“You Are a Blessing”

First Sunday in ADvent

December 1, 2024

Isaiah 43:1-7

Luke 1:26-38

Children’s Message:

Do you know what a blessing is? One definition is that it’s a special word or gift or act given by God as a sign of God’s love and protection. And today, we learn that we are a blessing. Did you know that? Did you know that you are God’s gift to the world? That’s a pretty cool deal.

So, if you’re God’s gift to the world, how does that work? What does that say about you? To me, it means that I am special just because I exist! You are special, just because you exist! But it’s also a responsibility. It means that once I understand that I am a blessing, I am responsible for blessing the world the with gift that is ME!

What do you think of that? You know who else was called a blessing? Mary. When the angel appeared to her, Gabriel said, “You are most favored. You are a blessing. God says so.” And to be a blessing to the world, she would give birth to Jesus, God’s Son, the Messiah. Wow. I’m glad I didn’t have such a BIG responsibility! But we are still in charge of blessing the world with what we have and what we do.

So, I’m going to give you some cards. You can color them if you want. But here’s your job this week. Give them to people who seem to need a special blessing. Maybe they’re having a bad day or just look lonely. You don’t have to sign them. You can even sneak a card into their bag or locker or onto their desk. Or you can just hand it to them. The point is to let them know that they are a blessing. Can you do that?

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for making me your special and beautiful child. Help me bless others I meet. Amen.

Message:

I just finished reading TJ Klune’s “Somewhere Beyond the Sea.” It’s a sequel to “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” and it’s just as beautiful and even more powerful. And don’t be surprised if I bring it up every week during Advent, because it seems so very relevant. For those of you unlucky enough to have not yet read either of these books, they are witty, compassionate, and remarkable.

The books are about an orphanage for magical beings. These orphanages are officially sponsored by ‘the government,’ but this one is run by a former orphan—a Phoenix—named Arthur. He cares for six children—a shape-shifter, a garden gnome, a wyvern (sort of like a dragon), a sprite, a green glob of unknown origins, and the 7-year-old anti-Christ. In the second book, they add a Yeti to the mix.

Of course, the government is afraid of the power of magical beings, so they insist that all such beings are registered—for their own protection. And they check up on the orphanages to make sure that the children are ‘cared for’ and ‘properly educated’ with government-sanctioned lesson plans and books.

You can see where this is going. But the beautiful piece of this story is that Arthur and his partner and a few other individuals around them don’t let that stop them from making sure the children in their care know that they are loved and that they are each a blessing. They lift up each child’s skills, efforts, and goodness—even Lucifer’s. They teach them about responsibility. They share in their relived pain and trauma. They allow them to make decisions and guide them if and when those decisions come out sideways. The children’s self-esteem comes from their confidence in their uniqueness. Their blessedness.

Today, we hear again the story of Mary and Gabriel and the announcement that Mary will carry and give birth to the Messiah. We hear again her questioning. We hear again the angel calling Mary ‘favored one.’ We hear again Mary’s consent. And we imagine—as most movies have depicted—a young woman, meek and mild. Maybe because that’s what society has told us good little women should be like. Obedient. Subservient.

But author Kelley Nikondeha offers an alternative picture. She describes Mary’s context in Nazareth as a place of rebellion and uprisings. A place in the northern region of Galilee where the Jews were looked down upon by the ‘proper Jews’ in Judea; where the men were often not circumcised; where mixed marriages with other cultures was common; and where Roman soldiers often beat and raped the women—maybe even Mary herself.

The people of Galilee were traumatized, disenfranchised, and oppressed—not only by the Romans but by the Temple taxes and tithes exacted from them. There was little love lost between Galilee and Judea. And yet, God didn’t find someone who wore their worth on the sleeves and around the necks. God went to Mary. And much like you might expect to find in the slums and ghettos of the big cities, Mary was likely a girl ready to fight for her life. She was fierce.

And Gabriel says, “Do not fear. I’m not here to harm you. Instead, I’m here to tell you that you are favored. You are a blessing. God has chosen you.” God showed up in an unexpected place to an unexpected person. God didn’t go to the place of power but to the place that power forgot. Or worse, the place that power punished. The place that power sought to control.

And God said, “You are a blessing. You are worthy. You are chosen. You are beloved. You are not forgotten.” Those words, spoken in that time to that person in that place—it’s a powerful catalyst for something big coming. Something that will turn the world on its head. And the world needs a bit of flipping around, if you ask me.

Imagine what would happen if we regularly told people that they are a blessing. Maybe we’d start to see that in them—and ourselves. Maybe we’d start to believe it.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE