When God Upsets Your Apple Cart

One of humanity's greatest pursuits is comfort. We all want a soft, warm bed to sleep in, a hot shower when we wake up. And we want life to be predictable. Yep, perfect! Until it ain't. Stepping through the cold hard realities of that first Christmas, as we've been doing this past week, isn't all that comfortable. We like to think of Christmas more as a pantomime played out for our benefit – God sending His one and only Son into this world to save us from our sin. And He did, but it wasn't a comfortable little pantomime. It was tough. It was messy. It demanded so much of the key players, especially Mary and Joseph. Without doubt, God's saying something to us through that reality still today. After that annoying angel, Gabriel, upset Mary's whole world – her plans for a traditional wedding just a few months hence with the news that, without her permission, God had made her pregnant with the Saviour of the World (just try and wrap your mind around that little factoid!) – here's how she responded to God: Luke 1:38 Mary said, "I am the Lord's servant. Let this thing you have said happen to me!" Then the angel went away. How differently would things have turned out had she told him to get lost and let her get on with her own plans, thank you very much?! Look, sometimes God's call is going to interrupt your plans. But like Mary (and Joseph as we saw last week) you're invited to say 'yes', even when it costs you your comfort, your reputation, your security. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.