This sermon was first preached by Rev'd Sera R at St Denys Church in December 2025 as we came to the end of Advent. Not quite 'there yet' for Christmas, we were pausing to consider the calling that God brought to Mary's life in Jesus, and in our lives too. Our Bible passage was Luke 1:26-38, which describes Mary encounter with a surprise visitor.

Who or what are you carrying?
I wonder who or what you are carrying and caring for at the moment? Are there people, communities, passions, or issues that you really care about deep down in your gut, and have a sense of 'Yes, it's good and right that I'm carrying this!' (even if it's tough). 

I bet there's something or someone. Take a moment. Notice.

Can you see who you are carrying and caring for? There's probably a few things. And can you notice how it started. Probably not with a angelic visitation. But that's okay. It doesn't need an angel to mean that God has shaped this carrying and caring. 

Called to do the Ordinary:

Why do I ask? Because basically this is what God asked of Mary: ‘Will you carry and care for the son of God?’                       

This Bible passage tells us of an intimate and personal moment, that occurred over two thousand years ago. It’s telling is familiar to us now, but can you imagine Mary sharing her story in those early days – with trepidation to Joseph her husband-to-be, with wonder to Elizabeth her cousin. And then years later as an older woman, swapping tails with some of the disciples, sharing her tale with the hindsight of years. A brave woman to share this story.

Mary's ordinary day and life is disrupted when God sends his angelic messenger to bring her the news: You, a teenage girl, from a backwater region, you have been chosen to carry and care for God’s rescue plan, God’s son. This is not an accidental pregnancy, or unplanned parenthood, this is God’s plan.

 We see captured in these verses so much of Jesus' character, it must have been daunting for Mary: He will be called 'Jesus' – a name which means – Yahweh saves. He's the Son of the Most High – and yet this backwater of Nazareth will be his home & he will be raised by a carpenter for an adopted dad. Your child will inherit a throne of his ancestor David, and will reign – even though Rome is the power force around here – his kingdom will be eternal. And he will be HOLY -pure and divine – conceived like no one else, through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is God doing the impossible on so many levels.

And YOU, Mary, will carry and care for him.

I love the contrast that despite these grand descriptions, what this means in reality is that Mary will need to do the ordinary, loving stuff day after day, year after year. She needs to carry and care for Jesus as he grows, lives and learns. She will tend him through the ordinary and the crises, through the building of relationships and the grief of loss (such as when Joseph dies), through learning a craft and getting a job. She will care and carry for thirty years and more. And though there will be 'zingy' bits, a lot will be ordinary.

An Honest Response:

There are three elements to Mary's response to the message:

Firstly she is perplexed, because she is aware of her limitations. (She's a virgin). I love that she names her limits to God. I love that encouragement to be realistic about our limitations. Please note, limitations are not a sin. They are a product of being human, not of 'The Fall.' In all that we are called to do, we do it within our limits. 

Secondly, she asks a question – ‘How will this be since I am a virgin?’ She brings her limits to God. Now please note, this question matters. It’s the only time that Luke has a woman asking a question in the whole of his narrative. In fact, he reports very few words that women speak – only 5 of the 15 women who feature in his gospel have their words reported. So we need to notice this question – it’s important – it's emphasising a point. Mary was a virgin. This child she will carry has arrived through human conception. 

Thirdly, she offers a 'yes' of faith -‘I am the Lord’s servant... May your word be fulfilled in me’. And so she carries and cares for Jesus – and much of that is ordinary!

The Shape of Faith:

If we look at the bigger picture of Mary's story as shown through the Gospels, we see that this 'yes' was shaped and helped through three things that underpinned her faith: She knew God, through her rootedness in scripture, praise and prayer; she leaned on others, including Elizabeth, Joseph and many unnamed within and beyond her community; and she built quiet reflection into life - notice her responses to things like the arrival of the Shepherds. 

And this faith is woven through her life of carrying and caring for her first son, the predominance of which is relatively ordinary, in such a way that when it's Jesus' time to step into ministry, she is ready to give a firm nudge: 'whatever he says to you, do it.'

Called to Carry and Care for the Son of God

 We also are called to carry and care for Jesus in a twofold way:

Firstly, in caring for the weak, vulnerable and marginal, we are caring for Jesus. When he was grown up, Jesus declared 'whatever you do for the least of these you do for me.' (the parable of the Sheep and the Goats).

Secondly, in bearing witness to Jesus, we carry him into the lives of those around us, and care for his growing presence in their lives. He gave this commission to his disciples and to us, his friends and followers, but he also promised our equipping. 

I wonder if you can picture yourself in the image at the top of this blog, carrying Jesus into the lives of those around you.  

 As we reflect on the calling in Mary's life, that shaped her ordinary days, then I pray God stirs in a sense of the calling that is in our life, a calling to carry and to care. May we able able to respond as Mary did: 

 ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.’ (Luke 1:38)