December 17, 2023
St. Andrew Church
Rev. Anne McAnelly
First Lesson: Luke 1:39-45
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Second Lesson: Luke 1:46-56
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness 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. 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 thoughts 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 helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Our final week of Advent, our second week focusing on Mary as we continue to read from Luke’s gospel the story of Mary being chosen as the mother of Jesus. You recall that the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the priest and his barren wife, brackets what we know about Mary. So often Mary is depicted as demure, dressed in blue, and humble. But there is another side to Mary as well. “German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer recognized the subversive nature of Mary’s Song. (Serving a German speaking congregation in London) he spoke these words in a sermon during Advent in 1933: “The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings …. This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols” (KairosCenter.org). David just read about Mary’s journey visiting Elizabeth, and we continue with verse 46 reading what is often called the Magnificat.
As we consider Mary, I want to focus on three things: First her trip to Judea was more than a family visit. Second, the power of song. Third, our God is a God of reversals.
Mary visiting her relative Elizabeth always felt like a very personal moment shared by two women. Mary wants to process Gabriel’s visit and declaration that she will bear God’s son. Elizabeth rejoices because her shame of barrenness had been removed by God. And any woman who has been pregnant, knows that you seek out other pregnant women for support and information. But this is more than a family visit. It is also why Luke tells Mary’s story inside the story of Zechariah, and Elizabeth. “Mary’s first words prompt an immediate, silent, response from Elizabeth’s unborn child. John leaps, acknowledging both her presence and the significance of the child she carries in her womb. John’s reaction to Mary’s voice fulfills Gabriel’s prophecy, ‘even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit’ (Luke 1:15) … (Then Elizabeth) is filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaims what Mary has not yet told her, and what is not yet visible to the eye: Mary is pregnant… (Elizabeth even) calls Mary ‘the mother of my Lord.’ Her prophecy will soon be fulfilled when her own son prepares the way for the Lord” (Working Preacher, Judith Jones). John leaping for joy is the blessed fulfillment of Gabriel’s announcement. John leaping for joy is Mary’s confirmation that she will bear God’s son. “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to· her by the Lord” ( 1 :45). This was not just a family visit it was a moment of blessed fulfillment.
Do you have a special song? Maybe the first dance at your wedding, or a song that takes you back to a significant moment in your life? Maybe at this time of year it is that favorite Christmas carol you need to sing for to be Christmas complete. Silent Night in our candle lit courtyard is that for me. We all know the power of song, the magic of music.
Mary’s beautiful song of praise is commonly called the Magnificat, from the Latin for “magnify.” It follows the tradition of Hannah’s song (1 Sam. 2:1-10). But Zechariah also has a song in Luke. When his voice is restored after naming his son John, Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and sings his own song of prophecy. Together the songs of Mary and Zechariah are like the overture to Luke’s gospel. Both are printed in your insert and both declare God will redeem God’s people, save them from their enemies and grant them freedom to worship God without fear.
“Songs are powerful. Last month we celebrated the thirty fourth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But while the breaching of that monument to division took most of the world by surprise, it is important to remember that it had been preceded for several months by the peaceful protests of the citizens of Leipzig. (Lipezig) Gathering on Monday evenings by candlelight around St. Nikolai church – the church where Bach composed so many of his cantatas – they would sing. Over two months their numbers grew from fewer than a thousand voices to more than three hundred thousand, over half the citizens of the city, singing songs of hope and protest and justice, until their song shook the powers of their nation and changed the world” (Working Preacher, David Lose).
Mary’s song changed the world. It starts with blessing and joy, celebrating God’s favor and glorifying God. It starts personally with Mary, and then moves on to the salvation of all people. The personal part is in the present tense, but then it changes to past tense; God showed, scattered, filled. (Greek aorist) That always confused me. It feels like a prophecy, but one that has already happened. Why? Mary sings about the future using the past tense, because to the eyes of faith, God’s victory has already happened. God’s salvation is a done deal. Mary anticipates God saving the world through her son. The outcome of which is complete, for God has already made it happened. She sings with the eyes of faith. It’s like watching a movie a second time, you know how it will end. When we consider God’s salvation of the world, Mary tells us how it will end: God brought down the powerful, lifted the lowly, filled the hungry and sent the rich away empty. Mary proclaims the world through the eyes of faith, God’s powerful completion. Quite a reversal. Mary’s song shows God to be a God of reversals. God provided a social reversal for Mary. Mary was an unmarried pregnant woman. She might expect social judgment, shame, even ostracism. But “Mary is blessed because despite all expectations her social status has been reversed: she will be honored rather than shamed for bearing this child” (Working Preacher, Judith Jones).
Mary also sings of God’s reversal of salvation. We often ta1k about salvation in terms of individual redemption. “Mary will not allow us to think of individual salvation apart from Jesus turning the power structures of the world on its head” (Working Preacher, 0. Wesley Allen Jr). “Mary sings about the God who saves not just souls, but embodied people. The God she celebrates is not content merely to point people toward heaven; God’s redemptive work begins here on earth. God fills the hungry not only with hope, but with food. Rather than being satisfied with comforting the lowly, Mary’s Lord lifts them up, granting them dignity and honor, a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation. At the same time, God shows strength by disrupting the world’s power structures, dethroning rulers, and humbling the mighty” (Working Preacher, Judith Jones).
Jesus’ salvation starts at the moment of the Annunciation and ends at the cross. Salvation is not limited to crucifixion, but the whole life of Jesus (contributed to our salvation. Mary singing the) Magnificat is inviting us to imagine how the world would look if Jesus sat on (the) throne and ruled with peace and justice. (Working Preacher, Niveen Sarras). That is a song of revolution. The Magnificat is a song of revolution and a “paradoxical prophecy. It speaks of a future God will bring in through the yet-to-be-born messiah …. Luke is proclaiming that already at the point of awaiting the coming of the messiah, salvation is a done deal” (Working Preacher, 0. Wesley Allen Jr). Mary sings a song that can be, should be, our song in this Advent season. As we have prepared for the coming of the Christ Child, now we too can sing in thanksgiving, in celebration, in remembrance, and in proclamation of the promise made to our ancestors. (We praise the reversals of God, God finding favor with Mary and overturning the power systems of our time.) Like Mary and Elizabeth, this is the time for us to indulge in celebratory joy in the promises that come to us in Jesus. Let us raise our voices in a great cry, magnifying our God” (Working Preacher, Karl Jacobson). AMEN.
