Advent
December 19, 2015

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:46-55

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. –Luke 1:46-50

My mother was a great egalitarian. She was not raised that way. Her mother showed preferences toward the boys and even between her two grandsons. Perhaps Mom learned to treat everyone equally from seeing the pain it caused not to. She and I never talked about it, but we, her children, have laughed many times about having inherited the trait from her. She worked really hard at treating all people equally and expected us to do the same. It was a part of her very being. I must admit, I have always admired this quality in her and appreciate the influence it has had on my life.

Our scripture today is appropriately called The Magnificat, the Song of Mary, where the mother of Jesus describes her calling to bear the Son of God as her soul magnifying the Lord. The song is about justice for all people, the justice her offspring would bring to fruition through his life, his death, and his resurrection. God obviously knew the influence she would have on her son no matter what the world about them had to say about justice.

In the final analysis, we are all called to magnify the Lord through our love for God and our love for one another. Our tasks may differ but our purpose is the same.

Prayer: God who called a young woman to the extraordinary task of being the mother of our Savior, help us to find our calling in the ordinary things of life. Help us to feed the hungry, provide pure water for the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, and offer restoration to those in prison and in so doing to magnify you in the name of Mary’s little boy, Jesus. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.