Best Of: Surprised By Joy (A Bible Study on Luke 1)
12/25/23 • 17 min
Merry Christmas everyone! On this glorious Christmas Day we are sharing Nicole's Christmas message from last year on Mary and the visitation from Gabriel. Whether you are cleaning up wrapping paper, making a Christmas feast, or quietly taking in the day, let's ponder the miracle of Jesus' birth and the awe Mary experienced together.
WHAT DOES IT SAY?
Luke 1
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?
What do we know about Mary:
-she knew some scripture
-she was faithful
-she was among the believers [not venerated, but in community]
Acts 1:14
14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
Mary had no qualifications for being chosen.
This beginning also mirrors our beginning when it comes to receiving the good news.
All of the good news is contained here:
You who are highly favored.
In the context of the world, she is not highly favored. When we think of what makes someone highly favored, we tend to think of the examples we have in the world. But that wasn’t Mary at all.
You have found favor with God.
[favor=charis=grace]
-Not dependent on anything that she (or us) can do.
The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 7:6–8)
What was given through the Israelites is now passed to everyone:
Galatians 3:14
14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
The Lord is with you.
Matthew 1:23
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
You aren’t alone. You aren’t isolated. God knows you.
*Emmanuel
But God with us, as in He comes to live inside us, giving us strength in place of weakness, courage in place of fear, and vibrant life in all those dark places that once felt dead. – Jennifer Slattery
The power of being “with”. When people are hurting, we want to be with them. Waiting in hospital rooms. [Brantley/AJ]
She receives two promises: highly favored, Lord with you. Crazy surprise –
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Basil Pennington: “my self-worth my value depends on what I have, what I can do, and what others think of me”
My false self protects me with:
I am what I do.
I am what I have.
I am what others think of me.
My true self:
I am. (I am worthy)
I am the Lord’s. (I belong)
I am the Lord’s servant. (I have purpose)
Living in our true self is about a radical acceptance of who we are, based on what God has decided.
“Some Christians base their identity on being a sinner. I think they have it wrong—or only half right. You are not simply a sinner; you are a deeply loved sinner.” David Benner
Accepting the incredible surprise of the good news means releasing control.
Receiving the gift of our favor is the ability to open our hands to everything God gives, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word be fulfilled.”
Radical acceptance unlocks the joy of surprise.
surprise-find-shift-change
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?
What sets Mary apart is her radical acceptance to God’s invitation, and what defines us as children of God is our radical acceptance to the same invitation.
Radical Acceptance:
God has not given up on me, no matter how I feel.
I do not need to try harder.
My pain and struggle is not wasted.
My false self protects me with:
I am what I do.
I am what I have.
I am what others think of me.
My true self:
I am. (I am worthy)
I am the Lord’s. (I belong)
I am the Lord’s servant. (I have purpose)
FOLLOW NICOLE:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram:
Merry Christmas everyone! On this glorious Christmas Day we are sharing Nicole's Christmas message from last year on Mary and the visitation from Gabriel. Whether you are cleaning up wrapping paper, making a Christmas feast, or quietly taking in the day, let's ponder the miracle of Jesus' birth and the awe Mary experienced together.
WHAT DOES IT SAY?
Luke 1
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
WHAT’S THE BACKSTORY?
What do we know about Mary:
-she knew some scripture
-she was faithful
-she was among the believers [not venerated, but in community]
Acts 1:14
14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
Mary had no qualifications for being chosen.
This beginning also mirrors our beginning when it comes to receiving the good news.
All of the good news is contained here:
You who are highly favored.
In the context of the world, she is not highly favored. When we think of what makes someone highly favored, we tend to think of the examples we have in the world. But that wasn’t Mary at all.
You have found favor with God.
[favor=charis=grace]
-Not dependent on anything that she (or us) can do.
The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 7:6–8)
What was given through the Israelites is now passed to everyone:
Galatians 3:14
14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
The Lord is with you.
