Feb. 22 Virtual Worship
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Worship Team: Sarah Haas, Marc Hayden
Music Ministry Team: Kristin Petty
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Key Notes from the reading & sermon:
Scripture Lesson
Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:46-55
Sermon: Hearts Afire, Courage to Say Yes
Luke 1: 46-55
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; 50 indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. Key Idea of the Sermon 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
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Key Idea of the Sermon
Mary’s Song of Praise offered in response to the announcement that she will bear a son she will name Jesus, the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:30-33), might seem like a strange place to begin the season of Lent, which focuses on the end of Jesus’ story. And yet, without the beginning of the story, when Mary revealed great courage in saying Yes to something that seemed impossible, God’s mission for Jesus might have gone unfulfilled. Not only did Mary have the courage to say Yes to the impossible, but she also foreshadowed Jesus’ ministry, connecting it to the ancient Hebrew prophetic vision of justice and righteousness for the oppressed (see Micah 6:6-16 and Isaiah 58:6-9). When God calls, do we have the courage of Mary to say Yes?
Questions for Reflection
• In Mary’s story of saying Yes to God (Luke 1:26-38), a messenger named Gabriel intervenes on God’s behalf. Who are the messengers in your life who are calling you to faithfulness? How can you be God’s messenger for others?
• Mary is greeted as “favored one” (Luke 1:28). How have you experienced God’s favor?
• Identify a time when you experienced God doing the impossible. Who in your circle of influence might be encouraged by hearing this story?
A Poem for Reflection
Courage is not certainty; it is trust.
The acorn falling to loamy ground
has no certainty of what comes next,
Nor does it stare up the grand trunks surrounding it,
with any envy or awe.
It trusts the truth of splitting open,
reaching deep, and drinking in light. (Tina Datsko de Sanchez)
