Nothing Is Impossible	12-22-98

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

"Forever" is a long time. It is one of those words that ranks up there with "eternity," "immortal, and "everlasting." It is quite a bit longer than most of us expect to live, at least on this planet, or at least as far as most of us is concerned. I mean, the older I get the more I realize how long "forever" is; and also, the older I get, I am reminded almost daily that I am not immortal, but finite; that I am not everlasting, but limited. Or, as Isaiah wrote: The grass withers and the flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on it. And, so my flesh knows it will not live forever. And, yet, my soul, my faith, and the promises that come from God tells me something else; that "immortality" and "forever" is not impossible, but realities that lie ahead for us all.

So, you can imagine what King David must have thought in our Old Testament lesson for this morning, when God promised him that God would establish his dynasty and said, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever."

But, "forever" is a long, long time. Anyone reading these words from 2 Samuel might immediately think that the writer is simply exaggerating in using the word. After all, there is no dynasty in the history of the world that has the power to last forever. Kingdoms have fallen, nations have come and gone throughout time, over and over again. In fact, someone once said that about the longest any nation has lasted under any one continuous government is about 250 years. In fact, our own nation is one of the oldest, longest lasting in history. So, surely, when the writer of 2 Samuel said that the Lord promised King David that his dynasty would last forever, he was only exaggerating, right?

Well, not exactly. But, then of course, even that writer could not have known what God had in mind for the house of David. Even that writer could not have possibly known that one of David's descendants, a young woman named Mary, would give birth to the Son of God. And, of course, that child born in a manger would be the King of glory. That child born in Bethlehem would not only promise an eternal place in heaven for those who had faith, but by his very death and resurrection would make that promise a reality.

So, indeed, "forever" may be a long, long time. It may seem like an impossibility for us, especially as we find ourselves subject to things like arthritis and teeth that dentists want to drill on and wrinkles that seem to be getting even more wrinkles. Even King David must have wondered about God's promise about a throne that would be established forever. But, with God, as we have learned from our own experience, nothing is impossible. Forever may seem impossible, a longer time than we can imagine. Nevertheless, it is something that God is willing to give to each of us as a gift.

Of course, there are some things that are impossible, even though some persons take them for granted. At one time, for instance, it was just taken for granted that the earth was flat. Everybody knew that! And everybody knew that the sun revolved around the earth! Just like today – Many people believe that eternal life is a given with being born. In fact, most people believe in some sort of existence after they die, no matter what kind of life they may have lived, and whether they believe in God or not. And, yet, the scriptures don't teach this. Actually, much of the Old Testament teaches about an afterlife of memories and shadows. It is the New Testament that really teaches about heaven, and even then, heaven is something reserved for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, while hell seems to be described as an eternal death and dismemberment from God. So, indeed, eternal life may actually be one of those things that will be impossible for some who have taken it for granted. But, at the same time, there are many who may look at heaven as impossible. Yet, in any case, we should all be reminded that eternal life is a gift from God to any or all who may believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. For it is Christ who is the Living Word. It is Christ who's kingdom shall last forever. And it is in Christ that we must put our hope and our being and our faith and our very life and existence if we shall ever receive such a gift. You don't get eternal life on your own, from have been born, or from having been good. And you don't get eternal life from simply having had moms or dads who were Christians. And you don't get eternal life from working in the church, or having memorized the bible, or from having been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or from being a nice guy, or whatever. In fact, you can do all those things and never experience the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. For that has to come by faith. That has to come as a gift from God.

Just take a look at the life of King David, if you don't think it is true. How did he get such a promise of an eternal dynasty from God? Was it because he was good? Was it because he deserved it? Was it because he had been moral all his life? Or wasn't it because of his faith in God?

It is much the same for our gospel lesson for today. For years and years, for much of the history of the church, it has been assumed that God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus because Mary was good. It has been assumed that God chose Mary to be the mother of Christ because was perfect in some way. In fact, there are many who believe that Mary's birth was, itself, a miracle; that her own mother had conceived Mary in what is called an immaculate conception. But, I don't think that God chose Mary to be Jesus' mother because she was particularly better, or more pious, or more holy, than the other women of her town. God did choose Mary because Mary had never committed a sin, or never said a naughty word, or never played hookey, nor lied nor cheated. Instead, God chose Mary because he loved her. He chose her because of her faith. And he chose her because she was a descendent of King David, betrothed to a descendent of David – in the right place in the right time. It wasn't something that she had earned. Rather, being chosen was a gift from God.

And isn't that the way it is with us? In fact, if an angel came to us unexpectedly, wouldn't the words be the same? Remember the words: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." And, remember Mary's reaction? Our Gospel lesson says that she was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be."

And why not? If Mary had been perfect in every way, if Mary had felt she deserved the greeting, then the greeting wouldn't have troubled her. But, no. The greeting troubled her and she wondered what kind of a greeting it was.

Grace can be troubling. Being chosen can be troubling. Especially when you don't know why. Especially when you don't think you deserve it.

In fact, everyone of us ought to try it, sometime. If you ever want to trouble someone, go around being graceful to them for a while. Wives, do you really want to get your hubby's goat? Do some really nice things for him out of the blue. Peel an orange for him. Massage his neck. Rub his back. And he'll sit there for the longest time trying to figure out what you're up to.

Or, husbands, do you really want to get your wife to wonder what's going on? Just start doing some extra things around the house! Buy her some flowers. Take her out to eat at a fancy restaurant. Offer to scrub the floor, or the sink, or her back. And she'll wonder for the longest time what you're up to.

Yes, being graceful can be disturbing to folks. It was disturbing to Mary. And God's grace can be disturbing to us, as well. For grace motivates a person to do more and better things. Grace encourages persons to live up to their potential. Grace brings out the best in people.

There is a story about an eleven year old boy, living in the state of Ohio, who believed that the state should have a state motto. He quickly learned that he needed to get people to sign petitions to get the state legislators to introduce a proposal for a motto. And, so he went into action. Most of his spare time went into gathering signatures, mostly going door to door. He got aunts in other towns to help. He wrangled a spot on a radio show to ask for signers, and set up a booth at a food show. It was hard work. "You'd be surprised how many people just don't want to sign their names to anything," he said. "And a lot of them are afraid it will cost them something." When he tried to get an introduction to the governor, a state senator came to his aid. When he finally met the governor, the boy explained his petitions and asked if he would sign. And, of course, the governor signed the petition. Then the governor promised to invite the boy to the state capital to speak for his proposal. I'm not exactly sure how this story ended, but what is known is that the boy finally did get his petitions into the legislature and got some legislation started. And by that time the young man knew what he thought the motto for Ohio should be: "With God all things are possible."

King David may have wondered about this. Mary found out that it was true. And as we journey in our faith, expectantly bearing Christ to the world, may we all know that truth, as well. Amen.