1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,520 Howdy. Well, today is the fourth Sunday in Advent. We've had hope, peace, joy, and today 2 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:17,760 we are looking at the theme of love. And so with that, I decided that it was important 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:24,080 to do some research into love. And so of course to do that, I needed to make sure I found 4 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:32,040 out the top 10 love songs from the 20th and 21st centuries. With this is discovering 5 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:38,160 some interesting ones that I've had it seen or heard in a while. There was Edith James, 6 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:46,200 at last my love has come along. And then there was Unchained Melody, you know, the one where 7 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,280 you're like, what in the world is that till you start hearing it, it's like, oh my love, 8 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:58,160 my darling, you know that I've hungered for your touch, aka the theme song to ghost. So 9 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:12,160 and then of course there is and I will always love you. And I would like how in the world 10 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:17,720 I think she had extra lungs installed at that point. And there was, you know, Endless Love 11 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:24,200 and Your Song by Elton John, My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion, which is how it felt 12 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:30,560 when we kept hearing that song over and over. A song by Boys to Men that I cannot name in 13 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:36,160 the middle of church. There is Make You Feel My Love by Adele, who stole it from Garth Brooks, 14 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:41,640 who stole it from Billy Joel, who stole it from Bob Dylan. And Something by the Beatles, 15 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:46,560 I know, little known band you may have heard of at some point in there. And Just the Way 16 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:53,240 You Are by Billy Joel, not Bruno Mars. You know what was not on the list of top 10 love 17 00:01:53,240 --> 00:02:04,560 songs was Baby by Justin Bieber. The lyrics being baby, baby, baby, ooh, baby, baby, baby, 18 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:11,600 no, baby, baby, baby, ooh, I thought you'd always be mine. It took me a while to learn 19 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:20,880 that song. I know the lyrics were really complicated, but. And I tease, he's come to faith in Christ 20 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,640 and everything. So I'm really grateful for that. But when you've got hair like that, 21 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:30,280 you got to make fun of the guy a little bit. The thing is, is that oftentimes what we think 22 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:37,080 of in discussing love doesn't end up coming across as very deep. It can oftentimes just 23 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:42,480 be about this feeling or this impression or just thinking that somebody's cute or just 24 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:48,680 hoping that someone notices you. But isn't love supposed to be something deeper than 25 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:54,320 that? Isn't love supposed to be something that ends up being something of the nature 26 00:02:54,320 --> 00:03:01,240 of God? And that's something I want to talk a little bit today as we look at the Magnificat, 27 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:08,480 a different type of song, if you will. This is the song of Mary, the one where she is 28 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:17,600 expressing what God has done and the Magnificat, Magnificat in Latin being for my soul magnifies 29 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:24,920 the Lord. So what we see in this example is that Mary has come to visit Elizabeth and 30 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:32,400 both of them are pregnant. And as we end up seeing this, is that we may wonder how in 31 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:39,680 the world all of a sudden you come up with some poetic, you know, a song type of structure 32 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:45,640 that for whatever reason, how is it that people speak this way in conversation with each other? 33 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:52,000 Well, the reality is that it wasn't just coming out of nowhere. It's sort of like how in our 34 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:59,040 pop culture, we may think of those catchphrases from different songs that really struck us, 35 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:06,040 you know, is that, you know, this is your song or make you feel my love. Oh, I've hungered 36 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:12,160 for your touch. Well, it turns out that this particular passage was based on something 37 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:19,440 that they had heard for many generations. The song of Hannah. The thing is, is that Samuel, 38 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:26,120 the prophet, his mother had it had a child before. And when she finally had that opportunity 39 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:32,520 and she was given Samuel, she starts proclaiming how God has blessed her and has brought her 40 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:39,960 this hope of a child. And not only that, but so many Old Testament passages that are incorporated 41 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:47,680 into the song. It's like coming in and singing a medley of all your favorite old songs and 42 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:54,440 being able to bring that together to be able to see what it was that Mary was expressing. 