Luke 1: 46-55

“The Quality of God’s Mercy”

The Advent season is a time of preparing ourselves. Like in the season of Lent, we prepare our lives to celebrate the joy of Easter, Advent is a time of preparing our lives to receive the joy of Christmas. And so, the theme of today’s sermon is about “mercy”.

Now, when I was a kid, my idea of mercy was a game that we played. In this game, you locked hands with another kid and tried to see who could bend the other person’s fingers back until they nearly broke off and someone cried, “Mercy!” Did any of you ever play that game when you were kids?

Well, in this game, “mercy” was what you cried out to get relief from suffering. It is what the one who was loosing or being defeated cried out. And this was my picture of mercy as a kid.

But I think the Bible had something else in mind when it talks about mercy. Let’s consider these definitions as we think about mercy. First of all, in the New Testament, the Greek word for mercy is “eleos”. This is a word that not only signifies a feeling of empathy, sympathy, and compassion for someone who is suffering … but it is actually “doing something” to help them. So, “mercy” is both “a feeling” and “an action”. It is both, having your heart moved by the suffering of others and it is doing something to help alleviate the suffering.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for mercy was “hesed”, a word that meant “loving-kindness”, but it also signified this idea of seeing someone who had a need and out of the mercy that you feel in your heart, you act upon that to give mercy.

The Bible also tells us that mercy is one of the primary attributes of God. “God is rich in mercy,” the Bible tells us. The Psalmist tells us that, “God’s goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.” So, God is merciful. And this means that God extends mercy to us. And there are three ways that God extends mercy to us that I would like for us to think about today.

The first, is God’s mercy towards those who are discouraged. And in this case, we find throughout the Scriptures that God’s mercy is to lift up those who are discouraged. Secondly, we find that God is merciful to those who are hungry and those who are poor and pushed down. And in this case, God’s desire is to elevate them and to satisfy their needs. Thirdly, we find that God’s mercy is about forgiveness. We see throughout the Scriptures that God is willing to show mercy upon those who have sinned and who are asking for forgiveness.

So, God’s mercy is encouragement to the discouraged. God’s mercy is caring for those who are in need and lifting them up. And God’s mercy is showing forgiveness to those who are alienated from God by virtue of sin.

And the point that I want put before you today, is that the way that God gives mercy to us is not primarily through divine or miraculous ways. God primarily gives us mercy through other people. We are the instruments through which God gives mercy to others. And I think you will understand this by the time we finish today’s message.

Let’s begin by recalling what happened to Mary after she received the word that she was going to have a child. You remember from a couple of weeks ago, that the Angel of the Lord, Gabriel, came to Mary and said, “Mary, you have found favor with God and are going to have a child. This child will be the son of the Most High God and he will be the long awaited Messiah.” And you remember how at that point, Mary was not joyful. She was perplexed and afraid.

We know from Matthew’s Gospel that Mary tried to explain her situation to her fiancé, Joseph, but he didn’t believe her. What we don’t know is how Mary’s parents reacted. We have to speculate on that. If you have seen the movie, The Nativity, you will see how the writers portrayed Mary’s parents as not believing her. And that is probably a good assumption. I mean, how could they believe the idea that their daughter was pregnant by the Holy Spirit?

So, what we find is that Mary leaves her home and goes to live with her older cousin, Elizabeth, who is 75 miles away. In Luke 1, we learn that Elizabeth and her husband, Zechariah, were an elderly couple, similar to Abraham and Sarah. Like Abraham and Sarah, they had wanted to have children, but were unable to. Yet, in their old age God tells them that they are going to have a child. And you remember who their child is going to be? John the Baptist.

So, Elizabeth is several months pregnant when Mary comes to stay with her. Elizabeth is probably in her 50’s and Mary is 13 -14 years old. And we find the account of what happened in Luke 1:39-45.

