Gospel Message & Recording
In the previous sermon, we learned that we need to listen to the voice of God, that is, understand how God speaks to us. Then we learned how to say yes to the voice of God. Now, it is time for us to use our voice for the upliftment of other people.
Today in the Gospel reading we hear that St. Mary visits Elizabeth. In her visit, St. Mary greets Elizabeth. In so doing, Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and the baby (St. John the Baptist) in her womb leaped for joy. It is incredible that the voice of St. Mary could fill Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit and make the baby in the womb leap up and down. This demonstrates that St. Mary’s voice has power. How does a voice have power? The voice is powerful when the person with that voice is filled with the Holy Spirit, through prayer, fasting, reading God’s word, and following the commandments of God. A powerful voice has nothing to do with loudness or boldness, but has everything to do with holiness. In other words, when we have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ, however soft or loud our voice might be, the words that come out have power. Do your words have power? Have you ever changed someone’s life because of what you said? If you don’t have a single name you can think of, I urge you to think about how you could use your voice to help others.
When St. Mary visited Elizabeth, her voice filled Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit and it went into her womb and literally moved what was inside of her—the preborn child. When we use our voice in a powerful way to impact someone else’s life, what we do is literally move the discouragement, pain, sorrow, disappointment, etc. aside and bring to life their talents and abilities so that they could be used for the Kingdom of God. Have your words ever helped anyone overcome the problems they were facing?
Often, we live for our wife, parents, children and ourselves. We move and breath per our needs and wants not concerned about what others are going through. We work and move up the ladder of success not thinking twice about how we can give back. As Christian, we should be concerned with the wellbeing of others. Our voice has so much power that it can change other people’s lives.
Growing up I was filled with fear, anxiety, worry, and discouragement. In many ways, I did not encounter a voice that moved those struggles out of my inner being. It wasn’t until God sent a few people into my life during my college and seminary years, that I began to deal with my inner struggles. Eventually, their voice began to move my fear, anxiety, worry, and discouragement to the side and brought to life my talents and gifts that were hidden for so many years.
In these days, we should ask God to use our voice to empower other people. I wholehearted believe that this is not an option but an obligation for a Christian.
Discussion Questions:
- Do your words have power? Have you ever changed someone’s life because of what you said?
- Have your words ever helped anyone overcome the problems they were facing?
- Have you ever thought about mentoring someone? If so, tell us about your experience.
- Have you ever been mentored by anyone? If so, tell us about your experience.