The Messengers Among Us

First UMC Winter Park, Women's Advent Dinner

Good evening ladies.

First off, I want to say that it is an honor and a blessing to be here with you tonight to talk about the Angel Gabriel. The longer I live in this community and better I get to know the women (and men) who make up this church, the more and more fond I become of who you are and where we are headed as a church family.

As I prepared for my talk, I learned that the Angel Gabriel has actually been declared a Saint in several traditions, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and E. Orthodox traditions. And I admit that at first I had trouble seeing why an angel would be voted into Sainthood - I mean, having a message is important and all, but sainthood??

So I pulled out my Bible app and began reading Luke 1:26-38, over and over and over again.
I let this scene between the Angel Gabriel and this young, innocent mom, sorta settle into my heart, and with my pen, I begin to write down, line by line, Angel Gabriel's exact message to Mary:

"Do not fear"
"You will conceive a son"
"You will name him Jesus"
"He will be great"
"He will be called the Son of the Most High"
"The Lord will give him the throne of David"
"He will reign over the house of Jacob forever"
"There will be no end to his kingdom"
And in response to Mary's "How?"..
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you"
"The power of the Most High will overshadow you"
"He will be called Son of God"
"Elizabeth too, has conceived a son"
and the closing line...
"For nothing will be impossible with God."

As I lifted my pen from the paper after writing out exactly what Gabriel said to Mary, I began to feel the weight of this angel's message. 
Gabriel, the messenger, was the one there, calling this young woman into greatness.


This messenger of God is who crafted the invitation for Mary to live into the difficult, but powerful call on her life.  And it was the messenger who she first affirmed her call in front of. 

And a messenger of God appeared to Joseph, telling him to stay put, don't run away from Mary. 
A messenger of God appeared to the Shepherds - "Go!  See what God has done!" 

Do you see the trend?
The messenger keeps the plan on track.
The messenger calls people into their deepest, most powerful role...He switches the trajectory of lives!  You're going one direction, along comes a messenger of God, and whoop!  ...you're going a different direction now - a more profound one, one that might be hard, but will have impact on hearts and souls! 
It is the messenger who inspires us to take that difficult step into the unknown because the messenger understands the heart of God and is revealing God's heart to you and I, and Mary, so we can find that deep spiritual fulfillment we are all searching for.  announcement and the confidence he instilled in a young woman - that changed the world.

And messengers are something we can't schedule.  I don't think Mary and Gabriel had a pre-meeting to set up a time for when Gabriel would appear to her.  He just came.  So a messenger often shows up in the most unexpected times and places...because God reveals God's heart on God's own time - and the trick for you and I, is to open and willing when the messenger comes. 

I have a story I'd like to share about a messenger in my own life, who came at an unexpected time....
* * *
The other night, as I settled into the quietness of my living room, after a busy day I wondered how she got into this dizzy rhythm of my life. 

How, in the frantic schedule I run on, did Mary Jo, find her way in?

You see, my family and I routinely take the bags we have so wonderfully put together as a church called "Street Eats" and we hand them out the car window.

But one day, about 3 weeks ago, I saw someone different.
She wasn't up at the corner asking for anything, she just was walking down Aloma, the street I routinely drive down to work, the gym, Publix, and everywhere else in Winter Park.  I knew immediately she was homeless, but I didn't think much of it.

The next day I saw her again, just walking down the street, but this time noticing that she had left bags and blankets on a bench a little further down.  hmmm I thought...she "lives" on that bench, doesn't she?  Again, I didn't do much thinking about her, it was just a notice, a glance, and 10 seconds of thought.

2 weeks go by and I'm in the car with my kids this past Thursday night after Jared's swim lesson.
I see her again and say aloud, "That lady over there is homeless and it is getting chilly the next few days...maybe we should do something."
My kids immediately pitch in with all sorts of ideas and enthusiasm.

I go home and begin dishing out dinner, a stew I had made, and I couldn't help but think "Would she, the lady on the street, want some???...would she accept this?"

