Sermon Tone Analysis

An Uncomfortable Resolution

Presented by OrLando Yarborough III

Opening passage: Matthew 1:18–25 (NKJV) Birth of Christ

Purpose of This Presentation:

Make known/explore a broader range of how God may engage you.

Increase your likelihood of you going the distance with God.

Inspire hope and reimagine how God may work today through your situation (education, relationships, career, recreation...all the places/arrangements you dream into).

Opening passage: Matthew 1:18–25 (NKJV) Birth of Christ

Today is an era of personalization.

With long-distance communication, we choose our cell phone brand, color, size, and ringtone...whether we will send an email, regular mail through the United States Postal Service, UPS 2-Day ground shipment, or FedEx (air) overnight.

With school, we choose where we will attend, how and who will pay...and when, our major and concentration, classes...from whom we will learn and not.

With work, we choose which company/organization we'll join, whether it will be not-for-profit or for-profit, public or private, green, equitable, social justice-minded...whether we'll change states or change countries, work remotely from home, a coffee shop or show up in the office.

With technology, we choose whether our profiles will be public or private, who can follow us or subscribe for our updates, whether we may be marketed to based on our profiles and online activity, which companies may sell our personal data or not (or so we think we have that choice.)

In our relationships, we choose what name others shall call us, by what pronouns we will be referred to, and whether we take an Uber alone or carpool with strangers.

With faith, we choose our religion and how religious we will be, how spiritual we are, with whom we will fellowship, where we will attend, what we will watch, and for how long...we can personalize our playlists and customize our faith apps.

Medicine will become more and more personalized and, therefore, effective...prayerfully.

We see ourselves, for sure--selfie and all.

And we know our own prerogatives.

God also sees us...and sees us for who we are.

God sees you...and sees you for who you are.

God engages you, me, today, personally...but you see, God's engagement is not always in accordance with our preferences.

...maybe I am the only one?

Let's consider (the Bible's) Joseph and Mary.

In our opening text, the writer Matthew provides a story of Joseph and Mary.

And this story of Joseph and Mary is told in the telling of the story of Jesus Christ's birth.

Joseph was betrothed to wed Mary.

They committed themselves to marrying one another.

Opening Passage: Matthew 1:18–25 (NKJV)

Theme: An uncomfortable resolution

(Let us pray)

All Planned Out

Joseph and Mary were two young adults who agreed to make their future together.

Mary was betrothed to Joseph.

Betrothal represented a permanent relationship nearly equivalent to marriage.

To be betrothed was to be legally promised in marriage.

In fact, breaking off a betrothal required a decision akin to divorce.

(John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Lk 1:27.)

Joseph and Mary had taken the "big step."

You know, the "big step"...lol

Whether they had planned out the big day, I don't know.

Whether they even had a "date," as we think today about a wedding date, I don't know.

What we do know is that they were committed...to one another and to the process of marriage...to their future together.

Joseph and Mary had the next steps of their life together, all planned out.

They were together, traveling a certain course.

Q: Have you ever had it all planned out...how you were going to do a thing?

You set course, and things are actually going in the direction of your choosing.

That was Mary and Joseph.

Patient and committed.

When Plans Go Awry For Her

Then it happens/ed: angel of God enters, stage left.

In Luke's account of the conception and birth of Jesus Christ, in Luke 1:26 the angel Gabriel visits Mary to announce

-celebrate, God is with you

-blessed are you among women

-fear not

-you have found favor with God

-you will conceive in your womb and will birth a Son

-you will call His name Jesus

-and Jesus will be called Son of the Highest

-Lord God will give Jesus the throne of His father David

-of Jesus's kingdom there will be no end

This was all news to Mary...most of it.

Trying to figure this all out, Mary asks the angel Gabriel (a clarifying question),

--how can this be since I have not and am not having sex with a man--since I'm a virgin?

The angel Gabriel answers:

Luke 1:35 (NKJV)

...then Gabriel expounds so as to intercept and cut off at the root any bit of disbelief that might brew in Mary's mind.

Luke 1:36–37 (NKJV)

Mary's question clarified her own personal ability to fit into the vision and plan from God that the angel Gabriel is casting.

"How can this be given who I am."

Gabriel answers, "Given who you are, this is how God is doing it."

(What I love and respect about God is He doesn't dismiss the particulars of your life in order to do what He is going to do.

In fact, God doesn't have to.

He can work within the realm/confines of who you are because of who He is.)

This (conception and birth of Jesus) was news to Mary.

But notice the question Mary doesn't ask: why bring to earth the Son of God?

While the method of bringing Jesus through Mary was a different plan from what Mary had for herself...

The coming of Christ is for what God's chosen people--the Jewish people--had been waiting.

Now Christ was coming and in a real, tangible, tactile way.

God was resolving the issue that separated God from man--the issue of sin and its penalty, death.

The challenge was--and I've learned that with God that there is often a challenge--this proposed resolution wasn't a proposal--it was happening, and happening through the most unlikely of people.

A young couple, to be specific.

Mary and Joseph.

Mary is satisfied or at least accepting of the change of her plans.

Mary's response:

Luke 1:38 (NKJV)

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!

Let it be to me according to your word.”

And the angel departed from her.

The only problem is, in my mind, Mary doesn't (first) check in with Joseph.

Not that God gave Mary a choice as to whether or not to participate.

Nonetheless, Mary submitted to the full will of God.

(Side note: that's the type of wife you want.

That's the type of husband you want.

One who takes her cues from God.

One who takes his cues from God.

And one who seeks divine alignment and agreement as a first priority.)

In between this account of Mary with the angel Gabriel and our opening text in Mathew sharing Joseph's account with an angel of God, Mary and Joseph talk.

I presume Mary must have told Joseph something.

Nonetheless, in three months' time, Joseph becomes aware of what is true with Mary, his betrothed wife.

When Plans Go Awry For Him