The Lords Prayer
Romans 15: 12-13
Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the gentiles; in him the gentiles shall hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1: 26-38
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.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Nazareth: A Place of Simplicity JOY
Today we are invited to visit Nazareth. That Mary met Gabriel, angel from God. Actually, Nazareth was a town of insignificance, a place that many would have dismissed as “nothing special.” Yet, it was in this seemingly unremarkable place that God revealed extraordinary grace. How about Mary? We see a young woman who, though unprepared by the world’s standards, was chosen for a divine purpose. She wasn’t rich, powerful, or even married—yet God favored her. What does it mean to have God’s favor? Our book study emphasizes that it is grace. Grace isn’t something we earn through effort or merit; it’s a gift from God. Mary received this grace, responded to it with faith, and embodied it in her life. This simple yet profound cooperation with God’s will bring her joy, even amidst uncertainty and challenge.
Today is Stewardship Sunday—a special day when we commit our faith to God’s work through the ministry of the church. As Mary embodied God’s grace in her life, we are called to embody God’s work through our shared ministry. Together, we commit to being vessels of God’s love, ensuring our church fully reflects God’s presence in the world.
As we want to be God’s loving vessels, firstly, let’ recognize God’s grace in the Ordinary. Mary’s story begins in Nazareth, a place no one expected anything remarkable to happen. If we compare her to Elizabeth, whose miraculous pregnancy was announced last week, Mary’s circumstances seem even less ideal. She was too young, unmarried, and unprepared by societal standards.
Yet, God’s favor didn’t depend on her status or readiness. Mary teaches us that God’s grace meets us exactly where we are. Nazareth reminds us that there is no place too small, no situation too insignificant, for God’s presence to transform.Wherever you find yourself today—whether in joy or struggle—God’s grace is with you. The question is, how do you respond?
Secondly, let’s learn something from Mary’s response to Grace. Mary didn’t just receive God’s grace; she responded to it. She opened herself to God’s purpose and accepted the overwhelming, intimidating assignment to bear the Savior of the world. Her words, “Let it be with me according to your word,” reveal her willingness to trust God completely. Mary didn’t rely on her own strength but on God’s grace. She embraced the wonder and mystery of her calling, and in doing so, she experienced profound joy.
What would it look like for you to embody God’s grace? How might your life change if you stopped striving to be enough and instead allowed God’s favor to be enough for you?
Thirdly, I want you to find your own Nazareth. The Nazareth also reminds us of the power of simplicity. In a world obsessed with noise, distractions, and the pursuit of more, we need our own “Nazareth’s.” These are the quiet places where we can slow down, listen to God, and be open to divine interruption. Sometimes, having fewer options and less clutter in our lives can free us to hear God more clearly. Where is your Nazareth? Where can you go to quiet your mind, open your heart, and let God speak to you?
Nazareth was a place no one expected anything significant to happen. Yet it became the place where God’s love took on flesh. In the same way, our own lives—no matter how ordinary they may seem—are places where God’s grace can dwell.
Or in your life how can you practice to be Nazareth. How can you simplify yourself form abundance information?
On Monday, I begin to prepare for my Sermon. I collect all the information that I need for my sermon. I want to make sure if my information that I have known is correct and I dig more information. If I preach everything that I collected on Monday, I can preach sermon for hours. What I need to do is minimize and focus on the theme for the week that I am preaching and minimize the sermon on the focus point. Minimizing the information and emptying myself from the overwhelming information to focus on what I need to preach and keep trying to hear from God is one of the most essential and important processes in my sermon-writing process. We need this effort in our life in every moment of the life to focus on God.
Lastly, let’s see the JOY in trusting God. Mary’s joy wasn’t the absence of hardship—it was the presence of God in her life. True joy comes not from our circumstances but from fully embodying God’s grace. Even in life’s hardest places, God is with us. Just as Jesus endured suffering and death before the resurrection, we too may walk through valleys of difficulty. But we can trust that God’s love flows through us like a river, steady and constant, even when life feels uncertain.
On this Stewardship Sunday, we commit ourselves as a church to being channels of this flowing love. Through our collective ministry, we seek to embody God’s grace, not just within our walls but in the broader community. How can our church, together, fully reflect God’s joy and grace in all we do?
Let us also recommit to being open to God’s grace. Let’s simplify, trust, and open ourselves to God’s favor. When we do, we’ll find the same joy Mary experienced—a joy rooted in God’s presence and purpose.
Let us pray for God’s grace to fill us, to rely not on our strength but on God’s favor, and to live with simplicity and joy as a church that fully embodies God’s work. Amen.
Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the gentiles; in him the gentiles shall hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1: 26-38
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.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Nazareth: A Place of Simplicity JOY
Today we are invited to visit Nazareth. That Mary met Gabriel, angel from God. Actually, Nazareth was a town of insignificance, a place that many would have dismissed as “nothing special.” Yet, it was in this seemingly unremarkable place that God revealed extraordinary grace. How about Mary? We see a young woman who, though unprepared by the world’s standards, was chosen for a divine purpose. She wasn’t rich, powerful, or even married—yet God favored her. What does it mean to have God’s favor? Our book study emphasizes that it is grace. Grace isn’t something we earn through effort or merit; it’s a gift from God. Mary received this grace, responded to it with faith, and embodied it in her life. This simple yet profound cooperation with God’s will bring her joy, even amidst uncertainty and challenge.
Today is Stewardship Sunday—a special day when we commit our faith to God’s work through the ministry of the church. As Mary embodied God’s grace in her life, we are called to embody God’s work through our shared ministry. Together, we commit to being vessels of God’s love, ensuring our church fully reflects God’s presence in the world.
As we want to be God’s loving vessels, firstly, let’ recognize God’s grace in the Ordinary. Mary’s story begins in Nazareth, a place no one expected anything remarkable to happen. If we compare her to Elizabeth, whose miraculous pregnancy was announced last week, Mary’s circumstances seem even less ideal. She was too young, unmarried, and unprepared by societal standards.
Yet, God’s favor didn’t depend on her status or readiness. Mary teaches us that God’s grace meets us exactly where we are. Nazareth reminds us that there is no place too small, no situation too insignificant, for God’s presence to transform.Wherever you find yourself today—whether in joy or struggle—God’s grace is with you. The question is, how do you respond?
Secondly, let’s learn something from Mary’s response to Grace. Mary didn’t just receive God’s grace; she responded to it. She opened herself to God’s purpose and accepted the overwhelming, intimidating assignment to bear the Savior of the world. Her words, “Let it be with me according to your word,” reveal her willingness to trust God completely. Mary didn’t rely on her own strength but on God’s grace. She embraced the wonder and mystery of her calling, and in doing so, she experienced profound joy.
What would it look like for you to embody God’s grace? How might your life change if you stopped striving to be enough and instead allowed God’s favor to be enough for you?
Thirdly, I want you to find your own Nazareth. The Nazareth also reminds us of the power of simplicity. In a world obsessed with noise, distractions, and the pursuit of more, we need our own “Nazareth’s.” These are the quiet places where we can slow down, listen to God, and be open to divine interruption. Sometimes, having fewer options and less clutter in our lives can free us to hear God more clearly. Where is your Nazareth? Where can you go to quiet your mind, open your heart, and let God speak to you?
Nazareth was a place no one expected anything significant to happen. Yet it became the place where God’s love took on flesh. In the same way, our own lives—no matter how ordinary they may seem—are places where God’s grace can dwell.
Or in your life how can you practice to be Nazareth. How can you simplify yourself form abundance information?
On Monday, I begin to prepare for my Sermon. I collect all the information that I need for my sermon. I want to make sure if my information that I have known is correct and I dig more information. If I preach everything that I collected on Monday, I can preach sermon for hours. What I need to do is minimize and focus on the theme for the week that I am preaching and minimize the sermon on the focus point. Minimizing the information and emptying myself from the overwhelming information to focus on what I need to preach and keep trying to hear from God is one of the most essential and important processes in my sermon-writing process. We need this effort in our life in every moment of the life to focus on God.
Lastly, let’s see the JOY in trusting God. Mary’s joy wasn’t the absence of hardship—it was the presence of God in her life. True joy comes not from our circumstances but from fully embodying God’s grace. Even in life’s hardest places, God is with us. Just as Jesus endured suffering and death before the resurrection, we too may walk through valleys of difficulty. But we can trust that God’s love flows through us like a river, steady and constant, even when life feels uncertain.
On this Stewardship Sunday, we commit ourselves as a church to being channels of this flowing love. Through our collective ministry, we seek to embody God’s grace, not just within our walls but in the broader community. How can our church, together, fully reflect God’s joy and grace in all we do?
Let us also recommit to being open to God’s grace. Let’s simplify, trust, and open ourselves to God’s favor. When we do, we’ll find the same joy Mary experienced—a joy rooted in God’s presence and purpose.
Let us pray for God’s grace to fill us, to rely not on our strength but on God’s favor, and to live with simplicity and joy as a church that fully embodies God’s work. Amen.
