Luke 1

Survivor is a reality tv game show that has proven to be one of the most successful franchises in television history. Starting in 1992 as the brainchild of a British tv producer, Survivor has spread throughout the world to play in over 50 countries as diverse as Chile and China.

If you've watched CBS' Survivor with its $1,000,000 prize, you notice how quickly the sixteen to twenty strangers separate out into two groups, no matter how many "tribes" there are. In one group are those who, in the face of the unexpected, meltdown, freeze, or fold. In the other group are those who cope, manage, and overcome when the unforeseen rears its head.

This difference in ability and mobility is less dependent on the facts, and far more dependent upon faith. All Survivor stories combine components of grace and good luck, grit and gumption. But at the very base of those who "survive" in the face of surprising challenges, are those who have faith. When it is just too hard to hang on, we need another we can hang on to.

First century Palestine was not a particularly progressive society. Jews and Gentiles, Jewish and pagan, iron-fisted Roman rulers and oppressed subjects lived in an uneasy, unequal social equilibrium. In the first century there were definite "haves" and "have-nots" - the "who's who" and "who's not" lists that circulated locally. Getting on one of these "who's not" lists had far more social, political, and even Survivor repercussions than any Christmas "naughty and nice" list.

In the 21st century it is hard for us to hear how the angel Gabriel's "good news" sounded to Mary. In the 21st century it is not a death sentence to receive a birth notice.

It was then. That is exactly what Mary heard at that moment of angelic visitation.

(from http://www.sermons.com)