When You're All Tied Up

Devotional

Day 1: God enters our chaos and brings surprising grace.

Mary’s life was ordinary—engaged, planning, and unaware—until an angel interrupted her plans with a scandalous promise. This passage shows that God does not wait for neat, organized lives; he steps right into the tangled, the messy, and the scandalous and brings his favor and purpose. You are invited to bring whatever feels twisted or out of control to him, trusting that his presence changes everything even when you don’t understand how. [07:38]

Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail." 38 "I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her.

Reflection: Where in your life do you feel most ashamed, worried, or tempted to hide—what would it look like to tell God about that place and ask him to step in first?

Day 2: Jesus holds all things and centers our lives.

Colossians reminds that Jesus is not a distant figure but the one by whom all things were made and in whom all things hold together. That means the tangled parts of life still exist within his sustaining power—nothing is outside his ability to weave into purpose. When Jesus is placed at the center, chaos is not erased but redeemed and used for his glory. [26:16]

Colossians 1:15-20 (NIV)

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Reflection: What is one tangible way you can re-center a specific area (time, relationship, finances) around Jesus this week so his purposes, not your neatness, shape the outcome?

Day 3: Jesus is the light for people in darkness.

Isaiah’s promise of a great light captures the way Jesus shows up to reveal what was hidden and to guide those stumbling in confusion. Living apart from Christ is like walking blindfolded; his coming turns the light on so you can see yourself, others, and your true path more clearly. Let that light illuminate the knotted places where you habitually stumble and invite clarity over fear. [18:11]

Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Reflection: Which recurring mistake or blind spot in your life might be exposed and healed if you asked Jesus to turn his light directly on that area?

Day 4: God speaks purpose into unexpected circumstances.

Joseph’s dream shows that when life goes sideways, God often responds by calling ordinary people to extraordinary purpose—not by removing the difficulty but by giving direction and courage. The angel’s word to Joseph turned confusion and shame into a chance to step into a meaningful role in God’s plan. Consider how God might be inviting you to step up into responsibility and purpose amid the mess you didn’t plan for. [21:36]

Matthew 1:20 (NIV)

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."

Reflection: What is one fearful, ambiguous situation you’ve been avoiding that God might want to repurpose—what’s one small obedient step you could take this week toward that purpose?

Day 5: Tangled lives become God's workmanship for good.

Ephesians declares that you are God’s handiwork—created for good works prepared in advance—so the very mess you lament can be the raw material God uses to display his artistry. Rather than seeing knots as wasted time or ruined plans, imagine God weaving those strands into something useful and beautiful for others. Bring your ragged, overcommitted, stressed places and trust that they are not accidental but part of a work God is doing. [25:02]

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Reflection: Identify one “tangled” area you assumed was wasted—how could that experience be redirected into a specific service, testimony, or act of compassion this month?

Sermon Summary

Every December I feel the tug-of-war between how I hoped life would look—orderly, peaceful, all lined up—and how it actually is: knotted, tense, and complicated. Holding two strands of lights made the point: whether neat or tangled, neither shines without an outside source of power. That is the heart of Advent. God didn’t wait for a perfect world or perfect people; he entered a tangled one. Luke 1 drops us into Mary’s life at the very moment everything gets complicated. She’s favored—and now her world is suddenly complex. Yet right there, in the middle of scandal, confusion, and social pressure, God steps in. That is his way.

Mary doesn’t get a schematic; she gets a promise. “Nothing is impossible with God.” Her response becomes a model for us in our own knots: “I am the Lord’s servant… may it be to me as you have said.” God doesn’t save from a distance. He arrives in the manger, under political overreach, into a stressed couple, on a night almost everyone missed. He comes because humanity cannot untangle itself.

