Instead of following the conference suggested Advent material, our church has decided to follow a simpler schedule, using a few character studies from the Christmas story and the other regular programming to fill in the time. This past Sunday was on Mary. Here is an excerpt from my sermon:

That’s the great thing about the Christmas story. Christ comes into our world in such a way that all the traditional hierarchies of Israel, all of the ladders of importance, of class, and of respect, get turned upside-down. Mary is someone who would normally be at the bottom of the hierarchy structure. It’s as though all of the women of all time were lined up for selection and God chose Mary. He didn’t choose from the wealthy women. He didn’t choose from the women with royal blood. He didn’t choose from the women with good reputations or from the women with all the connections. He didn’t even choose from the women who were already pregnant. He chose Mary. No money, not status, no husband, Mary.
Mary was also quite young. The Greek word used to describe Mary is ‘parthenos’ which means virgin or young woman. It’s the same word in Greek. What God intends for sex, is not a recreational aspect of youth culture or subject matter for various television shows and commercials; sex is supposed to be a part of a covenant. First time sex is supposed to be husband and wife making a lifetime covenant with each other. Sure there were still people at that time who deviated from that model, and there are people who deviate from that model now. Mary had not deviated from that model. She was a ‘parthenos’ who was engaged to be married.
Just how young was she? We know that she is engaged, so she isn’t too young to get married and she knows why it would be impossible for her to have conceived a child, so we know she’s not too young to have children herself. She is however too young to be important. But despite that, God chooses her to bear the Saviour of the world. Not only does he choose her, but also in choosing her, he puts her in a position that could move her even farther down the hierarchy. Mary is blessed. She knows that what has happened to her is a blessing from God. Her fiancé Joseph knows it too; well at least he figures it out after a while. Some people believe their story that she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit, some people don’t. The few that do believe it give her instantaneous honour. Those who don’t believe it reject and despise her.
But through this act, Mary doesn’t move from the bottom of the hierarchy ladder to the top, the whole ladder gets flipped around. God doesn’t choose the rich, he chooses the poor. God doesn’t choose royalty, he chooses a peasant. He doesn’t choose the extraordinary; he chooses the ordinary.