Loving God, thank you for the example of your servant Mary, who teaches us humble trust in you.  Help us to have the same faith by the power of your Spirit, and teach us to worship and to rejoice; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Today’s gospel is one of those readings where a little bit of background information goes a long way.  If you read it without knowing who Mary and Elizabeth are or what has just happened to both of them, it is a lot more difficult to understand what is going on.  In fact, both women have just experienced miraculous conceptions.

    Elizabeth, you might recall, is the mother of John the Baptist, and is six months pregnant at the time of Mary’s visit.  Prior to conceiving John, it was thought that Elizabeth would never be able to have children, and both she and her husband Zechariah were getting on in years.  However, an angel appears to Zechariah in the temple and announces that they will have a son who will prepare the way of the Lord.

    Mary is a relative of Elizabeth’s, and has also just had an encounter with an angel.  She will give birth to a son, but no human father will be involved in the process.  The Holy Spirit will conceive this child within her, who will be the Son of God and will be named Jesus.

    Now, as if that isn’t enough to blow your mind in and of itself, consider a few other factors in Mary’s situation.  She was probably somewhere around 14 years old at the time and was engaged to a man named Joseph.  Were she to show up pregnant with Joseph obviously not being the father, she could easily be stoned to death for adultery.  The angel had announced to her that God’s favour rested on her and that the Lord was with her.  However, many of us in the same situation might have had some serious doubts about this.

    This past week I asked the confirmation class how they might have reacted if they were in Mary’s position. “There goes my social life!” was one response.  Another figured that she would have wished that she could wake up from the dream soon.  Everybody was pretty sure that nobody would believe Mary’s story.  And yet, Mary’s response to the angel is truly amazing: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38).  And then Mary goes to visit her relative Elizabeth, who is filled with the Holy Spirit and confirms the angel’s message.

    In fact, it is the child within Elizabeth’s womb who first recognizes Mary and the child whom she will bear.  Who says that infants don’t know anything, right?  The child in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy, and Elizabeth speaks by the power of the Holy Spirit.  She announces that Mary truly is blessed and calls her “the mother of [her] Lord” (Lk. 1:43).  Elizabeth echoes the message of the angel Gabriel, assuring Mary that she is not crazy, but blessed for having believed the angel’s message.

    It seems to me that many of us would have had our minds full of daunting questions and problems if we had been in Mary’s place.  What if people don’t believe me?  What if Joseph doesn’t believe me?  What if my family disowns me?  How can a virgin possibly give birth?  Can the Holy Spirit do such a thing, or have I totally lost my mind?  I am so not ready for this!

    But in Mary, we see only a humble faith and trust.  She believes the angel’s message.  She believes the angel’s explanation.  She believes the words of Elizabeth.  Her only desire is to serve God.  And, when the angel says, “nothing will be impossible with God,” Mary believes it!

    In fact, Mary seems to be totally focussed on the power of God and on what God can do.  This is what enables her to rejoice in God her Saviour (Lk. 1:47).  If Mary had been more focussed on herself and on her potential problems, her attitude might have been totally different.  But in the entire passage of Scripture that is often referred to as the Magnificat, there is only half a verse that really applies specifically to Mary: “Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Lk. 1:48b).  The rest of these verses are made up of phrases and ideas that come from the Old Testament and that focus on the power of God and on what God has done and will do for his people.

    The passage I’m referring to is the second part of today’s gospel - Luke 1:46-55.  It is essentially a Psalm, which is a sung prayer, and so it is sometimes called Mary’s song of praise and sometimes called the Magnificat.  Ultimately, it describes for us the God whom Mary worships and whom we also are called to serve.  And so, here are the things that we find out about God in these verses:

    First of all, our God values those who are humble and lowly.  Our God delights in choosing those who seem small or insignificant or common by human standards.  Our God delights in those who are humble of heart and ready to serve.  At the same time, our God scatters those who have become full of pride, like the people who were building the tower of Babel.  Our God takes human pride and power and shows it for what it is - temporary and illusory.

    At the same time, our God seems to delight in turning things upside down.  The powerful are brought down from their thrones and the lowly are lifted up.  The hungry are fed while the rich are given nothing.  It is almost as if God is saying, “Look – these people are valuable in my sight.  Haven’t you learned that yet?”  However, when it comes to keeping promises, our God does not forget.  God’s mercy extends for generations to those who have worshipped and served him.  God’s promises to Abraham and to Israel and to David are not forgotten, but are fulfilled in the child who will be born to Mary – Jesus (Gen. 17:6-8; 18:18; 2 Sam. 7:11-16).

    Today the gospel calls us into deeper trust and faith and service.  We have so much to learn from Mary, who believed God’s promises and walked with God in humble trust.  You see, God’s promises to us will not be broken, either.  All who believe in Jesus Christ will be given eternal life (Jn. 3:16).  Where two or three are gathered in his name, Jesus is there (Mt. 18:20).  When we come to God in the name of Jesus and according to God’s will, it will be done for us (Jn. 14:14).  Nothing is impossible with God.

    At the same time, faith allows us to see that all earthly power and success is illusory.  No matter how much evil seems to be winning out, ultimately, God is the one in charge.  Anything that is not of God will not last.  This also can be discovered in the Scriptures.

    As you well know, it is easy to become discouraged or to lament the state of the world or of the church or of anything else in our lives.  After all, couldn’t Mary have lamented and gone around saying, “Woe is me”?  However, obviously Mary didn’t do this, and focussed instead on the power of God and on the fulfilment of God’s promises.  Mary was not ignoring reality by doing this, but instead was focussed on the deeper reality of God’s abiding presence and love.

    Today, may we be able to do the same, and may we be able to say with Mary, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk. 1:46-47).  Amen.

Advent 4(C)                                    Luke 1:39-55
December 20, 2009
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2009 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved