December 19, 1999, So Be it, Lectionary

SPECIAL DAYS: Fourth Sunday in Advent

December 19, 1999 - LESSONS: 2 Samuel 7.1-11, 16; Luke 1.26-38

SERMON TITLE: Let It Be

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INTRODUCTION:

Let It Be

Let It Be - The Beatles

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Yeah there will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

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And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on till tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
A there will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

MAIN BODY:

Let It Be
1. What a remarkable phrase
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There are so many ways in which this may be used.
1. Let It Be, can be said with the demeanor of acquiescence.
  1. An act or condition of giving tacit assent.
  2. Silent submission, compliance
  3. There was a time when, in this country, political emphasis was on the "silent majority."
  4. There is a cartoon⁽¹⁾ that shows two young boys in a library.
    1. One of them comments excitedly on the great "how to" books he's finding.
    2. The second replies with snide cynicism--"I'm looking for the 'why bother' books."
  5. Submission, compliance
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Let It Be, can be said with the fatalism of resignation
1. You are the object of fate.
2. Life happens, water flows, you are along for the ride.
3. Commercial for a stop smoking medication
  1. Nicoderm CQ
    1. You can't quit
  2. You can't do it on your own.
  3. You need help.
4. Use our product and stop gradually.
Let It Be, can also be used to allow a situation to escalate into anger and violence.
1. So be it. If this is the way it is going to be and I don't like it or want it, I can change it.
2. This is the way of terrorists.
3. Without over-simplification, this is one of the reasons that motivate violence.
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Let It Be, can also be used responsibly to meet the challenges of the moment.

Mary can serve as an example.
1. In 1 Corinthians 10:11 Paul writes that "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come."
2. How did she respond and act in this incredible visitation.
3. Something out of science fiction.
4. The story could have been written by:
  1. H. G. Wells
  2. Ray Bradbury
  3. Piers Anthony
  4. Isaac Asimov
An angel visits a frightened teenager.
1. "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, [27] to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.
2. The virgin's name was Mary.
  1. [28] And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." [29] But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. [30] The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31] And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. [32] He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. [33] He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
  2. [34] Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
  3. [35] The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. [36] And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. [37] For nothing will be impossible with God."
  4. [38] Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."
  5. Then the angel departed from her.
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Let it be with me according to your word.
1. Is Mary familiar with the promise in 2 Samuel.
  1. You can expect that her religious education may be limited.
  2. Was it the desire of every young women to be the mother of the Messiah?
2. Does Mary fully understand the implication of these words.
  1. The religious penalties
  2. The social shunning
3. Does she anticipate Joseph's response?
  1. His embarrassment
  2. His decision to put her away
4. Can she comprehend the attitude of those who will come to know of her condition.
  1. The side-ways look
  2. The snide remarks
5. Who is she anyway that she should claim to be carrying the Messiah.
  1. A simple God-fearing virginal young woman fro Nazareth.
  2. A person of deep love for God and great faith.
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Mary only knows the implications of the moment.
She cannot anticipate the experiences of the future.
Her "Let It Be" is positive and strong.
1. It is not acquiescence
2. It is not resignation
3. It is not frustration
4. It comes out of her relationship with God and her understanding of God's invitation to join in fulfilling his purposes in her life
  .
5. This proposition she graciously accepts.

CONCLUSION:

At this season of the year do we ever stop to think that we too are the recipients of Gabriel's visitation.
1. Not to birth a child.
2. But to receive again the news that a child will be born with all its implications.
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  1. The child to be born is still the Messiah.
  2. He is still the Savior of the world.
  3. That has not changed.
  4. He will come to save us from our sins.
  5. To free us from the chains of our negative orientated Let It Be's.

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The child to be born is still the Messiah.
He is still the Savior of the world.
That has not changed.
He will come to save us from our sins.
To free us from the chains of our negative orientated Let It Be's.

How will we respond?
We know some of the options.
We also may graphically realize how the response may be acted out in life.
1. If you read Stephen Ambrose's account of the Lewis and Clark expedition entitled Undaunted Courage (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996), you will come to the place where Meriwether Lewis invited William Clark to go along.
2. When they left St. Louis, they were going into uncharted territory without any contact with anyone back home.
3. So that was the kind of invitation Lewis offered.
4. And here is Clark's response:
5. Is this how we respond to an appearance of an angel, the invitation of God?
6. Mary did.
7. How can we not?
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We also have more resources than Mary did when she first made her decision to let it be.
1. Paul's benediction to his Letter to the Romans contains an exhortation and a promise.
  1. Romans 16.25-27: Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith--to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
  Amen.

1. "Faith Race," Homiletics, October-December 1992, p. 17

2. Taken from, Rev. James A. Harnish, "What If You Really Found God?", sermons From Hyde Park United Methodist Church (Tampa, Fla., 1998), 4-5.

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