2025 Christmas Service: You Who Are Highly Favoured

“God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus.’” (Luke 1:26-28, 31)

It is hard to imagine a time before Christmas. After all, we have come to expect the smells of evergreen trees, colourful lights adorning the city, the frantic hustle in department store lines, and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” playing endlessly on the radio. But before there was Christ, there was no Christmas.

The true origin of Christmas began when the angel Gabriel delivered the life-altering message of Jesus’ birth to Mary. He greeted the unsuspecting mother, saying, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured!” Mary’s initial reaction was one of skepticism, as the Bible notes that she was greatly troubled by his words. However, her fear soon turned to joy as the angel continued, explaining that she had found favour with God and that God would use her to give birth to the Saviour of the world!

What was it about Mary that caused her to find such favour with God? Surely, God would not choose just anyone for the monumental task of carrying His precious Son. Perhaps the key to understanding why Mary found favour with God is revealed in her response to Gabriel when she accepted the responsibility of carrying and delivering the Messiah. In total surrender, she said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

*The brothers celebrate another teen addition as Senay is baptized!*

Mary saw herself as a humble vessel, willing to be used by God as He saw fit. She did not resist God’s will for her life but accepted it with trust and obedience, despite the many challenges she would undoubtedly face. This humility and submission were the most impressive qualities about Mary, and they are likely what endeared her to God’s heart. After all, Scripture tells us that “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” (James 4:6)

A chapter later, when a host of angels delivered the news of Jesus’ birth to the nearby shepherds, they sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests.” (Luke 2:15) Once again, we see the theme of God’s favour being proclaimed, implying that God has a special place in His heart for specific individuals, whom He blesses with His favour. This proclamation also carries with it a promise: that God would give peace to these same individuals who have found favour with Him.

Jaaliyah is baptized on a chilly Friday night, right after a Campus Devotional!

So, who are the people who receive the favour of God on earth? Is it just Mary and the fortunate shepherds who happened to be nearby when Jesus was born? Actually, no. “For God does not show favouritism.” (Romans 2:11) God’s favour is available to anyone who humbles themselves and submits their life to Him. Just as God looked with favour on Abel’s offering and told Cain that if he did what was right, he would be accepted (Genesis 4:4, 6), God’s favour is available to all who do what is right. And it is through this favour that God’s promise of peace can be realized for those who become His humble servants!

Danielle is added to the Kingdom family after her evening baptism!

But what kind of peace are we talking about? Certainly, the world was not at peace when Jesus arrived, despite the Scriptures calling Him the “Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) The first thing that happened after Jesus’ birth was that King Herod began killing all the male babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). The peace that Jesus offers, and that was promised by God to those on whom His favour rests, is not an outward peace free of external conflict. This would contradict Jesus’ own words in Luke 12:51, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” The peace Jesus offers is an inner peace—“rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16, Matthew 11:29)

Leah makes Jesus the Lord of her life as she is baptized on Sunday night!

To summarize, God’s favour is given to those who do what is right in His eyes and who have humble hearts bent on pleasing Him. It is with this favour that we find inner peace, even while surrounded by the chaos of life.

As I reflect on our year as a church, I cannot help but think about how God has poured out His favour on us abundantly! We surpassed our goal of reaching 100 members in February, planted a new Campus Ministry at Seneca College, increased our Bible Talks from 10 to 15, created a Teen Ministry, witnessed over 80 baptisms, raised over $160,000 for missions, and grew our congregation by over 50 percent. On a personal note, I had the joy of seeing my 11-year-old son (now 12), Chase, baptized into Christ! What a year it has been! Truly, we are a church that is “highly favoured!”

But why has God chosen to bless the Toronto Church with His favour in such a profound way? One can only speculate, but I believe it is because our church family demonstrates the same heart that Mary had—one of humble servitude and submission, regardless of consequence! For instance, in October, the Toronto Church took a stand for righteousness, choosing to leave our beloved International Christian Church (ICC) fellowship because we felt that it was moving in an unspiritual direction. We joined the newly formed Restored Church Worldwide (RCW) and became the Restored Church Toronto! As a result of this bold decision to submit to the Scriptures, we saw God immediately place His stamp of approval on the church by blessing us with an abundance of fruit. In the same month, we tied our record for the most baptisms in a single month (11), and the very next month, we set a new record with 13 baptisms! God’s favour always comes when we fully commit to following His standards, and with God’s favour comes peace on earth!

The Mature Singles celebrate with Frank as he is baptized on Sunday afternoon!

I hope that in this holiday season we are filled with a sense of peace, and that we find rest in the favour of God, knowing that the Lord is with us as long as we are fully with Him. And as we look forward to the future, that we continue to strive to reverently submit to God’s will in every aspect of life so that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) And to God be all the glory!