43 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,600 By the way, I do have to let you know is that there were a few people who think that this 44 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:04,120 was supposed to be Elizabeth song. That's because some of the Latin manuscripts had 45 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:09,680 put Elizabeth there instead of Mary. But all the original manuscripts speak of it in the 46 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:16,200 original Greek as being from Mary. The thing is, though, that this song really could have 47 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:21,640 expressed what both of them were feeling at that point. But there are some things about 48 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:28,320 this story that end up teaching a bit about God's mercy, his goodness, but especially 49 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:33,960 God's love. And there's something about this that always stood out to me was about the 50 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:41,920 love of Elizabeth and Zechariah. See, the thing is, is that they talk about the Elizabeth 51 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:47,600 and Zechariah having a child in their old age. But notice that saying that they have 52 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:55,200 a child in their old age, it's not saying that all of a sudden the Virgin is with child. 53 00:05:55,200 --> 00:06:03,280 This is from the marriage of Elizabeth and Zechariah. This was a normal human child. 54 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:10,880 See, the thing about normal human children is that they come from the love of two people 55 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:17,040 with one another. Now, of course, sometimes children are born in various circumstances, 56 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:23,480 but that being the standard is the point being is that this was from their relationship. 57 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:34,360 There was still an affection, a love, an intimacy with these two people after all of this time. 58 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:42,200 Even though they had wanted a child and hadn't been able to have one, there was still a love 59 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:48,920 and an affection and a closeness between them that they were able to have a child when the 60 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:58,480 time finally came. How often is it that we allow circumstances in life to determine whether 61 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:07,080 we share love with one another? How many times is it that things might distract us, whether 62 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:13,560 it be whether or not we've had the right experience at home or whatever may be happening with 63 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:19,480 the kids or whatever issues may be coming up with the pets? I know that there was one 64 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:25,280 family I knew where apparently they went to Disney World and one of them forgot to buy 65 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:31,600 some tickets in advance and they were stuck outside the gate not sure that they could 66 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:38,840 get in and had to wait two hours for the next cohort to go in. Things like that where you 67 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:47,680 realize that tension, that struggle can end up putting so much weight on there, on that 68 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:58,240 relationship. But can we as people be able to love one another beyond circumstances? 69 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:03,640 Is it something where we're looking that we have to be impressed in order to feel that 70 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:10,760 affection or even more than that is beyond the circumstances around us, even the things 71 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:17,480 that are happening within us? The times whenever things are stuck in our hearts, stuck in our 72 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:24,720 heads, things that we cannot get past and then we end up discovering that it affects 73 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:31,480 and changes everything that we share with one another. And even the single guy knows 74 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:39,040 that that's how things need to be able to be is to still show love even when life around 75 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:47,320 you and life within you may be in turmoil. But see turmoil within a person it may be 76 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:54,720 difficult to tackle, especially because of uncertainty. The thing is, is that we find 77 00:08:54,720 --> 00:09:01,400 uncertainty around us can also end up making it difficult to love one another. And that's 78 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:07,160 something that we end up seeing when we look at love being more than just convenience. 79 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:13,600 You see, when Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, there's something that we're not sure about 80 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:22,200 in the store. It doesn't tell us whether she and Joseph had already made up yet. We actually 81 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:30,760 don't know for sure that Joseph hadn't yet welcomed her back into his home and continued 82 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:38,080 with the betrothal, the engagement. The thing is, is that Mary may have been going to see 83 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:45,360 Elizabeth when she was the most uncertain of what was going to happen in her own life. 84 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:51,840 Was she about to find herself as an unwed single mother in a world that frowned down 85 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:59,960 very sharply upon that at a time whenever if someone who was female was not married, 86 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:06,760 that she might end up being subjected to jobs and vocations that would never be something 87 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:14,480 we would be hopeful for. The thing is, though, even in the midst of her uncertainty, what 88 