Let It Be

November 30^th, 2014    “Let It Be”     Rev. Heather Jepsen

Luke 1:26-38

          A wise man once said, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, Let it be.”  That wise man of course was Paul McCartney and he said these words in the 1970 Beatles’ hit, “Let It Be.”  Now, I must admit, that I have been listening to the Beatles longer than I have been reading the Bible, and I always thought “let it be” meant to leave it alone, things will work out by themselves.  But when I was reading the Advent scriptures I had a really cool revelation, Mother Mary really does say “let it be” and she says it right here in Luke’s gospel.

 

          I love the nativity story in Luke; he has all the good stuff; Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth pregnant with the baby John the Baptist, the trip to Bethlehem with no room at the inn, and the shepherds watching their flocks by night.  Luke has all my favorite things, and one of the parts I like best is the story of Mary.  We know that she was young, very young to be planning to marry and young to be bearing a child, just a teenager by our standards. 

          You know the story and can tell it as well as me; Mary is engaged to be married to Joseph when she is visited by the angel Gabriel.  Gabriel arrives in triumph with his announcement, “Greetings favored one, the Lord is with you” he says.  I love the way Luke writes this saying Mary was much perplexed by his words and wondered what sort of greeting this might be.  It's not every day that you are visited by an angel of the Lord, much less one eager to make a great announcement.  Plus, it seems angels are pretty scary to look at as they always approach folks with the words “Fear not”.  I don’t know about you, but I imagine I would be worried and frightened by such an encounter. 

          Of course, Gabriel tells Mary not to be afraid.  “For you have found favor with God.”  Gabriel then goes on to tell Mary that she will conceive and bear a son; and not just any child.  This child will be great, and will have many names.  Jesus, the Son of the Most High, successor to the throne of David.  I am certain if Mary wasn’t scared before she is afraid now.  “How can this be,” she asks, “since I am a virgin?”  Gabriel responds that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, the power of the Most High will overshadow her, and this child will be the Son of God.  Nothing is impossible with God.  Now I don’t know about you, but at this point I would be shaking in my boots.

          If I am honest here, I imagine that if I was in Mary’s place I would be tempted to say no, if you can say no to an angel.  I would be tempted to say, that’s great Gabriel, but maybe you can find another girl to bear God’s son.  Yes of course, this would be a high honor.  But you and I both know that the path that lies before Mary at this point is no walk in the garden.  To be the mother of God’s son is not easy.  Mary will face ridicule at the pregnancy, she will have to leave her home, her marriage with Joseph will be in jeopardy, and the child will most certainly be in danger its entire life.  Plus, Mary may not know it at this point, but you and I both know that it won’t be long before Mary stands at the foot of the cross watching her beloved son die.  If I was Mary, I would be tempted to say no.

          But not Mary, “Here am I,” she proudly says, “the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”  Did you catch that, “let it be.”  Mary doesn’t say leave it alone, she doesn’t say it will work out.  No – Mary says “let it be” with me according to the will of God.  Whatever your will is for me and my life Lord, let it be.

          So, when the Beatles sing about Mary coming to us in times of trouble, the words of wisdom that Mary shares with us are let it be with me according to the will and word of the Lord.  Let my life be in accordance with the will of God.  In our hour of darkness, this is the answer to us.  Let God’s will be done.  Let it be.

          The Beatles may have had more wisdom then they realized when the penned the lyrics to their hit song.  For let it be according to the will of God is a powerful sentiment.  The Beatles sing

And when the broken hearted people

living in the world agree

there will be an answer,

let it be.

For though they may be parted there is

still a chance that they will see

there will be an answer;

let it be.

These words are so relevant for our lives, even in our own time and space, as we struggle as a nation with the pain of Ferguson.  Whether they meant to or not over 40 years ago the Beatles were making a statement for the whole world.  In our world of endless disagreement and strife, in our world of suffering and pain, in our world of discontent and violence these are words of power.  In the face of hopelessness these are words of hope.  If all the people of the world can see the answer that is the Lord’s will, then we will have peace.  There is an answer for us, and that answer is God’s justice, where all lives matter.  That answer is let it be with us as a people, according to your word O Lord.

          All of us face hardship in our lives and the holiday season can be especially difficult.  Some of us are overwhelmed by our to-do list.  It is easy to get caught up in buying gifts and decorating the house and getting it all done that we forget why we are celebrating in the first place.  We lose sight of Mary’s message to us; to let God’s will be central in our hearts and lives.

          And for others, the Christmas season is a time of sadness.  For those who have lost loved ones around this time of year, or are facing their first Christmas without family members who have died, the season can be a time of deep loneliness and despair.  Again, Mary’s words and wisdom can be a source of hope for us.  We can pray to the Lord, let it be, and look for God’s guidance and peace through our periods of heartache.  As the Beatles say

And when the night is cloudy,

there is still a light that shines on me,

Shine until tomorrow;

let it be.

          Our hope in God’s will and wisdom is the light that shines in our darkest hour. 

          Of course, Mary isn’t the only one to offer up her life to God’s divine will and plan.  Later in the gospel of Luke we will hear of her son, making a similar statement.  You remember that night on the Mount of Olives, the night of his betrayal and arrest.  Jesus kneels on the ground and prays “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.”  Let God’s will be done, even to the point of death, is the prayer that Jesus makes in the garden.  Every time we gather here in worship we pray for the Lord’s will to be done.  Let it be, we say.

          During the Advent season, we are told to watch and to wait for the coming of the Lord into our lives.  This week, I want to encourage you to listen for the word of God to you, listen for the will of God for your life.  You never know where you may find the wisdom of God speaking to you.  It could be in the voices of friends and family, it could be in the lyrics of hymns, it could even be in songs on the radio.  This week I heard the voice of God in the music of the Beatles.  It is my prayer that as we go about our busy week and wake up to the sound of music, that mother Mary will come to all of us, speaking her words of wisdom;  Let it be.  Amen.