Luke 1:46-55 The Magnificat: Mary’s Song
As you read through the Hebrew Bible you cannot help but notice the absence of writings and prophecies by women. Hannah, mother of Samuel; Mary and Elizabeth, mothers of Jesus and John the Baptist were standouts in announcing the coming reign of God.
Does Mary speak words of thanksgiving and praise because she will bear the son of God? Or have you considered that Mary is God’s key witness to announce to the world that the future- foretold by Micah 800 years before- is now a reality.
Are you surprised That God’s Word comes to us in such an unexpected way? God chose these humble unassuming women, powerless and without high community standing to usher in the new order of things.
Mary is not just mimicking an ancient prophecy. Mary speaks as a witness to events in real-time. She testifies that she has seen with her own eyes that the haughty and prideful are being brought low; that the rich are being pulled down from their thrones and those who were once lowly were lifted up. King Herod has even had his beloved wife and her mother killed for fear they plotted against him.
Most importantly, the coming of the kingdom of God meant that those ancestors of Abraham who have kept covenant with God are now recipients of God’s mercy and compassion. And that God’s mercy extends even to faithful women who believe in God’s promises.
It’s now 2021, the time of the “# me, too” movement. A time when women (and men) are encouraged to reveal their experiences of sexual abuse and harassment by powerful men. Their stories are no longer held secret. And those powerful men who did the abusing are punished – some imprisoned; many brought to shame. The “# Me, too movement” ushered in a new era when a woman’s humanity is to be valued and her testimony upheld as truth. How will you read Mary’s song (The Magnificat) today?
Prayer: God, we are grateful for Mary’s faithful obedience to you and her courageous witness against unjust systems.
Micah 5:2-5a Prophecies coming of the Messiah
As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, though you are the least significant of Judah’s forces, one who is to be a ruler in Israel on my behalf will come out from you…He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. They will dwell secure, because he will surely become great throughout the earth; and he will become one of peace.
Micah was a country prophet, nurtured in the Exodus tradition, who lived in the hills of Judah between 700 and 750 BC. It was a time filled with armed conflict as the Assyrian Empire continually expanded through the Judean territories, eventually invading Palestine and capturing much of the divided Kingdom in 721-722. Micah had no details of how Bethlehem would become Jesus’ birthplace; but he knew that Yahweh would again act in history to save the righteous remnant of his people, just as Yahweh had acted in the past.
Prayer: We give thanks to you, God, for your prophet Micah and others like him who spoke the truth to your people when it was not always welcomed but always needed.
Psalm 80-:1-7 Wake up your power! Come to save us! Restore us, God! Make your face shine so that we can be saved!
Once again, the Jews are in captivity and feeling estranged from God. Their prayers and behaviors displease God. The Jews are conscious that they had turned to sinful ways. They are aware that those sinful acts provoked God to “hide his face from them and to give them up into the hand of their enemies.” The Israelites were looking for God to “show up” anyway; for God to use God’s extraordinary powers on their behalf; To rescue them out of a bad situation so they could be saved from further shame and dire consequences which probably lie ahead. They relied on God’s prior acts which saved them when they had been faithful.
Sometimes we expect God to be in places where God does not dwell. We look for God in the wrong places. We put our trust in people, places, and things to give us meaning and purpose in life instead of turning to God. That’s what happened to the Israelites.
How, then, can we be restored to God? By returning to a right relationship with God. Acknowledge our sins of thought, word, and deed. Ask God’s forgiveness for the sins we have committed. Return to the prayers and practices which please God.
Prayer: Keep our hearts and minds turned towards you God. Guide us to look for you in the right places.
Hebrews 10:5-10 We have been made holy by God’s will through the offering of Jesus Christ’s body once for all.
Jesus Christ, God the Son, came into the world in human flesh to be the perfect sacrifice for sin and make atonement or propitiation for the sins of the people. It is through faith in Christ as God’s perfect sacrifice that we can be reconciled to God.
There is no other sacrifice we can make; there is no more perfect gift to give.
HYMN: There is a Wideness in God’s Mercy by Frederick W.Faber, 1814-1863 (Traditional Dutch Melody)
“There is a wideness in God’s mercy, Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in his justice, Which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner, And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior; There is healing in his blood.
For the love of God is broader Than the measure of man’s mind;
And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind,
If our love were but more simple, We should take him at his word;
And our lives would be all sunshine in the sweetness of our Lord.”
Prayer: We are so unworthy of your love and the gift of your son, Jesus, for our atonement.
Dorothy Turner-Lacy
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