I take a disposable container out, fill it, and then add a Capri Sun (because I'm a mom!) and a chocolate cupcake (gluten free!).
I get in my car to return here for a church meeting, driving back down Aloma Ave., AGAIN, approaching the bench, a little nervous, butterflies in my belly.
And as I drove, I thought "I don't want her to be there.  I don't want her to be homeless.  I just don't want anyone to be homeless."
And then I see her sitting there. 
Bags by her side, blanket across her lap. 
Not asking for anything, just some space on a bench and room for her bags.
I pull into the CVS, walk up to the bench with my seemingly ridiculous cupcake and stew in a plastic container and approach her...
"Hi, I'm Annette. I've driven by you a few times, and was wondering if you might accept this homemade stew?"

"YES! That would be so lovely!!"
I thought she was going to cry.
And the truth is, I thought I was going to cry too...my heart melting at the simple joy of this moment with a stranger.

I asked if I could sit down next to her, as I pushed a bag of blankets, a coffee mug, and clothes across the bench and as she accepted my ask to sit, I began to ask a few questions.. "What is your name?... Are you native to Winter Park?"

I found out she is from England and is waiting to be deported and she says, "I guess when you are waiting to be deported, this is what happens. You sit on street corners and benches until your time comes."

So I apologize for this sad news and she says:
"No, please don't be sorry; I want to go home; I just hope that it is in time for me to spend Christmas with my family."

And in that moment, my heart was twisted and turned and I realized I had been focused on some things this Christmas season that weren't truly what the season was about.  I was making shopping lists while this woman had been wearing the same outfit for the past two weeks.

I begin to wonder why I hadn't stopped earlier.

We spoke for a few more minutes and I had to go off to my meeting, but I"ve stopped by her bench to drop off food several times since then and as a matter of fact, I stopped by on my way here to ask her "Do you need anything?"
She responded with "I'm hungry, just some food would be nice."
So I'm going to head back after were through here and bring her some of Randy's delicious squash soup and a roll.

* * *

Before last Thursday, before MaryJo happened, before this stranger intertwined her way into my dizzy schedule, my plan was to talk about how we are all messengers of God, that being a messenger of God is a duty, a calling, a central and necessary part of being a Christian...It was going to be a CHARGE to be that messenger God calls you to be.

But then MaryJo happened.  And I realized "Dang, I could go through my life thinking I am a messenger, when really, God's messages are all around me, and what I need to do more, is LISTEN, and respond, and live into the call that God has placed before me.

This woman's unusual, and homeless presence on Aloma Ave. here in Winter Park sends me a message that I cannot ignore.  Her presence is pressing me and challenging me to serve, to love unconditionally, to be less judging, and to make the time for being a servant of Christ.  She is messaging me to untangle my schedule and ask "Where is God in this?"... her message, like Angel Gabriel's to Mary, makes me uncomfortable and nervous.

She may not have been holding up a sign asking for food, but she was definitely calling on my heart to not forget, to not ignore, and most of all, to love up on the lost, lonely, and in this case, deported.

So. Who's trying to message you?
Who is calling YOU back into God's holy presence?

You might be surprised, as I was, and just like Mary was, just who your messenger is and when they come.
And I hope when you respond to your messenger, that you say "yes, I'm here to serve, I hear your call, I feel your message, and I'm going Gospel deep into it!"

I am incredibly thankful for MaryJo's message to me. 
And so tonight, as I recall how Angel Gabriel was elected into sainthood, I am truly aware of why...
Because it is the messenger among us who will bravely invite us into a life of service, agape love, and putting the last first.
Friends, there is a messenger inviting us, and reminding us: "Do not fear!" for "Nothing is impossible with God."  Won't you hear this with me?... and be brave in our response together?

Peace to you!

Amen!

~Annette

Annette enjoys speaking and if you are looking for a speaker for your next conference, service, workshop, or event, please reach out to her at graceadventureannette@gmail.com