The Wind Cries

Luke 1:26-33

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

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A broom is drearily sweeping
Up the broken pieces of yesterdays life
Somewhere a queen is weeping
Somewhere a king has no wife
And the wind, it cries Mary

"The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix

We are currently in the sixth month of the year according to the Jewish calendar. That makes the date of our dear Savior's birth nine months away. It seems like the wrong time to consider Christmas, but a nine-month pregnancy being what it is, the time is upon us to consider this passage.

So imagine you're a teenage girl. I don't mean eighteen or nineteen either, I mean thirteen, maybe fifteen if you're an old maid. You're a virgin because you've followed society's rules. Then you hear these magical words, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Can life get any better than that?

Then you hear these words, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” Have you ever noticed when people, even angels say “Do not be afraid” it's time to duck? Those may well be the international signal for “Look out!”

Mary was in for something different. She was a good girl, she did the right things the right way and suddenly everyone is going to think she's a whore! It's logical, it's sensible. Then again, God's wisdom is our folly and vice-versa. You can't blame her for thinking “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you” is a cruel hoax.

Mary was told of her son's future. She was told that he would be great, the Son of the Most High. She was told that he would have the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever. She was told of his infinite reign. It must have been a reassurance, but still...

Mary's life suddenly featured a broom sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday's life. It wouldn't be easy. She would eventually be shipped off to her cousin Elizabeth's house. There she would be blessed by Elizabeth and her child. It wouldn't be easy, but she would be blessed.

By her blessing the world would be blessed.

Her pregnancy would not be easy. She would be doubted by her betrothed and by her people. She would be forced to ride in the dead of winter in the wilderness. She would give birth in a cave and her baby placed in a feed trough. He would fulfill what the angel promised and more.

"And more" happens next week, Holy Week. Mary wasn't told about this. Surely it would have broken her heart then as much as it did thirty-some years later. And as it was on Easter Sunday so it is today, the wind cries Mary.

Lucky?

1Samuel 23:19-24

Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “David is hiding among us in the strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon. Now, O king, whenever you wish to come down, do so; and our part will be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD for showing me compassion! Go and make sure once more; find out exactly where he is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning. Look around and learn all the hiding places where he lurks, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

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Well, I've got to run to keep from hidin',
And I'm bound to keep on ridin'.
And I've got one more silver dollar,
But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no,
Not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider.

"Midnight Rider" written by Gregg Allman and Kim Payne, recorded by The Allman Brothers Band, from "Idlewild South"

There's an old expression, "it's better to be lucky than good." Another that goes with it should be "chance favors the prepared mind." When you put these two things together, they say that "luck," as it is, complements preparation. When the unexpected happens, people who are ready for anything are more prepared than people who haven't.

So if you want to say you don't believe in luck, chalking it up to preparation, that's fine.

One of the key narratives of 1Samuel is Saul chasing David through the countryside. Saul is the one who is lucky at least once when David could have killed him, but didn't. Saul was King and David is faithful. Sometimes though, especially when Saul was losing his mind, faithfulness is just the foundation of a kingdom rotting from the top-down.

David is running because he is being chased. He's got his men. He has allies. He has provisions. He's got to run to keep from hiding. He's got one more silver dollar. And he's not going to let anyone catch him. He may seem lucky, but in truth he is prepared.

David has one more big thing in his side. He has been blessed by God.

David has been anointed. He has been called to be the next king. So as Saul is chasing David, suddenly there is word that the Philistines have attacked. Instead of leading the army against David, he has to lead it against the invaders and protect the kingdom.

Is this coincidence, luck, or the hand of God saving David? Is it serendipity or the Sovereign Lord taking care of his own?

David knows, to God goes the glory.

The Value of our Stuff

Luke 12:16-21

Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

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They were all impressed with your Halston dress
And the people you knew at Elaine's
And the story of your latest success
Kept 'em so entertained

"Big Shot" by Billy Joel from 52nd Street

This biblical land owner appears to be endowed with all of the best qualities of the protestant work ethic. He is hard working and diligent. He is wise; a long term planner and strategic thinker. He saves, he doesn’t squander his wealth. He doesn’t seek to go out and buy the best new toys from the first century Monkey-Ward catalog, he is ready to build new barns and store his crop for many years. Even if he was just lucky; even if he had great seed, prepared soil, favorable weather, and the best luck in the world; chance favors the prepared and he was definitely prepared.

Reflecting on the bounty, he tells his soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” This rich farmer has just made a major deposit in his ancient Individual Retirement Account and life is good. He is a small business owner who has done all of the right things. As soon as he makes a new place for his stuff he’ll be ready to take a breather. His earthly debts are paid off and he is ready to take a little time with his family. That’s the plan, a plan that would make any investment specialist proud. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry. Friends, let’s face it, this guy could not be more typically American unless he baked an apple pie and invented the hot dog.

This farmer is not the vain woman from the Billy Joel song, but they do both love their stuff.

This is where we come to the harsh reality. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry is found in the Old Testament books of Ecclesiastes and Isaiah where it isn’t a blessing. It’s a foreboding of impending doom. The mistake that he has made is that he has received a great blessing and chosen to sit on his hands and on his wealth.

Resting on his laurels watching the world go by sitting on the veranda in his porch swing is not the life God calls him to live. This is not the life we are called to live either. Our call is not to rest on God’s blessings; our call is to do God’s will with these blessings.

Good and bad come from the use of riches, not the riches themselves. To the ancient Greeks, riches were seen as blessings from the Gods. The Greek word for “riches” shares the same root as the words “fill” and “full.” Riches, the filling of the barn if you will, were seen as a blessing from God. Still, riches were not to be confused with the blessings of God. Things like “wealth of wisdom” or “wealth of grace” were not promised in these riches.

It’s not riches, but our attitude toward riches, the way we use riches that is important. The rich farmer in the parable is the man who embodies the American dream, but with one fatal flaw. He wanted to use his riches, the bountiful gifts of a gracious God, for his own comfort instead of for God’s kingdom. When we trust our lives to the security of riches instead of the richness of God, we trust in something that is fleeting.

As the farmer learns, life can be over in a flash. Our lives can be demanded of us in any given moment. When this happens, Jesus asks, “Who will receive the blessings that have been trusted to you?” One blessing will last; the other will become dust in the wind. We have received so many blessings, and often they are squandered on things that don’t last until the next season, just like a Halston dress.

Ours is not to squirrel away the blessings we have received into new barns because these riches are fleeting. We are to seek the greater blessings, the blessings of God. We are not to store up treasures for ourselves but are to be rich in the blessings of God.