LUKE 1:26-38

26  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

27  to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

28  And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

29  But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

30  The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.

32  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.

33  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

34  Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"

35  The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

36  And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.

37  For nothing will be impossible with God."

38  Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

It was one of those defining moments in history.  It happened on March 30, 1981.  After President Reagan was shot that day Secretary of State Alexander Haig stepped to a podium at the White House and made a statement that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.  Do you remember what he said?  He said, “As of now I am in control here in the White House.”

Control is a big deal for a lot of people.  How about you? Are you a person who likes to be in control?  Are you a person who likes to be in the driver’s seat?

That was certainly true for Christian Herter.  Christian Herter was the governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957.  So, he was used to being in control which is why he didn’t know what to do one day when he met his match one day on the campaign trail.  It happened at a barbeque.  The governor had been campaigning all day, making speeches and shaking hands and he was starving.  That’s why he was a little disappointed when the woman behind one of the serving tables only gave him one small piece of chicken.  “Excuse me,” the governor said, “but could I please have another piece of chicken?”  The woman shook her head. “Sorry,” she said, “but I’m only supposed to give one piece to each person.”  “But I’m starving,” the governor said.  Once again the woman shook her head and said very firmly, “Only one piece per customer.”  “Madam,” the governor said indignantly, “do you know who I am?  I’m the governor of this state!”  The woman glared at him. “Is that so?” she said. “And do you know who I am?  I’m the lady in charge of the chicken and you only get one piece.  So, keep moving mister.”

There are lots of reasons why we like to be in control.  Sometimes it’s stubbornness. You know what you want and you don’t want anyone telling you what you can and can’t do.  Sometimes it’s pride and the feeling that you really know what’s best.  So, everyone should just listen to you. And sometimes it’s the fear of what might happen if you’re not in control.

So if you’re a control person you know that being in control has its advantages but there are also some disadvantages.  That’s because being a control person can make life very stressful as you work hard to make sure everything is just so.  And because everything is just so it can also lead to a life that is predictable and boring.

So, if you’re a bit of a control person you might want to take another look at the conversation that the angel Gabriel had with Mary. Their conversation was the start of an amazing adventure for Mary and it happened because Mary wasn’t a control freak.  You see, when Gabriel told Mary that she was going to conceive in her womb by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the messiah Mary could have said, “Thanks but not thanks.”  She could have said, “I’m sorry but I don’t want all the responsibility and headaches that come with being the mother of the messiah.  So, you better go find yourself another virgin.”  Instead of doing that, however, Mary let go of her need to be in control.   She put her fate and her future into God’s hands and humbly said, “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

In that wonderful grace filled moment Mary let go of her need to be in control and it makes you stop and think.  Maybe I don’t always need to be in control.  Maybe life is supposed to be a bit of an adventure.  Maybe life is supposed to be a bit of a mystery.  “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be to me according to your world.”   Maybe you don’t have to be in control every second of every day.  Maybe you don’t have to have everything planned out in advance.  Maybe you don’t have to have all the answers.  Sometimes the best thing you can do is let go and let God guide you along the path of life.

That’s what a man learned to do and he later said it was like riding a bicycle built for two. At first the man said he was up in front doing all the steering, but then it all changed and the man wrote, “I don’t know just when it was that God suggested we change places,” he said, “but life has not been the same since…God makes life exciting!  But when God took the lead, it was all I could do to hang on!  God knew delightful paths, up mountains and through rocky places – and at breakneck speeds.  Even though it looked like madness, God said, ‘Pedal!’  I worried and was anxious and asked, ‘Where are you taking me?’  God laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn how to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into an adventure.  God took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy.  They gave me their gifts to take on my journey, our journey, God’s and mine.  And then we were off again.  God said, ‘Give the gifts away, they’re extra baggage, too much weight.’  So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and our burden became light.  So, now I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places.  I’m beginning to enjoy the view, and the cool breeze on my face with my constant Companion.  And when I’m sure I just can’t do any more, God just smiles and says, ‘Pedal.’”

“Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”  Mary let God take control of her life and it led her to that wonderful miracle.  Mary let God take control of her life and it led her to that holy, sacred birth that took place in the Bethlehem stable.

Marion Shurtleff experienced a small miracle of her own earlier this year.  Maybe you heard about her story.  It was in the news.  It all started when she walked into a used bookstore out in San Clemente, California.  She bought an old Bible and when she got it home she noticed a folded yellowed letter inside the Bible.  She didn’t think much of it until a couple of months later when she read the letter.  When she did she got the surprise of her life.  In an interview with the CBS television station out in Los Angeles, Marion said, “I opened it up, and instantly I saw my name.  I recognized my handwriting.  I hollered.  I started shaking.  I cried.  I had goose bumps.”  That’s because the old yellowed letter was an essay that she wrote to earn a Girl Scout merit badge when she was a little girl.   Her letter read in part, “Be kind of animals.  Do not pick flowers.  Don’t walk on the grass.”  Now here’s the part of the story that may give you a few goose bumps.  Marion is 75 years old now.  She wrote that letter when she was 10 years old and living more than 2,000 miles away in Covington, Kentucky.  Now, Marion is on a quest to find the person who brought the Bible to the used bookstore.  In the interview she asked, “How did it get here?   I think there’s got to be a tie to the person who kept this. Why would they keep it? Maybe it was sent to me for a reason. Maybe that person should be in my life.”

Now I don’t know about you but that sounds like a control person to me.  She wants to know who brought that old Bible to the used book store and why, but maybe she’s not supposed to know the answer to those questions.  Maybe that little miracle is simply a reminder that God is good and God is great and life is always better when you let God take control of your life.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

December 8, 2013