If you were asked, “Who are the most blessed people in history?” most of us would start reaching for the obvious answers. People with wealth to spare. People with influence that shaped nations. People with beauty that turns heads and stops rooms. Rockefeller. Musk. Warren Buffett. Caesar. Edison. Washington. Beyoncé. Michael B. Jordan.

And those things can be blessing

But in this message, we were invited to consider a surprising answer. The two most blessed people in world history were poor, unimpressive, and we do not even know what they looked like. But we do know their names. They do not need two names. Just Mary. And Joseph.

They were blessed because they were chosen to be the mom and dad of Jesus. They had the front row seat to watch the most influential person in human history. And for once, Time Magazine got it right.

In this second to last installment of the Lights of Christmas series, we looked at the couple most blessed in world history and what their story teaches us about faith, obedience, and trusting God when the plan feels unbelievable.

Mary

Ordinary and Extraordinary

Mary’s story begins in Luke 1, with a teenager in a small town called Nazareth. No money. No status. No fame. No impressive spiritual resume. And yet heaven shows up in her ordinary life with a message that changes everything.

Luke 1:28 (NIV)

“Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you.”

Mary is troubled. Confused. Afraid. And like any sane person, she asks a real question.

Luke 1:34 (NIV)

“How will this be since I am a virgin?”

The angel’s answer is not small. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the Most High will overshadow you. This is a miracle baby. A fulfillment of God’s promise. And then the line that anchors the entire story.

Luke 1:37 (NIV)

“No word from God will ever fail.”

Mary’s response is what makes her stand out in Scripture. She does not negotiate. She does not demand the master plan. She does not stall until everything makes sense. She simply says what every disciple eventually has to say.

Luke 1:38 (NIV)

“I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Mary was normal in most ways, but extraordinary in the ways that mattered.

She was young, likely 15 to 18, not a 32 year old first-time mom. She lived in a forgotten town. Yet she had outstanding character, the kind of faithfulness that is rare in a Bible full of mixed bags. She was also in the line of David, and even her hometown carried prophetic weight, Nazareth tied to the idea of a branch from David.

She was also the single most shaping human voice of Jesus’ early years. The hand that rocks the cradle shapes the mind of the next generation, and Mary was hand-picked to shape the mind of the Christ child.

And while this message made it clear that Mary is not sinless, not divine, and not a lifetime virgin, it also refused to minimize her. She is still a massive figure in God’s story. The most blessed woman of all time.

One of the key moments in the message was the reminder that God rarely unfolds His long-term master plan for our approval. He leads step by step. The question is not whether you understand everything. The question is whether you will trust Him with the next thing.

So the invitation lands personally.

What is God asking you to say yes to, sight unseen, received by faith, where you simply say, “I am the Lord’s servant”?

Because aligning with God’s plans results in big praise. Mary eventually bursts into worship, the Magnificat, drawing from Hannah’s prayer, the Psalms, and Isaiah. She is not only willing. She is biblically literate, theologically savvy, and able to praise God with depth even in uncertainty.

And she treasures things in her heart. She processes. She sits with it. Even God’s kindness shows up here, giving teenage Mary a mentor and confidante in Elizabeth, someone experiencing her own miracle pregnancy so Mary does not have to carry the weight alone.

Joseph

The Faithful Man People Forget

Then we moved to the other half of the equation. Joseph.

This message had a clear conviction. History underrepresents Joseph. Christmas music forgets him. Art forgets him. Even the way we talk about the story often sidelines him. Mother and child. Mary’s lap. The Madonna paintings. Joseph is treated like background.

But Joseph was similarly amazing.

His story in Matthew 1 is raw and realistic. Mary is pregnant, and Joseph knows it was not him. He is faithful to the law and also compassionate. He does not want to disgrace her. He plans to divorce her quietly, which shows restraint, kindness, and integrity.

Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV)

“Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife… she will give birth to a son… and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph wakes up and does the right thing. He has his own “I am the Lord’s servant” moment, but for him it becomes a lifetime of cost. He takes a pregnant teenage girl as his wife in the face of social pressure and suspicion. He protects. He provides. He leads his family to safety. He bears the quiet weight of obedience in a story where not everyone will understand.

The message also highlighted Joseph as a craftsman. Tekton could mean carpenter, but in a region built largely of stone, he was likely closer to a stone mason. He probably worked in nearby Sepphoris to earn a living. Day in and day out, he had a front row seat to the drama and wonder of raising Jesus.

And the lesson from Joseph’s life matched Mary’s.

Take God at His word and change the world.

Word Over Resistance

As the message turned toward application, it asked an honest question.

Where do you have resistance to God’s Word?

We have a tendency to read Scripture in light of our experience when we should read our experience in light of Scripture. It is easy to embrace the parts we like and resist the parts that confront us.

Honesty, yes, but not sexuality. Worship songs, yes, but not caring for the poor. God in my life, yes, but not God in my calendar, relationships, and wallet.

If you want to change the world, you have to align with God’s plan for the world. You have to believe Him at His word even when it seems crazy. You have to obey even when you do not see the next step or the master plan.

The Gritty Miracle of Bethlehem

For Mary and Joseph, that obedience meant walking toward Bethlehem at census time. Descendants of David returning to the city of David. A journey somewhere between 67 and 90 miles, likely around 10 days on foot, depending on weather and Mary’s condition.

When they arrived, the scene was not pretty. The town was overrun. They end up in a cave on a hillside, a place normally reserved for sheep.

And babies do not wait for convenient timing.

The message cut through the sanitized Christmas imagery and reminded us that this was real. Gritty. Ordinary. Painful. Bloody. Slimy. Not a silent night.

And yet God was protecting them. Sending angels to shepherds. Hanging a star for the magi. Making this backwoods cave the secret centerpiece of history.

It all felt ordinary, but it was world changing.

Take God at His word and you will change the world.

A Simple Christmas Invitation

The closing invitation brought it home to daily life.

For Christmas this year, what are the small ways you can say, “I am the Lord’s servant”?

Who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to return a blessing for instead of a curse? Who do you need to call and make the extra effort?

And for kids, what could it look like to practice servant-heart faith in small ways? Empty the dishwasher. Clean up the wrapping paper. Pay attention to your little brother. These are the practice rounds that condition a heart to say yes to God.

This is the way God changes the world. Not always through the wealthy, the famous, or the impressive. Often through ordinary people who trust God with the next thing.

Take God at His word and change the world.

And as a church, the invitation was clear. Come back for Christmas. Bring a friend. Celebrate the biggest light of Christmas, the baby that changed everything.

Message recap adapted from the December 21, 2025, message by Minister Mark Ashton.

Message Notes & Slides

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