The Thrill of Hope #2 – The Soul Felt Its Worth
Series Big Idea: On this Holy Night, God changed the course of everything.
Message Big Idea: On this Holy Night, God declares we have value.
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38, 46-49
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Introduction: Hidden Treasures
How many of you enjoy going to garage sales, flea markets or second hand shops? You never know the great
stuff you might find beneath stacks of old records and used Tupperware! Now, I gotta tell you, I’m not a big
fan. So, how many of you are like me and don’t like those kinds of sales?
Well, this might change our minds…
 Just a few months ago a teacher from Charleston, South Carolina was trying to sell a painting for a
few bucks in a garage sale. Nobody wanted it, so on a whim she decided to have it appraised.
Turned out to be worth $105,000!
 In 2010, a guy named Rudy Guijarro bought some old photos from a sale because he liked the older
tintype look to them. One of those photos turned out to be a rare photograph of Billy the Kid from
1878. That picture is worth over $5 million! You know how much he paid for it? 2 bucks!
 And if that story doesn't make you want to go treasure hunting, this one might. A guy paid $5 for a
pile of documents that turned out to be one million antique Coca-Cola stock certificates. The
estimated worth? $1.8 billion. That’s a good day right there!
We love stories like that, don’t we? We’d probably love them even more if they happened to us. Something in
us loves the thrill of a hunt, especially when we unearth something valuable that everyone else thinks is
worthless.
Here’s what we gotta remember about hidden treasures: Just because someone isn’t aware of something’s
value doesn't make it worthless. Let me say it again: Just because someone isn’t aware of the worth of
something, doesn't make it worthless.
Series Recap
Today we continue our series “The Thrill of Hope.” Just a few moments ago, we sang the classic Christmas
song “O Holy Night.”
O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
This great song reminds us that the first Christmas night was holy, sacred, “set apart.” It was different than
any other night in all of history!
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The Soul Felt Its Worth
Think about that line for a moment, “the soul felt its worth.” What does it mean for your soul to feel its
worth? I think it’s easier to look back and see the times in our lives when our soul hasn’t felt its worth - when
we felt worthless or maybe broken. Maybe it was because:
 A relationship fell apart
 Or a sin pattern weighed you down with guilt and self-hate
 Or maybe it was a disappointment at work or a financial failure of some kind
Your sense of worthlessness came because perhaps . . .
 You felt used by someone
 Ignored and cast aside by family or friends
 Or passed over for an opportunity you so wanted to come your way
We’ve all had moments like that, haven’t we? Times when our soul hasn’t felt its worth?
I’ve certainly had moments when I felt pretty worthless.
 Like early on in my marriage when I thought conflict meant failure, and pushed my wife, Lisa, to the
brink of insanity trying to resolve everything in a matter of moments.
 Or later on when our kids started growing up and I felt like I had no idea what it meant to raise
teenagers.
 And even as a pastor – there are times when I feel like I'm not measuring up to some expectation I
have for myself or that I assume others have for me.
I would say it is both the deepest pains and the highest joys of life that are felt in the soul.
So yes, our circumstances can leave us feeling like we aren’t worth much. But listen to this statement again:
Just because someone isn’t aware of something’s value doesn't make it worthless. In spite of the fact that
those garage sale items were ignored for decades, their value remained and actually increased.
Word: Mary’s Soul Feels Its Worth
Today we’re going to talk about someone who likely didn't feel like she was worth much. Chances are, this
person didn’t see much value in herself. Let’s go to the very beginning of the Christmas Story in Luke chapter
1. But before we dive in, let me catch you up on what’s happening.
(On screen: Luke 1:26-27)
God sent an angel named Gabriel to a teenage girl named Mary who lived in a really small town called
Nazareth. Mary was already engaged to a man named Joseph, but this angel shows up and shares some crazy,
unexpected, and in many ways unwanted news. He tells Mary that she is pregnant and that she is going to
have a baby boy, named Jesus.
Now for some, we’ve heard this story so many times it’s easy to miss the significance of what’s happening
here. For Mary, her cultural worth was based in her virginity.
 So to the community around her, the little value she had, would now be gone.
 She would be cast aside, considered worthless.
