Mary’s Song of Reversals


Introduction

The Congregation Council at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., where I am serving as interim pastor, opens its monthly meetings with devotions. These are the thoughts for the December 2010 meeting. The Magnificat is the Psalmody appointed for the Third Sunday of Advent, Dec. 12, 2010. The council read it antiphonally in choirs.

Invocation

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Reading

Luke 1:46b–55, the Magnificat, Mary’s Song (ESV)

46b–47My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.

51He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of low estate;

53he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,

55as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

Devotion

This beloved passage often goes by the name, Magnificat, meaning, “magnify.” It comes from the first word of the text in Latin: Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum. Whether you call it that or “Mary’s Song,” the simplicity and the power of its words ring out.

Mary sings this song right after her conversation with Elizabeth, her kinswoman. Both are pregnant, Mary with Jesus and Elizabeth with John, who will grow up to become the Baptist. When Mary had greeted Elizabeth, John leapt in her womb. Elizabeth calls out the Lord’s blessings on Mary.

Beyond the work of the Spirit in her to conceive Jesus, Mary is inspired to share this song. It tells us how the Father’s grace moves among his people to reverse the way things are as part of his plan to bring about the kingdom through his Son. The proud are scattered, the mighty are dethroned, while the humble are raised up. The rich are sent away empty-handed, while the hungry are satisfied. Jesus will proclaim the same message in his Beatitudes and bring it to pass through his death and resurrection.

The song challenges me: do I hear it as a threat or as a promise? When do I lord it over others? When do I act proudly or haughtily? What about the fact that Americans are so well off compared to the bulk of the world’s people? Am I open to the leading of the Spirit in my life the way Mary and Elizabeth were in theirs?

I don’t have final answers to those questions. My responses depend upon what’s going on in my life. I hope to be able to say, with Mary, what she said to the Angel Gabriel when she heard she would bear a son: “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38, ESV)

Discussion

+ What challenges do you face in submitting yourself to the Lord’s Word and living as his servant?
+ How do you see God at work in our congregation? What reversals has he brought about?
+ What can we do as servant-leaders to help the soul of our congregation to “magnify the Lord,” its spirit to “rejoice in God our Savior”?

Prayer

Our God and Savior, stir up your Holy Spirit in us, so that we may come to you in obedience as your servants. Lead us to find ways to magnify you through our ministry together. Fill us with the joy of your Spirit; through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord. Amen.


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