On our summer trip to the aquarium, I strongly encouraged my daughters to touch the stingrays in the pool. Carissa was very reluctant, so like any loving father, I "helped" her touch them. After she finished crying, she did eventually touch them willingly. I challenged her to get “uncomfortably close” and go beyond her comfort zone.
I have my own moments of getting uncomfortably close- when I went surfing near sea turtles, standing ready to bungee jump, tip-toeing to a very high cliff edge. All these experiences forced me to go beyond my comfort zone. The turtles got IN my personal space and I didn't like it. The heights were a "little too close".
The point: few experiences are worth resisting innate inhibitions and boundaries.
We spend most of life compartmentalized into convenient categories. These compartments allow us to keep things from spilling over into other areas, and keep people comfortably distant from our darkest secrets, deepest hurts.
However, there is a tension of keeping our personal space and boundaries. We develop compartments in life to protect ourselves, but struggle to balance compartments of life. That'w where spill over happens. You know, the frustrations at work that are carried home, the argument last night that we brought to work. Depleted checkbooks that rob our Christmas cheer. We try hard to guard our fragile compartments. To keep a avoid getting uncomfortably close to things that scare us or allowing the "unknown" into our personal space.
We do the same with God, keeping Him at a safe distance. We have a compartment for God- Sundays before noon, grace before diner, in moments of crisis, an occasional prayer after we hit a golf ball or while struck in traffic. God has His place in our life, church fits into our boundaries, where we keep things from getting too uncomfortably close.
We certainly don’t let Go IN our whole world, rock our status quo, or give him the keys to every door and closet in our home.
Read Luke 1:26-38, NIV. This event is known theologically as the “virgin birth”. It sounds so pious, sterile. But for Mary, God interrupted her normal? Disrupted her with an invitation to become uncomfortably close and intimate with the Christmas experience. Her life would be profoundly altered.
Mary sets amazing example and provides incredible challenge to us?
Big Idea: Allow Christ IN Every Part of Life
More than Christmas story. This is The Invitation of God to us. Mary is an example of how incredibly close Jesus wants to come to you.
While we have compartments, boundaries, and comfort zones. Mary story is the example.
What does God want in my life?
Read Luke 1:26, 34-35 again.
Lord was WITH Mary, but now He wanted to be IN Mary.
Throughout Old Testament, God was with lots of people.
God was with Adam and Eve, walking with them in the cool of the evening. God was with Abraham, even calling “friend”. God was with Moses and the children of Israel in the fire by night and cloud by day. They were confident that God was with them. Through Jesus, God was with the disciples- eating, sleeping, teaching. Immanuel “God WITH us”. (paraphrase of Max Lucado's: Next Door Savior, 2003, p. 91)
But know an invitation to be IN Mary- “Holy Spirit will come upon you” and “overshadow”
These words invoke a picture of enveloping, like Mt. Sinai enveloped in the cloud of God’s presence.
God invites us to tear down our inhibitions, step beyond our comfort zone, welcomes our intimacy, and gets close enough to be known, not just with us, but in us.
To his disciples, Christ declared, “I am in you” John 14:20 NCV.
Paul prayed, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” Ephesians 3:17, NIV.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory” Colossians 1:27, NIV.
“Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them”1 John 3:24, NIV.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” Revelation 3:20, NIV.
How does God come IN my life?
God enveloped Mary, and Mary’s common life was transformed. At first, only physically, hormonally, privately. But over time, the in-dwelling of God in her life transformed everything about Mary. It became obvious to everyone that God was IN her.
What part did Mary have in this conception and pregnancy? She willingly submitted.
See Luke 1:38, NIV. Mary made herself completely available to God. Much like the way a wife makes herself completely available to her husband.
We want to be in control, manage our compartments, but God simply invited Mary to allow Him into her life, beyond her inhibitions, comfort zone, status quo. Not just a part of her life, but ALL of her, IN her.
Transformed from just learning of God to intimately knowing God.
Mary intimately knew God- understood His will and willingly obeyed His plan for her life.
What’s our part? To make our life completely available to God and accept His invitation to dwell IN us, IN every intimate detail and compartment of our life.
We neither resist or assist. Mary couldn’t guide, advise, or assist God in the process. She didn’t volunteer for this role. She only responded willingly and completely, then offered herself in full service.
Are there areas in your life that you’ve tried to do God-size things on your own? Quit a life-controlling habit or addiction, overcome past hurts, forgive the abuser, heal the marriage, conquer a fear, defeat the worry? We can’t do it on our own.
We can only surrender, willingly allow Christ in every part of life.
Like Mary to be so pregnant with the life of Christ that He lives through us.
“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20, NIV.
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