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In Biblical times, sexual purity was central to personal and family honor. This could result in her being
shunned by her family.
Scholar Darrel Bock writes: “In ancient culture, virginity was an honored state, a badge of self-control and
moral faithfulness. Mary would appear to many to have conceived a child out of wedlock. Her explanation of
a divine conception would be hard to swallow. . .”
There would be finger-pointing, questioning glances, and more than a few whispers of accusation. Mary would
have more than enough reasons to feel worthless.
 She was already a poor single young woman . . . back then that placed you just a little above
livestock
 And now she was gonna be pregnant and unmarried
(On screen: Luke 1:29-33) And while the angel’s news was extremely troubling, Gabriel reassured Mary that it
was great news. He promised her that God would be with her and that she would be blessed with an
opportunity to play a huge part in God’s story of redeeming of the world. The baby growing inside of her
would be the Son of God whose birth would change everything!
And as that reality begins to sink in, Mary responds with a song of praise. Her words are often referred to as
“The Magnificat”:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
Luke 1:46-49 NIV
You know what I think is happening here? I think in this moment Mary’s soul begins to feel its worth. For
most of her life she probably felt small, insignificant, and quite unremarkable; and yet in this moment her soul
felt its worth and she responds with a song of praise. Her heart is exploding in worship and gratitude to God!
Let me illustrate it this way…and I’m going to need a volunteer. I have here a $20 bill. A crisp, new $20 bill.
Who would like this $20 bill? (Bring someone on stage…preferably a teen.)
 So you would like this $20 bill? Well what if I first do this to it. (Crumple it up.) Do you still want it?
 Well, what if I do this to it. (Drop it on the ground and grind it into the floor with your shoe. Then pick it
back up.) Do you still want it now? Really? It’s crumpled up and dirty and you still want it? Of course
you do!
 Even though I crumpled it up, even though I stomped on it, you still want it because it did not decrease
in value. It’s still worth $20. (Give the volunteer the $20 and thank him/her for participating.)
Mary’s soul was every bit as valuable before the angel came to her as it was after. Remember: Just because someone
isn’t aware of something’s value doesn't make it worthless.
 Mary’s soul was of great worth even when she didn’t have any circumstantial reason to feel it.
 Mary’s soul was of great value even on those days when she felt crumpled up and stomped on.
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But now, as she sings these words of praise to God, her soul feels its worth.
God Comes Near
So, what was it that helped Mary feel her worth? What was it that helped her feel the value of her life?
Well, first God Came Near to Mary. His presence came to her through the messenger that he sent and
through the mind-blowing declaration that his Son was forming as a baby within her. Can you even imagine?!?
Just this week, a friend and his wife, let Lisa and I know that they are expecting for the first time.
 So, what do you think I asked them after they told us? I asked, “When is the baby due?”
 Then what? I asked, “Do you know the gender of the baby?”
Imagine what it was like for Mary, when people asked her that question, “Do you know the gender of the
baby? Mary would say, “Well, we're having a boy . . .” and then under her breath . . . “the savior of the whole
freaking world!” God came as near to Mary as he could possibly come.
Something happens when important people come to us, doesn’t it? I’ve met a few famous people, and it
always makes you feel a little special, doesn’t it?
 I’ll never forget one of the first times I interacted with best-selling author Rick Warren. We’d met one
time before, and then when I saw him a year or so later, he says, “Jon, how are you? I’ve heard so
many good things about you.” The chances of him having heard anything about me are slim and none,
but hearing him say that and interacting with him made me feel just a little more valuable.
 When my son, Graham and I went to New York a couple years back we ran into actor, Paul Rudd. He
was super cool. We actually talked for a little bit, took some pictures. And of course we posted them
on Facebook and Twitter. Why? Because when someone famous pays attention to you, you feel pretty
stinking good!
Now multiply that times a billion and this is what Mary felt. God came near and was living inside of her!
Don’t miss this: Christmas means that God has come near. Emmanuel means “God with us.” God came into
our world to live among us. He came to us in the midst of our loneliness, our every-day-ness, and our
brokenness so that our souls would feel their worth.
