Three Keys to Peace

         Last Sunday, we read the story of the appearance of the angel, Gabriel to Zechariah and Elizabeth, telling them that Elizabeth would give birth to a child in her old age, even though she had been barren.  Because he questioned what the angel said, Zechariah was told he would be unable to speak until the child was born.  The child to be born would become John the Baptist, the one who would pave the way for the ministry of Jesus Christ.

          As the story continues, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, with an even bigger surprise for her.  But Mary responds to Gabriel with amazing peace and submission to God’s will.  In this story, we will look at three keys to peace that are exhibited by Mary and her cousin, Elizabeth.  Through them, we can learn some things that will help us have peace in our hearts.

          But first, let’s read this wonderful, beloved story.  I am reading Luke 1:26-56.

²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

 ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He 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, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

 ³⁴"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

 ³⁵The 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. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For nothing is impossible with God."

 ³⁸"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

 ³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

⁴³But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

 ⁴⁶And Mary said:
   "My soul glorifies the Lord
    ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 ^48for he has been mindful
      of the humble state of his servant.
   From now on all generations will call me blessed,
    ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
      holy is his name.
 ⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him,
      from generation to generation.
 ⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
      he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
 ⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones
      but has lifted up the humble.
 ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things
      but has sent the rich away empty.
 ⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel,
      remembering to be merciful
 ⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever,
      even as he said to our fathers."

 ⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

          There’s so much in this story that we can’t really touch on everything, but I want to focus on three ways in which we can learn from Mary and Elizabeth how to have peace in our lives.

          The first is in Mary’s response to Gabriel.  As anyone would be, Mary is at first troubled by Gabriel’s message.  Still, her response to the angel is not one of disbelief.  She simply asks Gabriel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  It’s a very reasonable question. 

          Gabriel answers that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and the holy child to be born will be the Son of God.  That is, this child will not be the son of a human male. 

          Mary must have been a very special young woman, indeed.  She does not argue; she does not seem to be afraid.  Her response is the first key to peace:  submission to God’s will.  She says to Gabriel, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May it be to me as you have said.”

          Because we have heard this story so many times, it’s hard for us to realize just how amazing her response is.  We have seen the beautiful paintings done down through the centuries of the lovely Mary, mother of Jesus.  But can you even begin to imagine what it felt like to be Mary?  She was very young—just barely a woman—and this announcement by Gabriel must have been shocking.

          Still, she reacts with complete submission to God’s will.  When life throws you a curve ball, do you react with submission to God’s will?  Most of us kick and scream and fuss over the tiniest changes in our circumstances.  Mary submitted.  That is key number one to peace.  Submit willingly to God’s will, and you will begin to know God’s peace in your heart.  In your prayers, say with Mary, “May it be to me as you have said.”  Submission to God’s will is the first key to peace.

          The second key to peace in this story comes from Elizabeth.  As you recall, Elizabeth has also had some startling things going on in her life.  We don’t know exactly how old she is, but we know she is not young.  She is well beyond the normal age for child-bearing.  Not only that, she has been barren for her entire adult life.  Now, she is expecting a child.

          Then, her cousin, Mary, comes to visit.  When Mary enters her house, Elizabeth feels the baby in her womb leap, and she is filled with the Holy Spirit.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth pronounces a blessing on Mary: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”

          As Mary enters her home, Elizabeth asks, “But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  Elizabeth reacts with the second key to peace, humility.  Keep in mind that Elizabeth is much older than Mary.  The natural order would be that Mary should give honor to Elizabeth.  Elizabeth would have every right to demand honor from Mary.

          Instead, Elizabeth reacts to Mary’s good news with complete humility.  She yields any honor that she might expect, and honors her young cousin.

          Can you imagine what a gift Elizabeth was to Mary, as she began that difficult road that she had agreed to travel, as the mother of our Savior?  Do you really think that most people believed Mary’s story?  We don’t know a lot about Mary’s life as Jesus’ mother, but the few hints we have in scripture indicate that hers was not an easy life.

          Elizabeth’s humble welcome and friendship must have been a gentle, warm embrace of encouragement to this very brave young woman.  Elizabeth spoke peace to Mary, and she began by speaking with humility.

          Why is humility a key to peace?  All of us, because of the world in which we live, come to expect a certain level of treatment from others.  When people treat us with less respect than we are accustomed to receiving, we generally react with anger.  But if we can let go of our expectations and react with humility, we will find that we experience the gift of peace.

          Once again, Jesus is the ultimate example of this sort of humility.  Jesus was, after all, the Son of God.  He did not need to put up with the guff he received from people.  Yet he chose to model humility throughout his life. 

          Philippians 2:5-7 says “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus; who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

          This sort of humility is not one of suffering silently while gritting your teeth.  It is a genuine inner humility that refuses to demand status, even when society says we deserve it.  When we think about Jesus, we realize that none of us really deserves any status.  Jesus calls us to take on the attitude of a servant, just as Jesus did.

          When we respond with true humility, we will be at peace in our hearts.  We will let go of striving after glory, and give the glory to others and to God.  That is true peace.

          The third key to peace is worship.  Mary demonstrates worship when she responds to Elizabeth by worshipping God for what he is doing in and through her.  The passage from verses 46-55 is sometimes called “The Magnificat.”  That is because in Latin, the first word is “magnificat,” translated “magnifies,” and in the NIV, which I read, it is translated “glorifies.”  “My soul glorifies or magnifies the Lord,” Mary says.

          When we worship, as Mary did, we give all glory to God.  And when we give all glory to God, we set our own perspectives straight.  To give all glory to God is to take the spotlight off of ourselves and put it on God, who is worthy of all of our praise.  When we get our perspectives straight, we have peace in our hearts.

          You can’t truly worship God as long as you are preoccupied worshipping yourself, can you?  And while we may somehow think that focusing on ourselves brings us peace, the truth is that it doesn’t.  That’s because we were made to worship God.  Our hearts are designed so that in order to be at peace, we need to worship God.

          The message of Christ’s coming to earth is one of peace.  And peace on earth begins, not with world leaders, but within each one of our hearts.

          This Christmas, invite Jesus to be the center of your life.  Remember these three paths to peace in your heart:  submission to God’s will, humility, and worship.

          Submit to God’s leading in your life.  Read God’s word daily, so you will know what his will for you is.  Like Mary, when you hear God leading you, be quick to obey his call, and you will experience God’s peace in your heart.

          Be humble.  As it says in Romans 12:3, “…Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought…”  Like Elizabeth, hold others in high esteem.  Welcome and encourage another person as Elizabeth did to Mary, and you will be at peace in your heart.

          Worship God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength as Mary did.  Give all of the glory to God, and you will know the meaning of peace.

          Jesus came that we might know peace in our hearts.  The keys to peace are in these words of scripture, but we must continue to seek them with all our hearts and with all of our minds.  When we learn what God requires of us, we must pursue it with all of our energy.  Peace doesn’t just magically happen in our hearts—we must seek it. 

          This Christmas, practice submission to God’s will, be humble, and worship God, and you will truly know the peace of God in your heart.

Prayer:

Gracious Jesus, what a joy it is to read the stories about your birth.  Thank you for the faithful women and men who paved the way for your birth through their obedience, through their humility, and through their worship.  May we, like them, seek you this Christmas with all of our hearts, and may we know your peace.     Amen