Third Midweek in Advent - Song of Mary
2024 Third Midweek in Advent Luke 1:46-55
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Mary was correct when she predicted, “For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” Many Christians regularly remember and recite her cousin Elizabeth’s Holy Spirit led declaration. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Even if we do not regular recite that Bible verse, Christians certainly agree with her statement. What a privilege to be the mother of God!
As it has come to pass, we do remember Mary with high regard. We cannot speak of Jesus without also remembering Mary. For example, in the second articles of both the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, we confess explicitly that Jesus is born of the virgin Mary. The Athanasian creed does not use Mary’s name but does lead us to confess that Jesus is “…God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; and He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age: perfect God and perfect man….” Every Christmas season, we remember her remarkable and innocent faith when she received the Angel Gabriel’s announcement that she is chosen to give birth to the Savior. She has the calmness of mind and the faith to say “yes.” If you participate in Vespers or Evening Prayer liturgy, you will sing, Mary’s words, the Magnificat.
Since Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the church has called Mary “blessed.” She is blessed by God with the privilege of giving birth to Jesus and guiding him through his development into manhood. And, she is blessed by us all these generations later, by the fact that we hold her in such high regard and we give thanks to God for her inspiring faith.
Just to underscore the significance of Mary in comparison to other mothers of significant figures in the Bible, how many of us can rattle off the names of Moses and King David’s mothers? Moses and King David are key figures in the history of God’s salvation of the world. Moses is forever linked to Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt and the reception of God’s Law on Mount Sinai. King David is not only revered for his spirituality and leadership, but he also became one of the titles by which Jesus is called. Jesus is identified as a “son of David.”
But, in order to find Moses’ mother’s name, you have to go to Exodus 6:20, buried in a genealogy list, you encounter this: “20 Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years.” Moses’ mother is Jochebed. We do not know David’s mother’s name. There is a tradition that has developed that King David’s mother’s name is Nitzevet bat Adael. But, there is no clear, direct, biblical evidence for this. Relying on the Bible as our source and norm, we can only state with confidence that we only know that David’s father is Jesse. We do not know his mother’s name.
While Mary correctly predicts that future generations will call her blessed, she immediately moves the focus of her song onto the Lord God and his mercy. God is indeed doing a mighty act through her. God has done mighty acts through many people in the Bible. In addition to Moses and David, let’s also mention Abraham and Sarah, Rahab of Jericho, Deborah the prophet, Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, and the list can go on for a while. They are all people through whom God chooses to enact his will. His will is received by us as both Law and Gospel. Sometimes separately, sometimes together.
Mary reminds us that God works through people to enact change that leads to justice and righteous belief and right-living. God observes the harm that the pride-filled, and entitled leaders bring upon the people. He creates events that reverse the situation. God will, for His purposes, bring down the mighty and lift-up the downtrodden and oppressed. He will take away the food and security of the well-to-do and self-serving and give it to the poor and the hungry. When God observes that there is a lack of justice, God can and will disrupt a society. The Old Testament bears witness to the truth of Mary’s proclamation.
Mary’s son is God’s mercy made manifest. By his cross, he will permanently disrupt and end the power of the forces of sin, death, and the devil that work to suppress our faith, lead us away from the one true God, and take away our faith, hope, and love.
Jesus will bring down the thrones of pride-filled Satan, death, and sin. Through His cross, he will lift up those who confess faith in Jesus as the Christ, and he sets us free through his forgiveness so that we live as God desires. Love God and love of neighbor.
Having been set free by Mary’s son, we join in magnifying the Lord for His mercy, and rejoice that on account of the Son, we are blessed.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment