December 11 2011
“The Mercy Clause”
Luke 1:50
There are people God places in our lives that have a positive profound impact on our lives. Mr. Charles Schwidde was one of those impacting persons God placed in my life at an early age at FBC Farmington.
This man’s impact was through his life living … he was a “WYSIWYG” (wiz-ee-wig) man … “What you see is what you get.” But he also impacted my life as a Barnabas … a person of encouragement through his words.
Just as there are impacting people in our lives there are also impacting moments in our lives that we know it’s been more than chance, happenstance or luck at work in our lives. Three times in my life an IM came upon me that I know without the direct intervention from God I would not have survived.
On one impacting moment as a teenager my father and I were changing the muffler on my car in our yard with the car jacked up unsecured and it fell on me as I was crawling out. In the fall the wheel hub fell on my head with my hand in between my head and the hub. My father was pinned under the car with me. Stunned I could say nothing as my Dad yelled for help. Our neighbor heard my Dad yelling and ran over to jack the car up. I was rushed to hospital as my temple area was bleeding badly from a cut … but after examination, x-rays … there was not skull fractures to report. My neighbor simply said, “Bobby you are one lucky boy!”
The next day at church Mr. Schwidde having heard of my near death experience walked up to me, placing his hands on my shoulders looked me in the eyes and with tears in his eyes said, “Mercy, Mercy, God is ever merciful.”
It was in that moment through both the impacting moment and the impacting person those words pointed me to the God who is ever merciful.
His mercy has not stopped but has been a clause of provision as the psalmist (ps 136) declares the “chesed” … “His mercy endures forever.” The psalmist shapes the ongoing mercy of God as a resounding and repeating fashion in his life.
And here at Christmas time we read in the narratives of God’s massive work of mercy in the CHRISTMAS CLAUSE OF MERCY.
It is in the song of Mary … the MAGNIFICAT that she extols the great provision clause of God’s mercy toward us His people.
Luke 1:49-51 ESV (49) for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (50) And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. (51) He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
Mary’s song is titled the MAGNIFICAT based upon verse 46 … my soul magnifies the Lord. It is a song describing the great mercy God has shown not to just her but to all generations past, present and future.
In this song Mary grabs hold of the mercy of the merciful God and launches it as her singing refrain for all to hear and behold.
What grabs me is the OBSCURE MERCY of God. I love it! God is a world changer and you would think He would take charge in the big cities among the elitist of corporations.
But where do we find Him … in an obscure village giving evidence of His mercy to two ladies … one old and one young, but both pregnant with His plan of mercy. I mean is this crazy or what?
And where would His plan of mercy play out? In an obscure little town … not known among the big cities filled with the elitist of the world.
Micah 5:2 GW You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah’s cities. Yet, from you Israel’s future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
I mean is this crazy or what? And Mary in her song of mercy states the wonderfully good news of God’s mercy … And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
“MERCY, MERCY GOD IS EVER MERCIFUL THEN & NOW”
Now take note where Mary so tenderly places the mercy of God … between God being MIGHTY (vs 49) and showing STRENGTH (vs 51).
God dumbfounds the world with His mercy. For those who are mighty and powerful in this world, MERCY is viewed as a weakness.
1 Corinthians 1:27 GW But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame.
God through Mary, a teenage girl, pregnant with the grace and hope of salvation for the world, would show his greatest might and strength through His mercy in the most obscure of ways.
“MERCY, MERCY GOD IS EVER MERCIFUL THEN & NOW”
Now also take note what Mary says who benefits from God’s mercy … And his mercy is for those who fear him.
Benefactors of God’s mercy are those who “fear” God. Those who are walking with Him in a humble state of relationship.
It’s like this … When it comes to God’s mercy the proud and arrogant just don’t get it.
God takes the side of the underdogs and gives them His “ever active expressed compassion.”
Lamentations 3:21-23 ESV But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: (22) The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; (23) they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
“MERCY, MERCY GOD IS EVER MERCIFUL THEN & NOW”
So where does this leave us today? Many see our times as a state of emergency and maybe rightly so. However according to Mary’s song of Christmas … we are really in a state of “EMERGING MERCY”. God is always looking from generation to generation for the God-fearing person to act ever merciful in their life.
God’s OBSCURE MERCY takes “special interest” in persons suffering, sick, suffering, in sin … to the outcast, down and out, those on the fringe … the depressed, haunted with fears … the disabilities of life.
So how would this look in your life and mine? Well if you haven’t experienced the mercy of God lately let me say … When it comes to God’s mercy the proud and arrogant just don’t get it.
Maybe in the Christmas season we should quit complaining, arguing, fussing and being so self-centered and listen to the song of Christmas to see and appreciate the Christmas Clause of Mercy.
“MERCY, MERCY GOD IS EVER MERCIFUL THEN & NOW”
Amen!
