Sermon - Advent Midweek 3 - Luke 1:26-56

Just as the past century and a half waged war against men, so has the past 150 years assaulted women as well. But while the attacks against men have been quite obvious, the attacks against women have been thinly veiled beneath claims of freedom and empowerment. Satan’s goal has been to strip women of the very distinguishing things which make women distinctly women! The goal of feminism has been to make women less like women and more like men.

Yet, the great adornment of every woman is not to be a man, but it is the imperishable beauty of a humble faith in Christ. God in His inestimable wisdom made women to be quite distinct and in their own ways to be blessings to all the world, not by dressing up and acting like men, but by being who God made them to be: women, wives, and mothers. 

This is evident throughout the scriptures in that women are given an equally important role as men to play. But the role of women is different than that of men. We see this already in Genesis! Adam is to go out and fight and toil, while Eve is to bear forth children, eventually leading to the birth of the Christ. We see this when Adam names His wife: “The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” The great and powerful gift God has given to women is that they might give birth to more life! 

Women, mothers, wives, you are all blessings to the entire world because to you is given the power to nourish life. God does bless women very richly. Because through the womb of a woman God took on human flesh; from this woman the incarnate Son of God was given nourishment from her body; on the lap of this woman God lay as a baby so that as a man He might be hung upon the cross to redeem the world from sin. Through the birth of Christ God blesses every woman as the mother of life.

God gives us mothers and wives so that we might be lovingly cared for with mercy and compassion. One of the obvious differences between men and women is that women alone can give birth. Mothers and wives are blessed not only with bodies, but with hearts that give of themselves to care for others. When a child is hurt, either physically or emotionally, the child wants to be held by mom because she so tenderly hugs and even cries with her child at the frightening things in this world. When a grown man finds himself broken in body and mind, he clings to his bride who holds him together.

Mothers and wives are given this unique ability to comfort and console, to uplift and give peace. Everything about a woman’s body is designed to nourish and care for another, this same nourishment manifests in everything that a woman does. It’s no surprise that more women than men become nurses and teach children, it’s just part of who women are and how God so wonderfully made them. It’s also no surprise then that God chose a woman to nourish Him: “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”

What a shame it is then when women reject this God given role of nourishing. Women are chased out of the home, chased out of marriage, chased out of childbirth, as if it’s not good enough for them. Instead women are told they must be men, they must dress like a man, act like a man, talk like a man, work like a man. They’re told childbirth is restrictive and destroys opportunities for success, so here instead take this pill or go to this clinic and get the problem taken care of. Women are told being a wife is for the dark ages, so forget that, and go out and get a job so that you’re not dependent on a man. 

But dear women, take comfort in the fact that God created you not as a man to be a man, but as a woman to be a woman. Even if you’re past the age of childbearing, or were never able to have kids, or have had surgeries which altered your body, God still created you to be a mother, to nourish and care for others from yourself. Your identity as a woman is wrapped up in Eve and Mary, as a mother and one who cares for others with simple yet profound compassion. Don’t run away from this, but take comfort in that God perfectly designed you to be who you are.

Just as women are called to be mothers or mother figures, so are women called to be wives. Wives are given the unique role in a marriage of being the submissive partner. It’s as St. Peter writes: “Wives, be subject to your own husbands… For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands.” 

I know today saying something like this must make me a chauvinist or a misogynist! But I promise you this view of women that the Lord teaches us is not prejudice against women at all, but is simply God’s design for the order of creation. Just as it is the husband’s role to lovingly rule over his wife by leading her to Christ, so is it the wife’s role to lovingly submit to her husband’s leading and follow him to Christ. 

Yet it’s not a surprise that the world considers us Christians backwards in this teaching. Afterall, the Lord did say that Eve and every woman would have issues with it as well: “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” In fact, this misordering of creation by Adam and Eve was precisely what led to sin entering into the world. Adam failed to lead his wife, and Eve failed to submit to her husband’s leading. 

Imagine what would have happened if Mary had decided to not submissively listen to God! What if she had decided that this whole thing was unfair and would have impeded her chances of success in life? What if she had decided to abort the baby Jesus or commit infanticide? Those things weren’t uncommon even 2000 years ago, it would have been a possibility for her. But praise the Lord Mary did no such thing, instead: “Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.””

Submissiveness doesn’t mean that you’re the slave chained to the work post, it means that you order yourself under the leadership of another. It’s like being a soldier at war, ordered behind your king. He’s the one who charges into battle ahead of you and takes the first assault. Sure he’s yelling out orders, but he only does it with love in order to keep you safe! He shouts: “Shields up!” not because you’re his lesser, but because he wants to protect you from the volley of flaming darts about to rain down on you. Is your king perfect? Of course not, he depends on his soldiers and needs them just as much as they need him. It’s a group effort with one relying upon the other.

But what would happen if the soldiers stopped ordering themselves behind their king, stopped listening to him and started shouting out their own orders? It would be sheer chaos, no one would survive the battle, and the war would soon be lost! Likewise, God has arranged husbands and wives into an order, designed to bring us through this battle against Satan as swiftly as possible. When husbands rule over their wives like brutes or hand over their leadership, when wives don’t submit to their husbands or they take his leadership, things don’t go well. 

Just look around us in America at what the world is like when God’s order of creation between men and women isn’t honored. Look at the fruits of feminism, because you’ll recognize them by their fruits. The rate of divorce is ridiculously high, and the only reason it’s lowering is because so many people aren’t even getting married now. Children are growing up without moms and dads. Drug and alcohol addictions are reaching epidemic proportions. Our jails are full. People can’t even rationally figure out if they’re boys or girls these days! 

Women, you have a huge job to play! Submissiveness is no small thing, but it’s vital and crucial for the success and eternal survival of any people group! God has so richly blessed the world with you! Women, we need you! Not to be men, but to be women. If the impact you have on a society is huge because of your humble submissiveness, so is your impact on the church huge as well. Because women, wives, mothers, you are the example that the church is to follow. 

The church is the bride of Christ our bridegroom. He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. He is the Bishop of our souls. In the example of every faithful woman, like you, like Mary, Sarah, or Eve, we see how all of us as the church ought to submit and order ourselves behind Jesus who lovingly leads us into battle, clothes us in the armor of salvation, equips us with the sword of the Spirit, and in humility sacrifices His life for ours. Jesus Christ died for the sins of all people! He forgives the sins of every man, woman, and child, even these our sins against His order of creation.

So everytime you witness a marriage, or you see a husband and wife, a father and mother, everytime you think of your own parents or spouse, think of your Lord. He is our heavenly Father. He is our eternal bridegroom. We are His dear children. We are His beloved bride. He gives everything in order to bring us out of the darkness of our sin and death. So let us humbly follow Him from death to life and rejoice in God’s good gift of marriage.