From there, I traced God’s pattern: he steps into chaos and turns the light on so we can finally see. He speaks purpose—in Joseph’s case, calling him to courage and fatherhood instead of quiet retreat. He weaves beauty through ordinary means—the incarnation wasn’t an Olympic opening ceremony; it was hidden, humble, yet world-altering. And he brings Christ to the center—of creation, of history, and of our lives. The miracle of Christmas isn’t that God fixes our chaos; it’s that he redeems it. He may not turn your snarl into a straight line. More likely, he will plug your real life into his power and shine through it anyway.

So bring your tangled places to Jesus. Not so he’ll make them Instagram-neat, but so his light can break through your real life as it is. He didn’t throw humanity away and start over. He entered our knots to make them luminous.

Key Takeaways

1. The source, not the strand Power is not produced by our orderliness but received from Christ. The neat life and the knotted life are equally powerless apart from him. Freedom comes when we stop managing appearances and start abiding in the Source. Plug in before you straighten up. [29:44]
2. God steps into our chaos God does not wait for us to improve before he arrives; he shows up in the middle. The incarnation proves that divine love is not allergic to mess. Expect him not at the edges of your life, but in the center of your most complicated places. [09:59]
3. Surrender when you don’t understand Mary models faithful consent without full comprehension. Mystery is not a barrier to obedience; it’s the environment where trust is formed. Say yes to the God you cannot control, and watch him birth what you could never engineer. [16:43]
4. Purpose replaces panic in calling Joseph wanted to bail until God named his role. When God speaks purpose, fear doesn’t always vanish—but it relocates under obedience. Receive your assignment, and your circumstances gain a frame that can carry weight. [21:36]
5. Christmas is redemption, not repair God may not untie every knot, but he refuses to waste one. He turns chaos into carrier—your life becomes a lantern for his light. Hope grows when we stop demanding resolution and start welcoming redemption. [27:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:27] - The tangled lights illustration
[02:16] - Two strands, one shared truth
[04:55] - December tangles we all feel
[05:16] - Mary’s unexpected calling
[07:11] - Nothing is impossible with God
[09:59] - God enters our messy world
[12:38] - The “silent night” everyone missed
[14:23] - Why Jesus came into tangles
[16:57] - A pattern: how God untangles
[22:54] - Beauty woven through ordinary means
[25:41] - Christ at the center of all
[27:38] - Redemption over resolution
[29:44] - The source, not the strand
[31:03] - Invitations and closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading (ESV)
Luke 1:26–38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name 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 father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered 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 called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Observation questions

What are the angel Gabriel’s main announcements to Mary about who the child will be and what will happen? [06:11]
How does Mary first react to Gabriel’s greeting, and what question does she ask him? [06:11]
What promise does the angel give that addresses Mary’s doubt, and which phrase communicates God’s absolute ability? [07:11]
How does Mary finally answer the angel, and what words does she use to express her consent? [16:43]

Interpretation questions

What does it mean the Messiah is announced into a “tangled” life—how does God’s entering Mary’s messy situation change the understanding of where God chooses to work? [08:05]
How should the phrase “nothing will be impossible with God” shape expectations about human control and about how God accomplishes his purposes? [07:11]
What can be learned from Joseph’s change of heart—how does receiving a God-given purpose redirect fear and impulses to flee? [21:36]
In what sense is Christmas more about redemption than repair, and how does that affect hopes for immediate neatness or full resolution in present struggles? [27:38]

Application questions

Identify one area of life that feels tangled right now (schedule, relationships, finances, shame, grief). What would it look like to bring that specific knot to Jesus instead of first trying to “straighten it out”? [27:59]
When faced with a situation you cannot understand, what would it take for you to respond like Mary—“I am the Lord’s servant; let it be to me according to your word”? Name one concrete step to practice that surrender this week (a prayer, a conversation, an act of obedience). [16:43]
Where is fear prompting you to bail or to avoid responsibility? Ask: what might God be calling me to if he speaks a purpose into this fear, and what’s one small obedience you could take toward that calling? [21:36]
What rhythms or practices help you “plug into the Source” before trying to fix appearances (e.g., daily Scripture, short prayers, Sabbath pause, a trusted friend)? Pick one and commit to it for the next two weeks. [29:44]
Who in your life would benefit from an invitation to a simple, accessible Christmas service or conversation about Jesus this season? Write down one name and one practical way you will invite them. [31:03]
How is God already weaving beauty through an ordinary part of your life (work, family, weakness, failure)? Share an example and one way you can intentionally let Christ’s light shine through that ordinary place this month. [22:54]

