Imperfect People Carry Out His Perfect Will

 Then Mary said, “See, I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1 :38 

We have to be careful how we view Mary. On the one hand, we have to be careful not to ascribe too much to Mary. We have to be careful not to go beyond the truths of God’s Word in describing who Mary was and why she is still called blessed. To say she was sinless is not a proclamation that finds credence in Scripture. There was only one sinless one; He is Christ. To go further and say that she intercedes for us is to journey into the blasphemous. Scripture is clear. There is only one Mediator between man and God, and that Mediator is Christ. To believe either of these false statements is to replace Christ with a mere mortal. 

But we also have every right to view Mary with respect. God Himself views her with special distinction. Consider the angel Gabriel’s proclamation to Mary: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” Why the Lord God chose Mary for this honor is not for us to know. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that Mary was somehow better than all of the other virgins of her day. The Lord calls imperfect people to carry out His perfect will. Moses was a murderer. David was an adulterer and a murderer. And yet God called them to lead His people. God called imperfect Mary to carry out His will as well. 

Mary was blessed not because of who she was but because of what she would be privileged to do. She would be the blessed one to give birth to the Savior. Her name would be known through the centuries as the woman who would swaddle her child and place Him in a manger, receive visits from shepherds and magi, flee with her husband to Egypt, return and ponder the mystery of why her son must be in His Father’s house, call upon Jesus to perform a miracle at the wedding in Cana, worry that perhaps He was not in His right mind during His ministry, witness His death on Golgotha, and marvel at the resurrection. She would be the woman we think of when we set up our nativity scenes. She would also be the woman we sympathize with when the sword pierced her soul witnessing Jesus’ suffering and death. 

In a similar way, we have to be careful in how we view our roles as parents. If we have been blessed by God to be called to be stewards of the blessing of having children, we have to be careful that we do not try to replace Christ in their lives with anyone or anything. We are not to be the Savior for them. We are not to replace God with any other gods in their lives. We have been called by God to preach Christ to their hearts. This is the one thing needful in all seasons of their life. This is our first mission. This is the only mission with eternal consequences, so we should not fail to carry it out. Athletics and activities are fine for this world but have no purpose in the life to come. They do not build faith. Faith only continues to come, continues to build, continues to strengthen through hearing the message of Jesus Christ, the only sinless one and the only mediator between God and man. 

In this season and always, I am thankful for the parents who have chosen to send their children to Immanuel Lutheran School. Our faculty is humbled by your trust in us to be able to work side-by-side with you to bring the one daily essential into your children’s lives, the Word of God. May your Christmas celebrations be filled with Christ and your new year with the Gospel.

Blessings, 

Frank Van Brocklin 

Principal Teacher 

Upcoming on the Immanuel Lutheran School calendar: 

❖ Thank you to all who participated in the December 15 babysitting fundraiser for students in Mrs. Routhieaux’s class for their Discover America trip. 

❖ Thank you to all who test drove this fall with Mefford Motors. A total of $370 was raised for our school during the harvest days celebration. 

❖ After school basketball practices continue with A-team practices on Mondays, B-team practices on Tuesdays, and joint practices on Thursdays. Games will start in January.

❖ Please join us for our Children’s Christmas Service, December 22, starting at 6:30 PM. If you cannot make it that night, you are also welcome to join us for our dress rehearsal at 8:30 AM the same day. Students should arrive in their classrooms by 6:15 PM at the latest. 

❖ Please keep Morgan Routhieaux in your prayers as she deliberates on her divine calls here at Immanuel and now at Divine Savior Academy in Doral, Florida.