Mary said yes to the angel. “Let it be to me as you say.”
But I don’t think she knew what she was signing up for. Immediately after, Joseph finds out she’s pregnant and doesn’t believe her—he’s going to divorce her privately. In Israel, if you’re pregnant outside of marriage, you’re stoned to death. Do you think doubt entered her mind?
Then another angel shows up for Joseph. Whew. He’s in. Things are going to go great now, right?
Wrong. Heavily pregnant, she travels 50 miles on the back of a donkey because Caesar Augustus decides there’s a census. The angel hadn’t told her that was going to be part of this gig. She gets to Bethlehem and there’s no room in the inn—her own family won’t take her in. Now she’s giving birth in a stable without her mom, without her grandma, without help. Just Joseph, who’s never done this before.
Wouldn’t you think being the mother of the Son of God comes with a few perks? Like at least a bed?
Then stinky shepherds show up in the middle of the night because angels—terrifying, fierce angels—declared to them: “Peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests.”
I think Mary was sitting there thinking, “Maybe I did it wrong. Maybe the devil’s more powerful. Maybe God doesn’t care.” But then these shepherds arrive and say the angels told them exactly where to find her.
And I think Mary realized: God sees me.
If you’re leading others right now while your own circumstances look nothing like you expected, you need to hear this. The peace Christ brings isn’t about your personal comfort. It’s about four realities that will hold you—and through you, your people—when everything else is shaking.
Future peace. God was lifting Mary’s perspective out of her personal story to see the bigger story. It ends in Revelation 21—no more death or dying, no more tears. The old order of things is gone. When you’re locked into your story, your kid’s story, all the craziness going on, the Lord wants to lift you out and let you see: there’s a big story, and it ends in peace. That future peace helps you walk through your current lack of personal peace.
Peace with God. From God’s perspective, when we rejected Him and wanted to be our own kings, we declared war. God sent His only Son as a peace offering. The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him. We’ve been reconciled to God through Christ’s blood. This is your biggest problem already solved.
The peace of God. Philippians 4:6-7—don’t be anxious about anything. There must be something to worry about or He wouldn’t tell us not to worry. Present your requests to God with thanksgiving. Put your problem into perspective. What has He given you? In America, it’s the food, the house, the toilet. There’s a bigger picture than your personal comfort or problem right this minute. Notice what God doesn’t say—that He’ll take care of your request the way you wanted Him to. The peace of God comes into the situation. If God says no, He still declared future peace. He’s still your peace. He’s still with you. He still sees you. There’s a peace that transcends all understanding, and it will guard your heart.
Peace with others. As you walk in the light, as you soak in and settle into the bigger story, you begin to have fellowship with one another. There’s a fruit of the Spirit that’s not the result of everything going well—it’s beyond physical circumstances. Whatever happens on planet Earth, there’s something going on spiritually that gives you stability. You know who you are even if the world doesn’t recognize it.
Here’s the thing: Mary’s story didn’t get easier after the angels showed up. Eight days later at the temple, she’s told her heart is going to be pierced. Not long after, Herod tries to kill the baby and they flee to Egypt. This isn’t a story of everything working out on planet Earth.
But it empowered Mary and Joseph to continue on in spite of hard circumstances, to play their part in their slice of history.
That’s what this story does for you. It’s not just about 2,000 years ago when God came to planet Earth. It’s about who God is, how He works, what He wants you to do in spite of the crazy world we live in. When you plug into the light, into the bigger picture—man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God—you become a light wherever you go.
Your people are watching. They need to see that peace doesn’t depend on your circumstances lining up perfectly.
When we come together each week as believers united in Christ, it’s like we take out our old batteries and put in new ones. Our hope burns out, our peace fades if we aren’t constantly plugging into Christ. You can’t give away what you don’t have.
This isn’t about creating a one-day heaven on earth for everyone—that’s pressure you can’t even create for yourself, let alone anybody else. It’s about walking in the light so there’s something different about you. Not the presents you give. Not your perfectly executed Christmas service. It’s that as you soak in and plug into the true meaning of Christmas, it changes your interactions with other people. How easily you get offended. As you rest in Christ who gave His life away for others, you start to care about other people.
God saw Mary in that stable. He sees you in whatever stable you’re in right now. Plug back in. Let the Light that came into darkness illuminate your weary places. Then watch as that peace lights up every room you enter, every person you lead.
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You can watch the sermon this post was taken from by clicking below:
