The Fourth Sunday of Advent - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr

 Advent 4 - Luke 1:26-38 

 

I would guess that nearly all of us here are old enough to remember driving on a trip with your Rand McNally Atlas in hand. That big book of maps, that when folded in half, fit snugly between the passenger seat and center console in your car. And because it fit so snugly, after the first road trip, most didn’t have a cover anymore because it had been ripped off in that tight-fitting space.  

Or maybe it was that AAA map that once you unfolded it, you were never going to get it folded back as it should be or even folded small enough to fit into your glove compartment again.  

And as we traveled with that map in our laps, there was always anxiety if you came upon a detour or if traffic was stopped on the highway. The driver yells to the passenger/navigator, “Quick, find me another route. There is a detour ahead.” The map comes flying out and a new route is quickly planned.  

There’s no telling if this is a better route…Is the road bumpy and full of twists and turns. Is the road going to really get you to where you wanted to go or is it going to take you way out of your way, to a place where you didn’t expect to go? This route change was not in your plans but it’s the only way you are going to get to your destination.  

A detour is a change of direction. Sometimes they can be planned, but usually it’s an unintended change of course.  

Our lives can sometimes get this way as well, can’t they? We think we have it all planned out and bam…suddenly there is a detour, a route change. Something comes up, out of the blue, that you could have never expected, and your life changes. It could be a job or career change, an unexpected move to a new place, a medical diagnosis, a change in your marital status…The list is never-ending. Detours cause us to complain, grumble, and sometimes curse.  

As faithful Christians, our first question is usually directed to God. And we ask questions like, “God, what are you doing to my life? What am I going to do now?” We can think we are the only people in the entire world who have had a monkey wrench thrown into the middle of their lives.  

But, if we look back at scripture, detours have been part of life since Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve had a perfect life in the Garden of Eden. With the bite of an apple, things suddenly changed for them, and they were detoured.   

God called upon Abraham and told him to leave the land he had always known. God said, leave everything behind. Abraham and Sara followed God’s detour. And Abraham was rewarded, just as God had promised him.   

Moses’ life took a huge detour. In the form of a burning bush, God revealed himself to Moses and led him on an unbelievable journey. Talk about detours…do you know that the 40-year trip the Israelites took in the desert should have taken 11 days. But they ran into detour after detour. Yet, God was always there, providing for them.  

Ruth, a Moabite woman went from a new bride to a young widow. A detour she didn’t expect. And then, she became loyal to Naomi, her mother-in-law and promised to follow her wherever she went. Willing to follow every detour, saying, “Where you go, I will go.”  

And then, we have Mary and the beautiful Christmas story. Can you even imagine? A young girl, a virgin, being told by an angel that she would be giving birth. That’s enough of a detour isn’t it?  

But then there was more…she would be giving birth to a boy, she would name Jesus. He would be the Son of the Most High. Can you even imagine what had to be going through her mind? This was a major detour in her life.  

With this detour being put in front of her, Mary was at the crossroads of fear and faith. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid.” And Mary’s answer was, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”  

Faith over fear 

Who knows what tomorrow can bring? Detours come in many different shapes and sizes. And most of the time, we don’t see them coming. They usually catch us when we least expect it and leave us confused, frustrated, and sometimes heart-broken.  

When it comes to the detours in our lives. We don’t have a Rand McNally atlas, Google Maps, or Waze. But we can have faith that God will guide us through all the detours in our lives.  

If we stop and think…sometimes the detour is an equally good route to take. Sometimes the detour is more beautiful and more pleasant than our original route. Some detours can be some of the worst days of your life. Some detours can be some of the best days of your life. Some detours take us to places we never dreamed of going, to see things we never thought we would see.  

When our neat and tidy world gets tossed in the air, God is always there to make a way when there seems to be no way. God shines his love upon us day after day, year after year, generation after generation. God works with us through our detours. With trust and faith, detours bring us closer to God.  

With the sin in the Garden of Eden, God’s plan for a perfect world was detoured. However, God did not leave us to take the detour alone. For God so loved the world that he gave…God gave us His son and God continues to give and provide for us every single day. We celebrate and we rejoice in the hope and the promises made.  

The Christmas story is all about God interrupting the chaos of the world we live in, with the arrival of His Son, Jesus Christ.  

Poet Ann Weems wrote this poem in her book, “Kneeling in Bethlehem.”  

Mary, Nazareth Girl: 

What did you know of ethereal beings with messages from God? 

What did you know of men when you found yourself with child? 

What did you know of babies, you, barely out of childhood yourself? 

God-chosen girl: 

What did you know of God that brought you to this stable blessed among women? 

Could it be that you had been ready waiting listening for the footsteps of an angel? 

Could it be there are messages for us if we have the faith to listen? 

 

 

We cannot predict what our next detours will be, but we can choose how we respond to them. You can worry about what is going to happen next, or you can be confident and trust that God will lead the way.  

The path of life is full of joy, gladness, and blessings. The path of life is not always smooth. We have the promise from God that the path of life leads us to God’s kingdom.  

Detours can teach us about who God really is. Every detour we take is paved with the hope, joy, love, and peace that can only come from God.   

God-chosen people. Could it be there are messages for us if we have the faith to listen?  

Amen