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:22,120 is it that she is going to do? She is going to spend her time loving and encouraging her 89 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:29,600 cousin Elizabeth. And more than that, even in the midst of this time is what is it that 90 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:37,080 she is expressing with God at that moment is that it's not spending the time saying like 91 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:43,100 some of the Psalms of my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Or why is it that the 92 00:10:43,100 --> 00:10:52,680 nations rage, but rather coming forth and speaking that my soul magnifies the Lord? 93 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:59,920 Because the thing is, is that if we only end up showing love at times when it's easy and 94 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:09,040 convenient, then is it truly love? Love is something that is oftentimes going to have 95 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:15,400 to deal with the struggles and the suffering of life. And what we end up end up seeing 96 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:24,200 with Joseph as well is that even though Joseph couldn't prove to the world, my wife is having 97 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:33,560 a child by God is that the love that he ends up having for Mary is something to still suffer 98 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:42,660 the opinions of others around. But even in addition to loving Mary is also loving God. 99 00:11:42,660 --> 00:11:49,080 Because that's the thing with this is that loving one another, it's more than just convenience. 100 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:56,540 It's our calling. It is what it is that we are pulled to not just because God has given 101 00:11:56,540 --> 00:12:03,180 it to us, but he has called us to share that with one another as well. Because the thing 102 00:12:03,180 --> 00:12:12,800 is, is that the love of God, the love of God can oftentimes be a struggle, even in the midst 103 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:20,520 of life. But it's not in spite of the life that we are experiencing. It's in the midst 104 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:28,800 of the life that we are experiencing. See, the thing is, is that Mary is not here, discussing 105 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:35,000 her pregnancy as something to be dreaded. It is not something that she is spending her 106 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:42,640 time focusing on the inconvenience and the suffering, but rather the joy of what is being 107 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:51,720 brought into the world of who is being brought into the world. That's the thing about love 108 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:58,720 is that when that love is continuing to be shared is that it is looking at the joy, the 109 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:06,280 hope to bring peace into the world. That is the thing that we end up sharing because it's 110 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:12,420 something that comes from God. I can honestly say there have been so many times whenever 111 00:13:12,420 --> 00:13:17,760 I would see the things that my own mother had had to go through and knowing that my 112 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:23,800 mother has had to see both of her children go through cancer and to realize that she's 113 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:30,520 been there for the hospital visits at two different times in her life, three decades 114 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:39,920 apart and that not once was there ever a question that she was grateful to be there for us. 115 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:45,960 The thing with it is that realizing that love is not there in spite of the life that we're 116 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:53,400 going through. Love is there because of the life that we are experiencing. The thing for 117 00:13:53,400 --> 00:14:02,880 Mary is that she was believing the promise not just of the child himself, but that God 118 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:10,680 loved her. That's a thing that we end up struggling with so many times is the idea that whatever 119 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:17,760 circumstance we find ourselves in is God just forgetting us, but the belief that God could 120 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:26,560 actually be loving us in that situation that we may see. We end up seeing it referenced 121 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:32,640 in 1 Timothy 2 when they're discussing that women would be saved through childbirth and 122 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:40,440 we wonder what kind of a comment is that. That's the way in which it's supposed to happen 123 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:48,960 and to realize no, the point is whatever circumstance you are in, whether you are male or female, 124 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:56,480 Jew or Greek, whatever it may be that you see slave or free is that you are saved even 125 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:03,840 in the circumstance you are in. That doesn't mean that we accept every single thing that 126 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:12,360 ever happens to us, but it means that we take the time to consider what may God be doing 127 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:20,200 at this moment in this situation. And more than that is to realize that Mary recognizes 128 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:29,560 that God is doing something for all of Israel because it is so easy that in our world we 129 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:37,800 become such narcissists, we become such inwardly focused people that whatever box we have seen 130 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:44,200 for ourselves is all that we look at. Instead of pausing to see what it is that God may 131 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:49,880 be doing in and through us or through the people around us, for the world around us, 132 