8 September 2016 - the plans he has for us

The LORD never gives up on us.

We are all too quick to give up on ourselves. We give up after weeks, months, or years. But God continues to seek us through generations of failures and partial successes.

From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.

God does not give up. When we first fail in the garden God already anticipates this and has a plan ready for our salvation. He makes the promise again and again to teach us to look forward to it, to hope in it, and to trust him.

All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

[ Today's Readings ]

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

All of the promises of this plan come to fruition in the birth of Mary our mother. She is the dawning of this new hope. She is the first bastion of the new light which is not poisoned by sin and darkness. It isn't about her efforts or accomplishments. She is given to mankind by God as a grace for us all.

(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)

If God does not give up on us let us not give up on him. Let us see in Mary not a standard against which to condemn ourselves but a sign of the hope held in store for all of us. Perhaps Joseph has been burned before. Even so, he learns from the angel to see in Mary the one through whom God gives hope to his people.

Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.

Let us learn to see that same thing in her. Through her, let us receive the one who is the yes to all God's promises (see Second Corinthians 1:20), more than all we can ask or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20).

He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the end

Let's not let our hope waver, this morning we truly see that in spite of ourselves and our failures, we can "know that all things work for good for those who love God". May he be ever praised.

Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.