Bishop Matt Whitehead

Bishop Matt Whitehead

Bishop Matt Whitehead, D.Min., oversees Free Methodist ministries in the Western United States and also in Africa. He was elected the lead bishop of the Free Methodist Church – USA at General Conference 2019. He previously served more than 20 years as the superintendent of the Pacific Northwest Conference after 17 years as a local church pastor.

by Bishop Matt Whitehead

It’s not easy to condense important events, but if I had to summarize the Christmas story, it could be done with one word … YES! The birth of Jesus that unfolds from the pages of Scripture is all about YES!

Joseph said yes. Mary said yes. The shepherds said yes. Most importantly, God said yes!

Scripture gives us many examples of people who said yes when God called them. Often the invitation did not include the details, so the future remained uncertain. God’s call is to respond in obedience and walk by faith.

Hebrews 11:8 points out the uncertain future of Abraham’s call: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

“Even though he did not know where he was going”? What would your response have been? I would have asked God for more details.

Abraham was not perfect. He was flawed and human just like we are, but when God called, Abraham said yes!

Mary could have said no. She was a young teenage girl. She could have reasoned, “I’m overwhelmed at what is being asked of me. … Joseph will never believe me. … I can’t do this.”

That is not what Mary said. Luke 1:38 records Mary’s response: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Mary said yes!

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen comments, “No matter what Mary faced, she chose to participate in God’s plans. Mary, like Hannah centuries earlier, sang yes! to God even though she had no idea what her future held. When the angel Gabriel first appeared to her, she said ‘Yes, Lord’ to the possibility of losing her fiancé and living in disgrace as an unwed mother. She said yes to an unknown, unchosen new season in her life. Mary had no idea what she was agreeing to, yet she blossomed into the biggest yes of her life.”

Illegitimacy in her world was unthinkable. An unmarried teenage girl with a baby was ridiculed and scorned, and her child would be despised.

Martin Luther, quoting St. Bernard of Clairvaux, saw three great miracles in Christ’s nativity: 1. The incarnation. 2. The virgin birth. 3. Mary’s obedience. Luther sees Mary’s willingness to obey God as the greatest of the three miracles. It meant hardship, alienation, misunderstanding, and loss of her reputation. Mary was fully aware of what her yes meant. This young teenager was willing to set aside her reputation because she had heard from God.

Mary’s name in Hebrew means “rebellion” or “disobedient,” but her response was complete submission and obedience to the words of the angel and the faithfulness of God. Her humble submission to God’s plan would alter her life and pierce her soul.

When Joseph and Mary bring baby Jesus to the temple for His circumcision, they meet Simeon and Anna. Simeon, who is described in Luke 2:25 as “righteous and devout,” speaks these difficult words to Mary, “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

We assume that Simeon refers to the crucifixion, but it is an important reminder that saying yes to God’s plan is not a call to an easy life. Mature Christians understand that loss, pain and suffering are a part of life. In the words of Elisabeth Elliot, “I am not a theologian or a scholar, but I am very aware of the fact that pain is necessary to all of us. In my own life, I think I can honestly say that out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and the love of God.”

Saying yes to God, in any and every way, is the key to living life to the fullest and the only way a Christian can find peace and navigate the uncertain days we are living in.

How can we live with hope in times that are so uncertain? The Apostle Paul’s writings to the church in Philippi provides an answer:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

Here are three practical suggestions for how we can say yes to God this Advent and Christmas season:

Give yourself away.

Something amazing happens when we take the focus off ourselves and commit to serving those around us. What one specific step could you take to minister to a neighbor, friend, co-worker or stranger in need?

Give God an open door.

Giving God an open door means asking yourself, have you given God control over all the areas of your life? If not, stop right now. Invite God to open your eyes to what it means for Him to be Lord of all, and then say yes! to Him being Lord in every area of your life.

Give God your next right step.

Perhaps the next right step for you is to join a virtual or in-person small group at your church? Maybe God is calling your family to sponsor a child or an additional child through ICCM? Find a new way to take a significant step toward God at this amazing season of the year.

The amazing events of Jesus’ birth came about because of everyone’s willingness to say yes. In this unpredicted and unpredictable reality we find ourselves in right now, let’s follow Mary’s example in her humble response to God. Just say yes! +

Bishop Matt Whitehead

Bishop Matt Whitehead

Bishop Matt Whitehead, D.Min., oversees Free Methodist ministries in the Western United States and also in Africa. He was elected the lead bishop of the Free Methodist Church – USA at General Conference 2019. He previously served more than 20 years as the superintendent of the Pacific Northwest Conference after 17 years as a local church pastor.