A Journey Through Advent: Day 13
Day 13
December 11, 2020
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The Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
Rev. Kristen Koger
“My soul proclaims your greatness, O God,
and my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.
For you have looked with favor
upon your lowly servant.
Surely from now on all generations
Will call me blessed.
For you, the Almighty,
Have done great things for me
And holy is your name.
You mercy is for those who fear you
From generation to generation.
You have shown strength with you arm;
You have scattered the proud in the
Thoughts of their hearts.
You have brought down the powerful
from their thrones
And lifted up the lowly;
You have filled the hungry with good things,
And sent the rich away empty.
You have helped your servant Israel,
In remembrance of mercy
According to the promise you made to our ancestors
To Sarah and Abraham
And to their descendants forever.”
(Luke 1:46-55, from both the NRSV and the Inclusive Bible)
These verses are known as “The Magnificat” and are words sung by Mary after she and Elizabeth celebrate Mary’s good news. Mary couldn’t help but sing about the amazing things that were going to happen. If you are looking for an answer to the question “Mary, did you know?” you need to look no further than Mary’s words right here.
While Mary’s words are offered in the past tense, I can’t help but believe that she was also getting a glimpse at what the world would be like once this life growing inside her was born and able to fulfill all the things Mary had been hearing about from the prophets and the ancestors of her faith.
Mary and her people were living under the rule of the Romans, and more specifically the Roman army. This time period in Roman history is known as “Pax Romana” or “Roman peace. It was a 200-year span from about 87 BCE to 187BCE where there was generally peace in the Roman Empire.
Or rather, peace is being perceived in this time. To the Romans there was peace because they were the ones in control. They were using their massive army to keep the peace between the areas they ruled. The people they controlled were under constant threat of violence and oppression. So while the streets were filled with calm and it appeared that all was calm and all was bright, Mary and her people knew that true peace, the peace that comes when there is justice for all, wasn’t possible in their current conditions.
When Mary learns that she will give birth to the Son of God, I wonder if the words of Isaiah 9 rang in her heart: “For a child will be born to us, and he is named…Prince of Peace...and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish it and uphold it with justice…” (Isaiah 9:6b-7a). This type of peace is what the people of God were hoping for and holding on to when things seemed dark.
I wonder if Mary remembered her ancestors and the hope they held onto when they too were given good news from God? When Sarah learned she would be the mother of a great nation; when Hannah sings her own song of praise to God when she offered her son Samuel to God; the psalmist when he wrote songs of praise to God for lifting the poor from the dust. I wonder if when Mary sang, she wasn’t singing just for herself, but if she was singing for all her people - the ones she passed on the street but also those who had gone before her.
The reality is that the child Mary bore did the exact opposite of “keeping the peace” under the Roman rule. He upset the (perceived) peace so much that it eventually led to his death. I like to believe that even when he was in the womb, Jesus heard the words Mary sang about him and they planted themselves so deep within him that they carried him through his life and his ministry.
I like to think that when Mary was singing these words, she wasn’t just singing them to her cousin Elizabeth, but that her words carried out into the streets and were a reminder to the people of God that they had not been forgotten. Mary knew that by saying these words that she was going to ruffle a few feathers. But she sang anyway.
Maybe Mary helped plant seeds in the hearts and souls of those that heard her sing. And then all those years later, those same people heard echoes of Mary’s song when they heard Jesus speak and they thought, “Oh yes. We remember this.”
May each of us do all we can to bring true peace to this world, and not just perceived peace. May we have the courage to cry out when we see injustice rearing its ugly head; may we sing boldly in the face of oppression; may we stand up for those who need it most, carrying with us the words of a young girl who sang proudly about the ways she was helping change the world. May we know, with as much confidence as Mary did, that we also have the ability to bring peace to this world.
May it be so.
About a Journey Through Advent
This year is unprecedented in its challenges to our global, national, and local communities, let alone the challenges to our own church community and personal spiritual growth. And yet, the rhythm of the church calendar continues to hold us in a life-giving refrain: hope is alive!
This series of devotional readings, scripture readings, and prayers is designed to give you an opportunity to pause and reflect on the hope, peace, joy, and love that the Advent season brings.
We challenge you to set aside time each day to read, reflect, and pray through these offerings presented by our pastoral staff.
May you find encouragement in the remarkable hope this season provides us!