"Mary's Song" - Luke 1:46-55

"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."

 Mary, the mother of Jesus, doesn’t garner as much attention in Protestant circles as in the Catholic world. This week, we get to hear her song of praise and consider what it might mean that God chose a young unmarried woman to carry the Christ child.  In this ancient and holy song, Mary understands the magnitude of what God is doing in the world and that nothing will ever be the same. In choosing her and her world as the home of Jesus in the world, God was upending all of creation.  Rather than work through domination and violence, God chose the weak, the hungry, and the lowly to save the world.

 2,000 years later, God is continuing to call our attention to the places of weakness and hunger and lowliness in the world and in ourselves.  Let’s listen to the revolutionary words, that call us into a new way of life that yields power to ease suffering, heal sickness, and spread love that will transform us all.

 Pastor Shannon Smith