When you find your way back to God and decide to follow Jesus, his Spirit comes to life inside of you. God
comes near to you every moment of every day. It’s your own “Mary miracle!” That’s right - God has come
near. Jesus is here. May your soul feel its worth!
God Commissions
There was something else that helped Mary feel her worth? God Commissions her. He gives her a mission.
The word “commission” means to “entrust mission.” God entrusted Mary with bringing Jesus into the world.
He gave her the opportunity to play a huge role in a story that would change the course of history.
Think about that, it was a woman who brought Jesus to the world. God could have done this any way he
wanted, but he chose a young girl. God is an equal opportunity employer. He is pro-women.
The angel, Gabriel, says to Mary:
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“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be
called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will
reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:31-33)
So Mary hears this grand announcement of God’s intentions, and then asks an understandable question:
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34)
At this point Mary is likely remembering the reality of her circumstances: she was a poor, young woman barely
noticed by anyone with no track record of doing anything significant.
But there’s something going on here that I want us to notice. Mary is lifted out of her small and narrow view
of her own story and commissioned to join God’s bigger story to reach and restore the world. And just when
she had to be nodding her head in disbelief, asking, “How will this be?” The angel answered:
“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Luke
1:35)
God gives her a mission that is much so larger than herself and will require so much more effort than her own.
When the angel announces this absurd, inconceivable plan, he promises the power she needs to accomplish
this mission will come from God’s spirit.
Mary felt her worth when God commissioned her, and that is when she began to realize her potential value.
We all have intrinsic value. No matter what your circumstances, no matter who you are, you have intrinsic
value. A $20 bill is always worth $20. We all have intrinsic value.
But we also have potential value. And just like Mary, God wants to use us to change the world. He has
commissioned every one of us to play a part in his mission. And when we realize that and respond to it, our
souls are awakened – we come alive to what we’re really here for, and we feel our worth in a whole new way.
Every once in a while, I think back about how Community got started. And truth is we weren’t that much older
than Mary . . . Some of us were still virgins . . . (did I just say that?) Because we weren’t yet married. I was 23,
Dave was 25,. . . I’ve often said I can believe people came one time, but I still can’t believe they returned. And
looking back, I know it was only because God’s Spirit was alive and he saw the potential value in what would
become Community Christian Church.
Don’t miss this: God wants to use you for something much larger than yourself. His desire is that something
extraordinary would happen through the ordinary.
And God’s vision for your life is always packaged with the power to fulfill it. Power to sustain you when:
 Criticism shouts loud.
 Doubt overwhelms
 And fear paralyzes.
Our souls feel their worth when we’re lifted by God out of the ordinary and into His extraordinary purpose.
Let me ask you:
 How would it change your outlook if you knew God wanted to do something great through you?
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Would it awaken you? Would you feel your worth?
The truth is that God has already commissioned you.
Every one of us longs for our lives to count, to have purpose. We so want to give ourselves to something
bigger than ourselves. Never lose sight of the fact that when we find our way back to God, we are
commissioned to help others find their way back to God.
That doesn’t mean we have to quit our jobs or move halfway across the world, but it does mean that with his
spirit’s power living inside of us, we can reach and restore the people and places we come across every day.
And the best way we can go about that mission is to simply bless those people and places. Do you remember
the bless practices?
 B is for Begin with Prayer – Anybody can do this . . . just pray for people and places. Pray!
 L is for Listen – People so desperately want someone to listen to their hopes, their dreams, their fears
 E is for Eat – Simply share meals with people – how hard is that?
 S is for Serve – Seek out tangible ways to help people
 S is for Story – Eventually, we look for a chance to tell our story of finding our way back to God
That’s what it looks like to be on mission – to reach people who are far from God and restore God’s dream for
our world.
Conclusion
On this Holy Night, God declares that we have value.
 We have intrinsic value because we are created in the image of God, and he wants his spirit to come to
life inside of us.
 We also have potential value as God commissions us to join him in his plan to reach and restore the
world.
O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
Remember: Just because someone isn’t aware something’s value doesn't make it worthless. Mary’s soul felt
its worth. And what happened to Mary can happen to you . . . God wants to come to life inside of you and give you a
mission and a purpose that can change your world.
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