Podcast Summary: Fresh Life Church — "This Will Do"

Host: Pastor Levi Lusko | Date: December 25, 2025

Episode Overview

On this special Christmas episode of the Fresh Life Church podcast, Pastor Levi Lusko delivers a message titled "This Will Do" (subtitle: X Marks the Spot). The message centers on the nativity story in Luke Chapter 1, focusing on Mary’s response to God’s miraculous calling. Through storytelling, biblical exposition, and practical illustrations, Pastor Levi explores themes of availability, willingness, and God’s desire to use ordinary, humble people in extraordinary ways. The episode encourages listeners to open their hearts and lives to God’s purposes, especially in the midst of uncertainty and messiness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction—Setting the Tone for Christmas (00:00–03:21)

• Pastor Levi expresses gratitude to listeners for joining during the holidays and highlights upcoming events at Fresh Life Church (e.g., new sermon series “It’s About Time” starting Jan 4 and Lord’s Supper on Sunday).
• He emphasizes the importance of adoration directed towards Jesus and situates the coming message in the context of celebrating Christ’s birth.

2. Scripture Reading: The Annunciation (03:22–08:22)

• Pastor Levi reads from Luke 1, highlighting the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary. He draws attention to Mary’s humble origins in Nazareth, a place held in low regard:

“Can anything good come from Nazareth? ... You came from nothing. You’ll amount to nothing.” (04:37)

• He underscores the radical nature of Mary being chosen in a patriarchal society and reflects on the power of God’s promises to those society overlooks.
• Notably, Pastor Levi mentions the recurring biblical encouragement:

“There are 365 ‘do not be afraid’ in the Bible. ... For any circumstance you could be facing, any day of the year, there’s a promise from God to give you peace.” (05:19)

• The passage is recounted to assert the boundless, unstoppable nature of Christ’s kingdom.

3. The Miraculous & the Impossible (08:22–10:01)

• Pastor Levi emphasizes that “nothing is impossible with God.”

“It can go from barren to fruitful, barren to flourishing, in a moment of time when He speaks the word.” (09:14)

4. Mary’s Response—The Heart That God Uses (10:01–12:00)

• Mary’s iconic reply:

“Let it be to me according to your word.” (09:50)

• Levi underscores Mary’s willingness as the pivotal quality God sought—not her talent, background, or experience.

“God is waiting to see from a young person, from a middle-aged person, from anyone—he’s looking not for great ability but for great availability.” (11:02)

5. Hot Air Balloons & X Marks the Spot (12:01–18:40)

• Levi draws a creative parallel from the tradition of hot air balloon landings and the use of white X’s on lawns in Albuquerque, NM to signal a welcome landing place.
• He connects this imagery to Mary’s life—her choices and heart painted a bold X for God to land His purposes.

“What God found in her life made her perfectly poised to receive the miraculous, to walk in the supernatural. And listen to me very carefully: you can, too.” (16:17)

• Levi humorously describes his own attempt to photograph an X-marked lawn, adding a touch of personal humility and relatability.

6. What Made Mary Special? Five Qualities of Willingness (18:41–30:44)

Pastor Levi breaks down Mary’s X-factor into five forms of willingness:

a. Willing to Wonder (18:41)

• Mary didn’t have all the answers and was honest about her confusion but leaned in anyway:

“She was with God in her confusion. Are you willing to wonder?” (20:29)

• The message: Focus on “Who” (God), not “How.”

b. Willing to Wait (20:55)

• The process of God’s work takes time, often demanding patience.

“What’s your comfort level with confusion and with waiting... Can we persist and be willing in the wait?” (22:01)

c. Willing to Work (22:54)

• Spiritual growth and service require sweat equity.

“It’s great to say, I want to see God work, but are you going to put yourself out there... It’s not just having an opinion. It’s being willing to work.” (24:14)

d. Willing to be Weird (25:58)

• The means of salvation is unusual, even offensive to some.

