The Rest of the Story

The Rev. Joseph Winston

December 24, 2006

Luke 1
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Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that
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have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who
from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 I too decided,
after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly
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account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth
concerning the things about which you have been instructed.
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In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who
belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron,
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and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living
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blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord.
But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on
in years. 8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on
duty, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the

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sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. 10 Now at the time of the incense offering,
the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11 Then there appeared to
him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When
Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the angel
said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your
wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14 You will have
joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the
sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth
he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will turn many of the people of Israel
to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him,
to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom
of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah said
to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife
is getting on in years.” 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence
of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20
But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their
time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”
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Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay
in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they
realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and
remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was ended, he went to his
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home. After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she
remained in seclusion. She said, 25 “This is what the Lord has done for me when

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he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my
people.”
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In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee
called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
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house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said,
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“Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed
by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said
to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God
will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house
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of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the
angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And
now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the
sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible
with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with
me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
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In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill
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country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Eliz-
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abeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed

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are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has
this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as
I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And
blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken
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to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness
of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the
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Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is
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for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength
with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has
brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has
filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped
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his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he
made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56 And Mary
remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. (NRSV)

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
Radioman Paul Harvey is famous for a radio program titled, “The Rest of the
Story.” This series, which began during World War II, follows a very predictable
formula. Mr. Harvey starts telling a famous tale, but he presents the familiar story
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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in way that most people would not recognize. For example, his story about Coca-
Cola does not start with the company’s success rather we hear how the company’s
founder, John Stith Pemberton, failed to sell his formula for the famous drink.
Then there is the story of William Claude Dukenfield. Dukenfield was an accom-
plished juggler but what really set him apart from the rest of the crowd was his
ability to drown. Several times a day Dukenfield would appear to thrash and flail
in the water and then finally pass beneath its surface. An another actor would play
the part of a helpful passerby who dragged him out of the water. His natural ability
with comedy led to roles on Broadway, Hollywood, and radio. We know William
Claude Dukenfield as the great comedian WC Fields. Paul Harvey’s radio spots
then end with the well known phrase “and now you know . . . the rest of the story.”
Elizabeth’s husband served the Lord faithfully his entire life. From sunset to
sunrise, he followed the ancient rhythm set down by God. He prayed before eating
his evening meal. He went to bed secure in knowing that he was a child of God.
When he awoke in the morning, he thanked God for the night of rest and then he
went to work.
Like most men of the time, his trade was the same as his father and his father
before him. The men of this family have never been farmers or herders nor had
they ever owned an orchard or a vineyard. Instead, they had been set aside to work
for God in God’s house.
The number of men who served the Lord had grown to be huge and it was a
once in a lifetime experience to be able to offer up incense to the Lord. The die
had been cast and Elizabeth’s husband was selected for this important role. After

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praying, he lit the charcoal and piled on equal parts of stacte, onycha, galbanum,
and frankincense (Exodus 30:34). As the smoke bellowed into the air, Elizabeth’s
husband offered another prayer to God and noticed that he was not alone.
Since access to this portion of the temple was tighly controlled, any visitor by
the altar would have been enough to frighten anyone. But it is was soon apparent
to Elizabeth’s husband that this stranger was no mere mortal. He was face to face
with an angel. The fear in the man’s eyes must have been apparent since the angel
told him to remain calm. The angel said the man’s prayers had been heard and
that a son would be born to him and his wife Elizabeth. This boy would be named
John and he was to be dedicated to the Lord because he was destined to be a great
prophet that will turn his fellow countrymen to the Lord.
This was surprising news to him since both he and Elizabeth were old and
childless. Elizabeth’s husband followed the great tradition of Moses, asked how
this miracle will happen. Gabriel said that he had been sent with this good news
and because the man refused to believe, Elizabeth’s husband would be speechless
for nine months. (Apparently, angels avoid answering questions directly.)
A short while later, Gabriel visited a young female relative of Elizabeth and
He announced that God preferred her. This forthright advance from the angel sur-
prised her. Gabriel noticed her readily apparent confusion. Gabriel then gave her
his prepared speech, which once again told her that God had chosen her and the
terrifying new news that she would have a Son that she would name Joshua. Con-
tinuing on with this presentation, Gabriel said that Joshua would be seated on
King David’s throne forever.

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 Since she was single and celibate, no one could blame the young girl for asking
how this would happen. Gabriel replied that the Lord’s Spirit would come and she
would be in God’s shadow. This Child would be set apart since He was God’s
Son. The angel went on to say that old Elizabeth would have a son in three short
months. Elizabeth’s young female relation agreed to God’s plan and Gabriel left
the scene.
After hearing the amazing news, the young girl quickly packed her belongings
and headed for Elizabeth’s home. When she greeted Elizabeth, the prenatal John
leaped for joy. God’s Spirit entered Elizabeth and she prophesied about the young
girl’s future. The one who was standing before her was the most blessed woman
of all times. She had both accepted God’s will and she was carrying God’s Son.2
After praising God and thanking God for what has happened in her life, the
young girl answered the prophesy of Elizabeth with one of her own. She first
echoed Elizabeth’s words and told everyone that she is doubly blessed. She is the
mother of our Lord and she has done what God asked her. She then continued with
more words from God. Mercy will be freely given to everyone who honors God.
The Lord’s work in the world has freed slaves in the past and this powerful action
will continue in the world.3 Those who are arrogant in attitude will be brought
down.4 Both the rich and the poor will have the fortunes reversed. God’s covenant
to Abraham and his children will last forever.
By the way we read the Bible in church, we do something that the author of
2
?, .
3
?, .
4
?, .

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Luke and Acts never ever wanted to happen. We break the single story line into
multiple small pieces. We then pretend that the unity of each little part stands
completely on its own. If we are fortunate, we will hear the entire story with a
week of time between each section. If not, we do not listen to the story at all.
That is what happened with the first chapter of Luke. We no longer read the
author’s inscription to Theophilus and we skip the story of Gabriel in the temple.
In doing so, we destroy the story’s continuity.
The story that we are supposed to hear includes a priest named Zechariah and
the prophecy of two women. By leaving out these few verses, we no longer have
the stark comparison between Zechariah and Mary. The educated man of God
who works in God’s house does not believe God’s Word, even when it is delivered
by an angel. Contrast this to the young Mary. She is a poor teenager, with little
or no education, who follows God’s will. By eliminating this portion of the Luke
from our readings in church, we miss another striking male/female comparison.
The male priest Zechariah never prophesizes in Luke. Every the prophecy in this
reading comes from the two women. Elizabeth tells the world about Mary and her
Son. Mary informs us of her and her Son’s futures.
If we had kept the assigned reading, we would have missed the story of two
strong women who bring God’s Word and the man of God who would not believe.
We edit the Gospel of St. Luke and other portions of the Bible because we do not
like to hear what God wants to tell us. Our problem with this text does not end
here. Mary’s song of praise, has some very strong words about what will happen
to people in power. Most congregations only hear these prophetic words from God

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once a year since they do not follow the ancient tradition of singing Mary’s song
every evening. Through our actions, we modify God’s Word to fit our situation
rather than allowing God to change us.
God’s response to our radical revisions could have been some drastic action
such as removing us from existence. In place of doing this, God saved us. That is
what the name Joshua means. God saves. Tonight, on the eve of Christ’s birth, we
celebrate the birth of our salvation.
Paul Harvey’s well known radio show takes a commonly known story and
retells it in a way that captures your attention. We know Joshua, not by His Hebrew
name but instead by the Greek transliteration Jesus.
Now you know . . . the rest of the story.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”5

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Philippians 4:7.