“In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

It is only after this encounter with Elizabeth that Mary finds joy. Up to this point, she is perplexed and afraid. But what made this transition? Why did she move from fear to joy? It happened because of the mercy of God that came to her through her cousin Elizabeth.

I mean, at this point, Mary was probably wondering if she had lost her mind. Was everyone else right? Could this inexplicable thing really be true? Or was it all just a dream? But when she goes to Elizabeth, Elizabeth doesn’t give her the third degree of questions, she simply says, “I believe you, Mary! And blessed are you!” Three times she says, “Blessed are you”.

The Greek word used here is “eulogy”. You know what a eulogy is. We hear them at funerals, right? When I sit down with a family to prepare to do a funeral, I ask them to share with me the things that they want to celebrate about their loved one’s life. And so they tell me stories about that person’s life … memories and characteristics about them. And I try to weave them into a eulogy that celebrates and gives praise for that person’s life. Well, this is the Greek word that is used for what Elizabeth is saying to Mary. Mary is being praised and reminded of all the beautiful things about her in the words of Elizabeth. And how Mary needed that! She needed to be reassured and reminded that she was somebody special. And all of us need this from time to time, don’t we?

But here’s one thing that I have noticed about eulogies. Eulogies are typically delivered after a person is no longer with us to hear it. Notice that Mary hears this eulogy while she is alive. One of the sad realities, is that we tend to hold back those kind of words until someone is gone. One of the things that I often hear in the course of planning a funeral is, “I wish I had told my loved one this when they were still alive.”

It is sad, that in the course of life, we tend to focus on the negative things or the things that frustrate us … and we don’t take the time to notice the things that are praiseworthy. We don’t take the time to actually tell the person, “This is what blesses me about you. This is why I think you are special.”

So, what we learn from Elizabeth is not to wait until someone is gone before we eulogize them. Look for ways to bless them and encourage them here and now. Everyone needs an Elizabeth in their lives. We all need someone to encourage us and lift us up with praise.

And every one of us is also called to be an Elizabeth. Each one of us will encounter someone this week who will need a blessing. We will all encounter someone who will need the mercy of God offered through our lips. You see, God’s mercy for those who are discouraged comes through the lips of other people

During this busy season, we can get so focused on the preparations of Christmas that we fail to take notice of those around us who need an encouraging word. And beyond Christmas, we can become so busy with the tasks of life that we just don’t notice others and we miss opportunities to bless them. So, let me ask you, are you paying attention to the people around you who need an encouraging word? Because, when God encourages the discouraged, he does it through people. So, we become the instruments of God’s mercy to lift someone up.

As I think about the dynamics and the age difference between Elizabeth and Mary, it reminds me that as we grow older, part of our responsibility is to look for ways to mentor and encourage younger people. I have had several who have been an Elizabeth for me over the years. Some of them are older pastors who have mentored me. Others are friends who have come alongside of me and encouraged me. Some are no longer alive, but I cherish their investment into my life.

Who are your Elizabeths? Do you have someone older that has encouraged you and served as a mentor for you … helping you to have the right perspective? If not, then you need to cultivate those kinds of relationships. And secondly, are there younger people for whom you are their Elizabeth? You see, God’s mercy comes through our words of encouragement. So, we need to be offering God’s mercy to others as Elizabeth did to Mary.

The second thing that we find in this text, is that after Mary finds her joy, because somebody believes in her, she is not afraid anymore, and she shouts out these words of joy:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

E. Stanley Jones said that this passage of Scripture was, “The most revolutionary document ever written.” Because it turns the tables up on end from what normally happens in our world. We say that those who are blessed are those who have the most. But Mary says, “No, it doesn’t work that way.” In fact, she promises that God is going to humble the proud. She claims that God is going to “bring down those who are powerful” and “send the rich away hungry”, while he “lifts up those who are humble” and “feeds those who are hungry”. So, there is a turning of the tables in this passage of Scripture.