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:55,280 for our family, for our friends, for our community, because God is changing the situation of his 133 00:15:55,280 --> 00:16:02,320 people. At that point, Mary realizes that in a world where the people are oppressed day 134 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:10,000 after day is now to bring someone into the world who is going to change all of that. 135 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:18,360 You know, it's no longer allowing for power to be in power or wealth to be in power, but 136 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:25,240 rather to provide for those who are in need is more than just to be able to take that 137 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:34,800 time to say, okay, we just want the Roman government to change, but rather not just looking at 138 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:42,320 wishing government would change, but rather is saying what's changing in our hearts. Because 139 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:50,760 the thing that Jesus ends up coming and doing in his ministry is to love. That's the thing 140 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:55,960 that time and time again keeps coming out, because that's the thing that's actually going 141 00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:03,080 to change that world in which they live. It's not to end up looking at the world around 142 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:08,720 them and continuing to just get angry that why haven't things changed and why, when are 143 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:13,120 we going to finally get what it is that we're looking for and how to make sure that all 144 00:17:13,120 --> 00:17:17,280 the circumstances are what you're looking for and waiting that there's no more struggle 145 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:25,680 ever again. But rather is to realize that love is something that happens within us, not 146 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:31,360 because of the things that are surrounding us, but rather because God has first loved 147 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:39,120 us and to realize that we have been given everything. Because what is it that truly 148 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:47,200 changes whether those who are in power truly keep their power whenever we no longer spend 149 00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:57,720 our time looking to them for our worth, for our hope, or for our direction? Because it 150 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:04,560 was more than just the subjection to the Roman authorities. It was that God's love went beyond 151 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:15,240 herself, beyond Mary, to save us from sin, death, and hell. Because that's the thing 152 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:25,840 about love is that love ends up creating sacrifice. Is that God is looking at us and seeing all 153 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:33,200 the things that we are doing all the ways in which we have made so many mistakes and 154 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:39,880 ruined things around us and yet still loving us. And isn't that the thing that we end up 155 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:47,680 seeing about love is to look at something and be able to say that was terrible. And 156 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:56,360 how can I still love them? That's the hard part about love is that love is not just for 157 00:18:56,360 --> 00:19:04,880 the ones who are worthy. Because the problem is is that none of us are. Love is free. Love 158 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:13,720 is given and love is to sacrifice, not because we're the ones who create that worth, but 159 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:20,280 because God has given it to us. And that's the thing about love is that it looks at the 160 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:27,840 things that we have done wrong and takes them to make something beautiful. Because in the 161 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:35,880 midst of the sacrifice that this child has come to bring is then we end up seeing light 162 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:44,400 and life and salvation. And that's the same thing for you as well. I don't know what it 163 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:51,560 is that right now makes love as difficult as it may be. What it is that drags you down, 164 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:56,880 whether it be the things around you or the things within. But what I know is that the 165 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:04,120 love of God is still for you. It's still forgiving you and loving you. And that's somewhere in 166 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:11,040 the midst of this that we can find the hope, the peace, the joy, the love that comes from 167 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:17,960 God to share it with others around us. So that rather than wishing that the right song 168 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:24,400 would play on the radio to brighten up our day, or hoping that we'll finally receive 169 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:29,920 what we were looking for under the tree is that instead we will bring the best gift that 170 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:38,760 there is to bring the love of God to a world that truly needs it. So whether it be loving 171 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:45,040 people in spite of our circumstances, finding opportunities to continue to deal with the 172 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:52,480 turmoil in our hearts by recognizing the love of God for us, or seeing that God is loving 173 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:59,720 us in the midst of these things, rather in spite of them. May we this season see that 174 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:05,800 God's love is truly ours to share with one another and to bring light and life into a 175 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:23,560 world that desperately needs it. Thanks be to God.