Advent week #2 – The Light of Peace
Reading: Luke 1:26-38 Preacher: Rev Phil Swain
We continue our Advent journey as we light the second candle — the Light of Peace. We’ll be looking at Mary’s conversation with the angel in Luke 1:26–38, and that her first reaction wasn’t peace but rather she was “greatly troubled.” Why would words of favour and promise unsettle her? And how does she move from confused and overwhelmed to a place of trust and peace — “Let it be with me according to your word”? As we get closer to Christmas, many of us are carrying our own mix of excitement, stress, joy, and worry. So on Sunday we’ll explore how God’s peace doesn’t always arrive as everything suddenly sorted out, but as God’s gentle presence “overshadowing” us — holding us, steadying us, and helping us.
Sermon Text
This morning we lit the second Advent candle… the Light of Peace. But I wonder how peaceful you’re feeling right now. We are in that stretch before Christmas where everything seems to speed up — the calendar fills, the inbox grows, the emotions intensify. For some of us, it’s a beautiful time. For others, it’s stressful. And for many of us, it’s both at once.
If you’re not feeling especially peaceful this morning, you’re in good company. Because when the angel appears to Mary with words of blessing and favour… she doesn’t feel peaceful either.
Luke tells us, “Mary was greatly troubled at his words.”
Not troubled by the appearance of an angel — which is interesting, because later the shepherds are terrified by simply seeing the angels. Mary is troubled by the words.
And that makes me wonder: What was it about the angel’s words that troubled Mary?
Gabriel’s opening line is “Greetings, you who are highly favoured. The Lord is with you.” Lovely words. Reassuring words. But also confronting.
We have talked about this before but just to remind you … Mary is a nobody. A teenage girl from an insignificant town in the north —the flyover country of ancient Israel. She is not wealthy. Not powerful. Not influential. To be greeted as “favoured” may have felt confusing. Maybe even exposing.
“Favoured? Me? Surely not.”
It could be troubling … and I know from conversations that some of us here might relate to how Mary is feeling. We have just finished our Generosity Program which affirmed that God is calling each one of us to help with God’s mission. A few people shared with me that instead of being comforted by those words, they felt a little overwhelmed… or unworthy… or unsure that God would really call them … other people maybe but not them. Maybe it was the same with Mary – that her sense of troubledness is because she cannot imagine she is special enough to be chosen by God.
Or maybe she is troubled by the impossibility of the Angels’ message. A pregnancy? A king? A king inside her? When she hasn’t even been with Joseph yet? The whole idea was impossible AND socially dangerous AND life-changing.
The podcast I was listening to during the week reminded me that Mary is young … like 13 or 14 years old. She knows what an unexpected pregnancy would mean in her culture. She knows what people would say. She knows what Joseph might think. Her mind must have been racing. Anxious. Confused. Overwhelmed. Troubled.
We know those words … especially in our high-pressured culture that we live in. All of us have felt (or are currently feelings) stressed, anxious, unsure, unsettled. Which makes her story feel suddenly very relevant. The theme today is supposed to be PEACE but peace is not always our first reaction to God’s call. Sometimes God’s word unsettles us before it steadies us.
That was Mary’s journey. Yes she was troubled when the angel arrives but by the end of the passage her mind and heart seems to have settled and she sounds remarkably peaceful. “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.”
So what happened? How does Mary move from troubled in verse 29 to peaceful in verse 38? What is her journey? What helped her find peace in her troubledness? I want to suggest five things happened … lets step through them and see if this wisdom might apply to us in our worries or stress.
1. She Stays in the Conversation
Despite her feeling troubled and anxious … Mary does not run away. She doesn’t shut down. She engages with the situation. She asks her honest question: “How will this be?”
I just want to acknowledge how brave Mary is by asking this question. Many of us — confronted with something overwhelming — would freeze or flee. Mary stays in the conversation, even while troubled – even while confused.