Sermon Clips

This angel appears to Mary. It's Gabriel, is the angel. And he appears to Mary, and he says, Mary, good news. You're favored. God picked you. God chose you. You're favored among all other women. God chose you. Oh, and by the way, everything about your life is about to get completely complicated. Everything about your life is about to get completely tangled up, completely tied up. Congratulations, though. Mary's world went from being manageable to being tangled in one second. But tangled is where God enters into mankind. Into the mess is where God arrives. [00:07:23] (42 seconds) #FavoredAndTangled

But here's the truth. What God calls mess, sorry, what we call mess, God calls material. What we call tangled, God calls transformation. It seems hopeless to us. It looks hopeless to us. It seems tangled to us. God says, I can use that. God understands what he can do. However you feel this Christmas, God understands. Here's the heart of it. God did not save us from a distance. [00:09:29] (32 seconds) #MessIsMaterial

He did not stand way off on his throne looking at humanity and be like, I know what I'm going to do for them because I'm a loving father. No, no, no. He entered into the chaos. He wraps himself in flesh and comes right into the middle of our tangled mess. Jesus did not show up into a perfect family. He did not show up to perfect people. And he certainly did not show up into a perfect world. [00:10:01] (27 seconds) #GodEnteredChaos

But here's the deal. When we sing Silent Night, what we don't mean is that everything was quiet, still, and peaceful. What we don't mean when we sing, all is calm, is that nothing was wrong. The point of Silent Night is that everyone missed the birth of the Savior of the world. Everyone missed it. Jesus' death later on would be put on display for everyone to see. He hung on a cross for everyone to clearly see. But his birth, make no mistake, was a secret. Everybody missed it. [00:12:44] (38 seconds) #SilentNightWasHidden

On the cross, Jesus took our tangled mess. In the resurrection, he beat the power of sin and death forever. And through the Holy Spirit, he uses our tangled mess to shine forth his purposes. In us, but also to the world. So this Christmas may feel tangled for you, but listen, God is weaving something good in you. And I promise you, you probably don't understand that. [00:14:59] (31 seconds) #WeavingThroughMess

If you ask me, a great way to describe what it looks like to live life apart from Jesus is walking in darkness. Whether there's zero light and you can't see, or whether you're blindfolded somehow and you can't see, that's what living life without Jesus is like. You're just stumbling around, trying not to stump your toe on something, trying not to step on a Lego, right? You're just walking around in darkness. And Jesus turns the light on. And when Jesus turns the light on, you can see in a way that you could not see before. You can see things that you could not see before. [00:18:02] (41 seconds) #FromDarknessToLight

And if this is his pattern, this means that your life right now is not too tangled for him. It's not too tangled for him to use. Because the miracle of Christmas isn't that God fixes your chaos. It's that he redeems it. God's not always going to fix the chaos that is your tangled mess. But he can redeem it. He can make it worth something. [00:27:30] (29 seconds) #RedeemedNotFixed

Because here's the truth. The power never depended on the neatness of the strand. It depended on the source. In order for these bulbs to shine, this strand did not need to be in a straight line. It never depended on the neatness of the strand. It always depended on the source. And the source is Jesus. He can shine his purposes through us into the world no matter what this strand looks like. [00:29:35] (35 seconds) #SourceNotStrand

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

How does God redeem chaos without removing it?

Why is incarnation into scandal theologically significant?

What pattern marks God’s work in tangled lives?