“I am doing 75 hard. ... Like, human nature craves something that can make us feel like we’re the hero. But the gospel allows room for one hero. His name is Jesus.” (27:08)

• God’s way magnifies His glory, not ours.

e. Willing to Worship (28:23)

• Mary’s response to uncertainty and challenge was to worship.

“How are you going to make it through waiting? ... The choice is before you to worship when you don’t know, to worship when you can’t figure it out.” (29:04)

• Listeners are encouraged to enter into the same pattern of worshipful obedience.

7. God’s Comfort With Messiness—You Too Can Be the Spot (30:45–33:00)

• Levi reassures listeners who feel disqualified:

“God has a high comfort level, stepping into messy situations. Your painful, broken, battered life doesn’t scare him a bit. He’s rubbing his hands and he’s saying, ‘this will do’.” (31:31)

8. Personal Story—The Search for X in Italy (33:01–36:15)

• Levi recounts a story of a scavenger hunt in Italy with a literal X marking the spot and a hidden message: a cross.
• He uses this as a metaphor for the ultimate search in all of life—a journey that ends not in finding a thing, but in encountering Someone:

“All of us are searching for something, looking for something... and I submit to you that... you are searching not for something, but for someone. A baby who grew up to die on a cross.” (35:14)

9. Invitation to Respond—The Gospel Call (36:16–end)

• Pastor Levi invites listeners to receive Christ, offering a guided prayer of salvation and emphasizing God’s readiness to meet anyone where they are.

“God will hear you, and I believe, as scripture says, He will come into your heart to be your Lord and Savior.” (36:59)

Notable Quotes

• On God’s Promises:
  “For any circumstance you could be facing any day of the calendar year, there’s a promise from God to give you peace in the midst of what you’re facing.” — Pastor Levi (05:19)

• On Availability:
  “God is waiting to see from a young person, from a middle-aged person, from anyone—He’s looking not for great ability, but for great availability.” — Pastor Levi (11:02)

• On Messiness and God’s Grace:
  “God has a high comfort level, stepping into messy situations. Your painful, broken, battered life doesn’t scare Him a bit. He’s rubbing His hands and He’s saying, ‘this will do’.” — Pastor Levi (31:31)

• On the Core of the Gospel:
  “The gospel allows room for one hero. His name is Jesus. ... The means of salvation, God appointed, allows one person to be great. And honey, it ain’t you, and it ain’t me.” — Pastor Levi (27:08)

• On the Ultimate Search:
  “You are searching not for something, but for someone. A baby who grew up to die on a cross.” — Pastor Levi (35:14)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Welcome and holiday greetings
• 03:22 – Reading Luke 1: Angel visits Mary
• 09:14 – “For with God, nothing will be impossible.”
• 10:01 – Mary’s “let it be to me according to your word.”
• 12:01 – Hot air balloon story; X marks the spot analogy
• 18:41 – Five types of willingness explored
• 25:58 – “Willing to be weird”—embracing the strangeness of God’s ways
• 28:23 – Mary’s worshipful response
• 31:31 – Assurance for messy, broken listeners
• 33:01 – Italian scavenger hunt; searching for the “X”
• 36:16 – Gospel invitation and closing prayer

Tone & Delivery

The tone is informal, humorous, and deeply pastoral—balancing biblical depth with relatable anecdotes. Pastor Levi often uses self-deprecating humor and vivid storytelling to connect scriptural truths to everyday life, encouraging listeners to step forward in faith regardless of their past or present messiness.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In…

This episode is a heartfelt exploration of the nativity story through the lens of willingness and availability. Using both scripture and modern illustration, Pastor Levi Lusko urges listeners that God can and wants to use ordinary, broken people for extraordinary purposes—if only we’re willing to say, “Let it be to me according to your word.” The episode is especially relevant for anyone seeking hope, purpose, or a fresh start, reminding us that God’s X can land anywhere—even in the messiest parts of our lives.