Luke 1:46-55
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Today is the third Sunday in Advent for 2023. The overall theme for this week is Joy. I imagine we are all familiar with the reading from Luke’s Gospel with which we began today—“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.....”
This is Mary’s hymn of praise upon being told by the angel Gabriel that she – yes, she—a most ordinary young woman of no particular standing at all—will bear the long-foretold child who will be the Son of God.
Mary is a believer—one of those who is familiar with the ancient prophecies—one who has waited and dreamed about the messiah who would come to free her people from oppression. Upon hearing this incredible news, she breaks out in spontaneous excitement and joy and as we read her words we can almost feel the awe and joy radiating from her.
This is in large part a personal joy – she has been chosen to be the mother of her Lord. That’s got to be a pretty overwhelming thought.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me
But it is also a communal joy—a national joy—a faith-filled joy—The God she has followed and believed in all her life is about to bring a long held promise to fruition. Her people will have a leader who will make all things right again. Mary sings, not only her personal joy, but a song of Justice which could have come straight out of Micah or Amos or any of the justice-oriented prophets of old.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
This hymn isn’t just calling for the lowly to be raised up. It’s not only about those who haven’t had food finally being fed, but now we hear that those who have been full in the past are actually to be sent away hungry themselves. The formerly powerful are now the ones on the streets, scrambling and begging for scraps.
This is revolutionary language. In any revolution in history I suspect you could find similar language—throwing those who have been on top, lording it over everyone else, down to the bottom of the pile. It’s an announcement of a complete disruption of the status quo, calling for a total change in the way the world operates.
This child who is coming is going to turn the world on its head. I wonder how often we actually think of this birth as something this revolutionary on so many levels.
There is a Greek word often used in theological discussions: metanoia, meaning a complete change of mind. Not a minor change like deciding to have a banana for breakfast rather than an orange, but seeing and understanding things from an entirely different point of view—a change of mind and heart from the deepest levels.
Looking back on John the Baptist from last week I’m fairly certain John never used this word, metanoia, but this is the same as the repentance to which John called those who turned to him to be cleansed and changed in baptism. “Repent! Give up your prior way of being. Turn to God in everything!”
This is what John preached--what Mary sings . This is the promise God made to Abraham all those centuries ago. And this is what Jesus calls us to--“Follow me!,” not just in words but in actions. We here, two thousand years after Jesus’ arrival are part of an ongoing revolution.
That’s why we’re here—to change--to live into reality the teaching of the Child, who came to turn our world upside down.
Joy to the world, indeed! The Lord is coming! The Lord is come!
Amen and Alleluia!
This is Mary’s hymn of praise upon being told by the angel Gabriel that she – yes, she—a most ordinary young woman of no particular standing at all—will bear the long-foretold child who will be the Son of God.
Mary is a believer—one of those who is familiar with the ancient prophecies—one who has waited and dreamed about the messiah who would come to free her people from oppression. Upon hearing this incredible news, she breaks out in spontaneous excitement and joy and as we read her words we can almost feel the awe and joy radiating from her.
This is in large part a personal joy – she has been chosen to be the mother of her Lord. That’s got to be a pretty overwhelming thought.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me
But it is also a communal joy—a national joy—a faith-filled joy—The God she has followed and believed in all her life is about to bring a long held promise to fruition. Her people will have a leader who will make all things right again. Mary sings, not only her personal joy, but a song of Justice which could have come straight out of Micah or Amos or any of the justice-oriented prophets of old.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
This hymn isn’t just calling for the lowly to be raised up. It’s not only about those who haven’t had food finally being fed, but now we hear that those who have been full in the past are actually to be sent away hungry themselves. The formerly powerful are now the ones on the streets, scrambling and begging for scraps.
This is revolutionary language. In any revolution in history I suspect you could find similar language—throwing those who have been on top, lording it over everyone else, down to the bottom of the pile. It’s an announcement of a complete disruption of the status quo, calling for a total change in the way the world operates.
This child who is coming is going to turn the world on its head. I wonder how often we actually think of this birth as something this revolutionary on so many levels.
There is a Greek word often used in theological discussions: metanoia, meaning a complete change of mind. Not a minor change like deciding to have a banana for breakfast rather than an orange, but seeing and understanding things from an entirely different point of view—a change of mind and heart from the deepest levels.
Looking back on John the Baptist from last week I’m fairly certain John never used this word, metanoia, but this is the same as the repentance to which John called those who turned to him to be cleansed and changed in baptism. “Repent! Give up your prior way of being. Turn to God in everything!”
This is what John preached--what Mary sings . This is the promise God made to Abraham all those centuries ago. And this is what Jesus calls us to--“Follow me!,” not just in words but in actions. We here, two thousand years after Jesus’ arrival are part of an ongoing revolution.
That’s why we’re here—to change--to live into reality the teaching of the Child, who came to turn our world upside down.
Joy to the world, indeed! The Lord is coming! The Lord is come!
Amen and Alleluia!
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