Make Room for Outrageous Disruption

Sermon by Pastor Derek Foo

14 Dec English Service

Christmas is often associated with calm, joy, and familiarity — a season where everything feels warm and predictable. Yet when we look closely at the first Christmas, we discover a very different story. Pastor Derek reminds us that Christmas did not begin with comfort, but with interruption. It began with God stepping into human history in an unexpected, uncontrollable, and disruptive way.

Drawing from Luke 1:26–38, the message centres on Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel and reveals a powerful truth: God’s disruptions are not accidents — they are invitations into His greater plan.

First, God’s outrageous disruption begins by entering the ordinary. God did not choose a remarkable city or a powerful individual. He sent His angel to Nazareth — an unremarkable town — and to Mary, a young, insignificant girl with no social status or influence. Yet God called her “highly favoured.” What the world sees as ordinary or insignificant, God sees as chosen and valuable. God often speaks in quiet, unexpected ways, disrupting what feels settled in our everyday lives.

Second, God announces His plan, but not in a way that gives us control. Before explaining anything, the angel reassures Mary of God’s favour. God’s plan is rooted in grace, not human ability. The angel reveals what will happen — not what Mary must figure out — showing that the plan rests entirely in God’s power. Ultimately, the plan is not centred on Mary, but on Jesus and His eternal kingdom. God tells us enough to move forward, but never enough to feel in control, because faith requires trust.

Finally, God invites a response. Mary is allowed to ask honest questions — not from doubt, but from faith seeking understanding. The angel assures her that the Holy Spirit will accomplish what seems impossible, reminding her that nothing is impossible with God. Mary’s response is a surrendered, costly “yes.” She does not have clarity or certainty, but she chooses trust: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Pastor Derek challenges us to recognise that God still works the same way today. He steps into our ordinary lives, disrupts our comfortable plans, and calls us into something greater than ourselves. Making room for God means choosing surrender over control, trust over certainty, and faith over fear.

This Christmas, the question is not whether God is calling — He is. The question is whether we are willing to make room and say, like Mary, “Let it be according to Your word.”