And this is interesting, because Mary was one who knew what it is like to be pushed down and lowly. You remember that she came from the wrong side of the tracks. Being raised in the peasant town of Nazareth, the Romans could take whatever they wanted from them. The wealthy had power over the poor. Herod was crushing his own people with his power.

Mary had known all this, yet God had chosen her to bear his Son. And here, Mary is rejoicing at how God is one who favors the underdog. Throughout the Scriptures, we see how God favors the underdog. And we’re the same way. That’s why we still cheer for the New Orleans’ Saints! Why else would we do that, except that part of the image of God in our hearts, is that we care for the underdog. There is just something about us that wants those who are down to have a chance. And so does God.

To those who are downtrodden, with the odds against them, God’s mercy comes to them in unusual ways. God cares for them and he seeks to lift them up. But again, God doesn’t do that miraculously by dropping things out of heaven for us. God does it through people.

We all love those “rags-to-riches” stories, where those who had no chance and the odds were against them, but they became successful and blessed. Yet in all those stories, there were people that God used to provide his mercy. God’s mercy comes through people whose hearts have been touched with the feeling, “I’ve got to help. We need to do something here.”

And throughout the Scriptures, we see the recurring theme that God humbles the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. Mary says, “The rich will go away hungry, but the poor will be fed.” We can only wonder how Jesus’ own values were shaped by Mary, as he tells us, “The first among you will be last and the last will be first. The one who is great among you must become the servant of the others.” When he tells us the parable about the sheep and the goats, and he says, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,” we can hear the echoes of Mary’s Magnificat.

Now, most of us here today are not in a place where we’re living out of our car or on the streets. Even for those of us who struggle, relative to the rest of the world we are blessed and considered rich. And so, what does Mary’s Magnificat mean for us? Is it bad news for us? Does it mean that God is going to humble us and take away what we have?

Well, here’s what I know about God. God is not looking for us to have nothing. What God is looking for is humility in our hearts and that we bear our success with humility … that we recognize that all the blessings that we have in life are meant not only for ourselves, but to be used to bless others.

So, I can either humble myself before God or God will humble me. And I can tell you that I would much rather humble myself before God, than to wait for God to humble me. His ways of humbling us can be quite painful. I would much rather take some of what I have and recognize that I need to be sharing it with people who are in need … than for me to use it all for myself and God to take it all away at some point … because I failed to understand why it was given to me in the first place.

That’s why during Christmas we have things like the Angel Tree and we seek to reach out to families in need. And I’m always inspired when I see your generosity. This year, we provided 84 children who are living in foster homes with gifts for Christmas. And there are classes and groups who are doing even more. I am so proud of what this church does this time of year. And this is why throughout the rest of the year, we look for opportunities to reach out to others through mission and service, because this is the heart of God. God cares for those who are pushed down and God uses people to lift them up. And we become instruments of God’s mercy in this way.

The last thing that we recognize about the quality of God’s mercy is “forgiveness”. The Christmas story is really about forgiveness. When the Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he said: “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:20-21

So, the whole Christmas story is about God’s mercy toward those who are sinners. It’s about a God who desires to redeem us and save us from ourselves, for none of us can stand before God without his mercy. Every single day I fall short of what God’s will is for my life … and so do you. And so, we call upon the mercy of God. And what we’re grateful for, is that God is “rich in mercy, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” What we hold on to and we count on, is that God longs to forgive and save sinners. This is why Jesus came.

And we remember that, not only is God merciful, but Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will see mercy.” In other words, God expects us to “show” mercy, just as we have “received” mercy. You remember how Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times do we have to forgive? Seven times?” And Jesus says, “No, not seven times. I tell you seven times seventy times!” That is, as many times as you need to, you offer grace and mercy. And somehow offering grace and mercy to others changes things.

One of the most powerful expressions of what mercy is that has ever been written in the English language was written by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice. You may remember that in The Merchant of Venice Shylock is a man who has loaned money to Antonio. And Antonio has agreed that if he can’t pay it back, he will give him “a pound of flesh”. That means that Shylock has the right to kill Antonio if he doesn’t pay back the debt.

