Pentecost

May 31, 2020

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-57

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.
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.’

And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home. –Luke 1:46-57

This is a beautiful poem of justice. I wonder how old Mary was when she wrote it. It is placed in the scripture at the beginning of the story after Mary learned from an angel that she was pregnant and fled to visit her relative, Elizabeth. Was it composed during the three months with Elizabeth after Mary had digested what had transpired?  It reflects that she was enabled to turn what could easily have been considered a disaster into a vision of hope for not only her future but the future of the world.

Serving God, doing justice requires constant and consistent preparation for what lies ahead. We do not run into fire without the proper equipment and knowledge in dealing with it. People who do justice do confront it in the best way possible, and they do need respite to look back to see God’s work in their work and adjust their position to God’s in the examination.

John Dominic Crossan notes in his work that the Roman siege of Sepphoris located a few miles from Nazareth occurred about the time Jesus was born. Some suggest that Mary may have been born in Sepphoris. Surviving dangerous times requires hope and faith. While pictures often illustrate Mary as placid and innocent, my guess is that by the time Jesus was born, she was strong as steel, reinforced by God’s love. She is one from whom we should learn.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen us to do your justice in our world today. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.