Sometimes the road to peace begins simply by not walking away from the conversation with God.
2. She Is “Overshadowed”—Held in God’s Presence
Gabriel says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
In a sermon series on light, the word “overshadow” jumps out at me. Why overshadow? Shouldn’t it be something like “God’s light shone on Mary” … Overshadow implies more darkness that light. The podcast I listened to pointed out that “overshadow” is the same word used for the cloud of God’s presence over the Tabernacle in Exodus. It is not a dark cloud of fear. It is; a sign that God is near.
Sometimes the Light of Peace is not a spotlight that makes everything clear. Sometimes peace comes as the quiet overshadowing of God’s presence — a holy shade, a protective nearness, a presence that surrounds more than it explains.
Mary may not understand everything… but she is held.
3. She Is Given a Sign
Gabriel tells Mary about Elizabeth — her older relative who was thought to be barren, yet is now six months pregnant. This was a sign to Mary that God is part of all of this. The “sign” wasn’t a miracle in the sky but rather just pointing to another human in whom God is already at work.
If we kept reading in Luke chapter 1, we would see that Mary goes and sees Elizabeth’s growing belly. She can see that God’s impossible promise has literally taken on flesh in someone else.
Sometimes, before we can believe that God can do something impossible in us, we first need to see evidence of God’s faithfulness in others.
4. She Hears a Deeper Word
Back in verse 29 we read that “Mary is troubled by the angel’s word”. It is interesting to put this alongside the words of the Angel Gabriel in verse 37. Gabriel says, “No word from God will ever fail.”
I find it interesting that the same word that troubled Mary becomes the word that strengthens her. God’s promises may disturb our plans, but they will not fail. We can trust in God’s word or in the promises of God.
5. She Entrusts Herself to God
Finally Mary says, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me according to your word.” Not passive surrender … not resignation … but active trust. Mary doesn’t know how everything will unfold but she knows enough of God’s character to entrust herself to God.
That is the heart of peace. Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of trust.
So … back to the question, “What Does This Mean for Us?” In our high pressured, busy stressful world we live in … what does this story speak to us?
The podcast that I was listening to ended the podcast with a beautiful reflection. They noted:
At this moment in the story, the only people who know the world is about to change are:
- a young woman and her confused fiancé
- an older woman
- and their two unborn children
The world is just about to be changed forever — but almost nobody can see it yet.
That is often how God’s peace emerges. Quietly. Unnoticed by most. Deeply present in the lives of ordinary people who are willing to listen to God’s whisper.
And maybe that’s the good news that we need to hear.
I invite you to do some internal reflecting. Let me ask you, What is troubling you this Christmas?
- Family stress?
- Financial pressure?
- Grief or loneliness?
- Fatigue?
- Worry about the world?
- Or maybe it’s simply the busyness of the season, leaving little room for stillness?
Like Mary, you may feel troubled. And God’s promise of peace may not instantly quiet your heart. But Mary shows us the path:
- Stay in the conversation with God.
- Ask your honest questions.
- Look for signs of God’s work around you — in others, in small moments, in quiet grace.
- Hear again that no word from God will ever fail.
- Let the Spirit overshadow you, cover you with God’s presence. Entrust yourself once more to God’s love.
Peace is not something we force or manufacture. Jesus said, “Peace I give to you.” Peace is a gift — a gift that comes wrapped in God’s nearness.
As we pause in this Advent season, I invite you — like Mary — to sit quietly in God’s presence. You don’t need to have it all together. You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to feel peaceful to receive peace.
Simply imagine the gentle overshadowing of God’s Spirit resting over you —
- a holy shelter,
- a tender nearness,
- a quiet light that surrounds you.
May the Light of Peace shine upon you.
May it steady your heart, calm your mind,
and fill you with hope.
May you, like Mary, find the courage to say,
“Let it be with me.
Let your peace rest upon me.
Let your light shine in me.” Amen