Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Unexpected (First in a series) Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA December 3, 2006 First Sunday in Advent Main Scripture text: Luke 1:26-38 In biblical times, children didn't go through "the teenage years" in the way we think of them today. At about the age they enter high school today, boys became part of their father's trade and girls got married. We can't be sure, but when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, she was likely to have been 14 or 15 years old. The angel appears to her with a message from God: She will have a baby named Jesus who will be the called the Son of God. This Jesus will be a King forever. That's a lot for a 14-year-old girl to take in -- but she responded in faith: "I am the Lord's servant; let it be to me as you have said." Do you think that ended it? That from that point her faith had prevailed and she never had any doubts? Not likely. What would she tell her parents about being pregnant? What would she tell Joseph, her fiancé? What would be the talk around town? Christian author and speaker Margaret Feinberg asks two questions that help us understand how, in some ways, our own walk with God mirrors Mary's walk with God: 1) How do you and I respond when the Lord surprises us with the unexpected? 2) What is God calling us to right now? Mary submitted herself to the fulfillment of God's plan and purpose, without knowing all the details, without knowing if she was going to be embarrassed or ridiculed or rejected. This is the essence of faith: she trusted God for whatever the future held in store. I think God came to Mary because He knew her heart. He knew she would accept the surprise, the challenges serving God would bring. When God looks at your heart and mine, when he looks at our faith, what does He see? Are you and I willing to say: "I am the Lord's servant, let me to me as you have said?"? Supporting texts: Luke 1:18-20 | Matthew 1:18-24 | Luke 2:1-7 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (32 min.). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 061203a: Unexpected. © 2006 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us