rejoice because the Lord is with her; she would know his presence and feel his hand upon her life. God would be with her as he was with Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah and all the others he called to a special task. Mary was to rejoice as she was a highly favoured one. The Lord had given Mary grace so that she could face any trial, difficulty or hardship. Mary was not to face the task the Lord had given her in her own strength but in the strength of God's grace. The words of Luke 1:30 are spoken to comfort Mary. ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.'  This is a reassurance of the Lord's love towards Mary, and a call for her to trust him. When Mary is told, ‘Do not be afraid' it was to alleviate her fear in seeing the angel, and also not to be afraid of the task the Lord had given to her. God in his grace assures Mary that he will be with her, and will lovingly meet her every need as she does his will and fulfils her task.
      
      
   2. The Lord in his grace through the angel Gabriel tells her that her aunt Elizabeth is six months pregnant. It is clear that this information was given to Mary so that she would go and visit Elizabeth. God in his grace revealed to Elizabeth that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah. Elizabeth would have believed Mary's story of how she became pregnant and given her great support and encouragement. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for 3 months, which we can assume means that Mary's visit ended after the birth of John the Baptist. There can be no doubt that these two women would have built each other up in the Lord as they fellowshipped together. I have no doubt that Mary learned a lot about ‘women's business' from Elizabeth. God in his loving grace strengthened Mary spiritually and prepared her practically for the birth of Jesus.
      
      
   3. God's grace towards Mary can be seen in the assurance that he gave to Joseph. Listen to Matthew 1:20, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." Joseph would be her husband and know that his wife was a godly and truthful woman as the baby she carried was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph and Mary would have supported each other in the Lord as they passed through a very difficult trial.
      
      
   4. The fourth way God's grace is evident is found in the shepherds who came to see the new born babe after angel pronounced, " For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." And the multitude of angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" If Joseph and Mary had any doubts about God being with them then the report of the shepherds would have swept them away. It is important that we take note that the Shepherds widely publicized what happened on the night Jesus was born. Would the report of the shepherds have softened the critical and judgemental attitude of the people of Bethlehem? I think the fact that Mary and Joseph stayed on in Bethlehem indicates that this happened.
      
      
   5. When Joseph and Mary heard the witness and testimony of Anna and Simeon they would have been blessed and their faith greatly strengthened. Can you imagine the joy Joseph and Mary would have experienced when these two old godly servants confirmed the work the Lord was doing in the birth of Jesus? If they had endured a flood of criticism then the words of Anna and Simeon would have refreshed and restored their souls. God's grace was constantly supporting and encouraging these two very young servants.
      
      
   6. God's grace is clearly seen in the visit of the wise men from the East who came to worship the King of the Jews. Listen to the report in Matthew 2:11, ‘And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.'  Notice they entered a house, not a stable and they saw a young child not a baby. Joseph and Mary continued to live in Bethlehem for another 18 months to two years. The visit of these prominent gentiles to worship Jesus would have greatly encouraged Joseph and Mary. They brought a very special ‘baby-bonus' to a young couple who were probably struggling to make ends meet. God's grace had provided a blessing to their hearts and their financial needs.
      
      
   7. We cannot miss God's grace in the visit of the angel in a dream to instruct Joseph and Mary to flee from the murderous wrath of Herod by going to Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-23) After the danger had passed the angel again appears in a dream and instructs Joseph to return to Israel and settle in Galilee. I think it is significant that the Lord gives these instructions to flee to Egypt and to settle in Galilee to Joseph. Seeing the hand of God protecting and providing for this couple is truly wonderful, but we must not overlook the fact that the Lord respected Joseph as the head of the home. Mary was to be like all other wives and submit to her husband. I think the gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense were used to finance their flight to Egypt. The Lord in his grace provided the finance before the expense arose. I can imagine Joseph and Mary repeatedly saying, the Lord is with us, and his grace is sufficient, praise his holy name.'

Conclusion.

God's grace towards Joseph and Mary was not unique. It was the same grace that all God's servants in the Old Testament received from the LORD. It is the same grace every servant of the LORD can expect today. God will be with you and his grace will be sufficient no matter how tumultuous your life might be. The record of God's grace towards Joseph and Mary ought to fill you with Biblical hope. Live each day with a confident expectation that the LORD who is with you will take action for your good and to accomplish his purposes. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and give him praise for his grace towards you in Christ Jesus.