Matthew 1:23
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
You aren’t alone. You aren’t isolated. God knows you.
*Emmanuel
But God with us, as in He comes to live inside us, giving us strength in place of weakness, courage in place of fear, and vibrant life in all those dark places that once felt dead. – Jennifer Slattery
The power of being “with”. When people are hurting, we want to be with them. Waiting in hospital rooms. [Brantley/AJ]
She receives two promises: highly favored, Lord with you. Crazy surprise –
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Basil Pennington: “my self-worth my value depends on what I have, what I can do, and what others think of me”
My false self protects me with:
I am what I do.
I am what I have.
I am what others think of me.
My true self:
I am. (I am worthy)
I am the Lord’s. (I belong)
I am the Lord’s servant. (I have purpose)
Living in our true self is about a radical acceptance of who we are, based on what God has decided.
“Some Christians base their identity on being a sinner. I think they have it wrong—or only half right. You are not simply a sinner; you are a deeply loved sinner.” David Benner
Accepting the incredible surprise of the good news means releasing control.
Receiving the gift of our favor is the ability to open our hands to everything God gives, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word be fulfilled.”
Radical acceptance unlocks the joy of surprise.
surprise-find-shift-change
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?
What sets Mary apart is her radical acceptance to God’s invitation, and what defines us as children of God is our radical acceptance to the same invitation.
Radical Acceptance:
God has not given up on me, no matter how I feel.
I do not need to try harder.
My pain and struggle is not wasted.
My false self protects me with:
I am what I do.
I am what I have.
I am what others think of me.
My true self:
I am. (I am worthy)
I am the Lord’s. (I belong)
I am the Lord’s servant. (I have purpose)
FOLLOW NICOLE:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram:
Previous Episode
Come to the Table: The Power of Hospitality
Welcome back to the How to Study the Bible podcast. We have something a little bit different for you today. We are in the holiday season and getting ready to round down the year. So we're going to be sharing a few different things with you. We decided to post a few of my past sermons here as much as we can as well. Today you’ll hear a sermon I preached this month at Hill City Church here in Richmond, Virginia. It's about the power of invitation and the virtue of hospitality that we receive through Jesus as we “come to the table.” Enjoy!
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
Next Episode
Best of: Create New Spiritual Rhythms in Your Life This Year
This episode was part of our summer series on creating spiritual rhythms. If you missed the series and liked today's episode, here are the other episodes in that series:
Week 2: Creating Digital Rhythms That Quiet Your Soul in an Age of Distraction
Week 3: Learning to be Shaped by Scripture: Creating a Spiritual Rhythm of Bible Study
Week 4: Creating Rhythms of Silence and Solitude
Week 5: Finding Sabbath: How to Create a Regular Rhythm of Rest
Week 6: Celebration as Spiritual Rhythm: Why Is It So Hard to Believe Our God Is a God of Celebration?
The right pace creates the right perspective. The right perspective is wisdom and peace.
The purpose of our series:
1. Take a minute to think about the pace of your own life. What do you notice?
2. What does the way you spend your time say about what you care about the most?
3. Is there any aspect of your life that feels overwhelming right now? What does that look like?
4. Take a minute to reflect on your life with God. How would you describe it?
5. If you could change something about your schedule, what would it be?
Passage:
Matthew 11
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.
– Jesus, Matt. 11:28-30, The Message
I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.
– Jesus, John 15:5, The Message
What does it say?
Rest and relationship are God’s priorities
-recover your life? What does that mean to you?
What’s the backstory?
1-3 God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
Psalm 23
You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in You.
– St. Augustine, Confessions, 1.1.1.
What does it mean?
The Christian life is meant to represent the fruit of the spirit
Our Christian character is based on our Christ connection
What does it mean for me?
personal touch
RESOURCES:
Nicole’s Book: Help My Bible Is Alive!
Ask Nicole a Bible study question: [email protected]
FOLLOW NICOLE:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
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