Well, something tragic happens and Antonio can’t pay the debt back. So, Shylock determines to extract his pound of flesh. Portia is a young woman who pretends to be a male lawyer. As a lawyer, she argues with Shylock about how important it is that we have mercy and not only justice. Listen to these words from Shakespeare as Portia addresses Shylock:

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
the throned monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
the attribute to awe and majesty,
wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show like God's
when mercy seasons justice.

Therefore, though justice be thy plea, consider this:
That in the course of justice none of us
should see salvation. We do pray for mercy,
and that same prayer doth teach us all to render
the deeds of mercy.

– The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare, Act IV, Scene I

The prayer that Portia is speaking of is the prayer that we prayed earlier in the service … The Lord’s Prayer, where we say, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.”

Last year, you may remember the story in the news about one who exemplified this virtue of mercy. Victoria Ruvolo is a 45 year old woman who lives in New York. She was driving down the road one night, when the car approaching her that was filled with 6 teenage boys driving rather fast. These boys had stolen a credit card and gone on a shopping spree. They had bought all kinds of things, some of which were just foolish. They didn’t even know why they had bought some items, like a 20 pound frozen turkey.

They were driving down the road, when one of the boys, 19 year old Ryan Cushing, got the brilliant idea of tossing the 20 pound froze turkey out his window while they were traveling at highway speed into the oncoming traffic. The turkey bounced on the pavement and struck Victoria’s windshield and crushed her face. She spent 10 hours in reconstructive surgery and has a trake tube today.

After Ryan was tried, he came back to be sentenced. When he did, Victoria appeared at the sentencing. When the judge asked if there was anything she would like to say. She said, “Judge, I wake up every day and I am just thankful that I’m alive.” And then she turned to Ryan and said this: “I sincerely hope that you have learned from this awful experience, Ryan. But there is no room in my life for vengeance.” And then she begged the judge to show mercy to Ryan Cushing.

As she did, Ryan began to weep in the courtroom for the first time, as she embraced him and held him in her arms. As a result of Victoria’s plea, instead of the 25 years he deserved, the judge sentenced him to 6 months. After the sentence, Victoria turned to Ryan again and said, “I truly hope that by demonstrating compassion and leniency I have encouraged you to seek an honorable life. If my generosity will help you to mature into an honest, responsible man, whose graciousness is a source of pride to your loved ones and your community, then I will be truly gratified and my suffering will not have been in vain. Ryan, prove me right.”

When asked afterwards, “Why?” She replied, “God gave me a second chance at life, and I passed it on.”

Mercy is a powerful thing. It has the power to change things and change us. And it is most clearly seen in people who are most like God.

So, in this passage of Scripture we are called upon to do three things. In Elizabeth’s story, we called to remember that people need encouragement. This is a form of God’s mercy and God uses people to encourage the discouraged. So, go eulogize people while they are still alive! Seek to bless people who need an encouraging word this week.

We find in this passage that God has a concern for those who are pushed down and those who are in need. So, if you are in a position to help, God is calling you to be an instrument of his mercy … to bless them and to lift them up.

And finally, there are people who will wrong us, as we have wronged God. But God calls us to demonstrate mercy to them. For in that way, their lives and ours can be transformed by the power of God’s mercy.

This is God’s word to us. Let us pray.

O God, we thank you that you are a God of mercy, for we need your mercy daily. Even though we are not worthy of it, we need your love, your encouragement, your grace, and your forgiveness. We thank you that you are a God who cares for those who are pushed down and those who are in need. We pray that we would be found before you as humble and not prideful. Help us see the wealth and blessings that we have received as gifts from you and that we would look for ways to use them for your glory. Give hearts of compassion for those who are in need of your touch. And, O God, as you have forgiven us, help us to forgive those who have wronged us. We offer ourselves to you now. In Jesus’ name. Amen.