December 22nd, 2021
Luke 1:39-56, The Magnificat
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
The Magnificence of the Song of Mary
The Magnificat is in effect the announcement of a “new normal”. What will this Messiah do to bring about the new normal that will ultimately lead to the cross? God’s mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. God has shown strength of his arm and has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God, through Jesus has performed mighty deeds and 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 the ancestors, Abraham and his decedents forever.
God is, through Christ, creating a new normal in which the world will never be the same. And so, we wait on Christ while we wait on this new normal. And we ponder whether there will ever be a new normal in the face of pandemic. Like the angel who spoke to Mary, we seek not just a new normal from the expectation of Mary’s praise or God’s faithfulness and ancient promise. We seek it because we actually believe.
Mercy and grace are coming while we wait again with Mary in the hope of redemption; not just in the present, but in the world yet to come.
Can Advent continue to be the anticipation of joy in this time? We have to experience this joy or we are lost at sea. Covid has not put an end to the good news of the gospel of Jesus. Rather, the gospels give us reason to anticipate the magnificence of Christ’s redemptive ministry. We cannot detour around the cross, or the manger. And as the gospels inform us, we should not fear anything. Instead, regardless of circumstances we should continue to anticipate the celebration of new life in Christ and embrace that joy.
The Rev. Dave Thomas
Transitional Deacon, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma