Tag Archives: Mary

Let us Magnify the Lord

Magnify the lordAdvent
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.

Mentored to Serve

maryandelizabeth2Advent
December 18, 2015

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

Those of us who have read The Red Tent* from the reading gained better insight into the importance of mentorship among women in the tradition of Abraham’s descendants. People with shared life experiences can help all of us through the valleys of the unknown. I think we “modern” women lost some of that along the way and then perhaps, as often happens, regained it with a great flourish.

Pregnant-too-soon Mary seeks out her elder cousin for help in making sense of the events of Mary’s pregnancy. I have always wondered if word of Elizabeth’s late-life pregnancy had reached Nazareth by the time Mary decided to garner Elizabeth’s wisdom. Don’t know that it mattered in her decision, but the older woman’s unexpected pregnancy might have provided comfort to young Mary whose life had also forever been changed by her impending parenthood.

I wonder how willing I am to have my whole life totally turned around in service to God. On the other hand, how willing am I to invest myself in doing the mundane everyday chores of service to God? Do I like Brother John** approach each pot of coffee I make, lesson I prepare, chairs and tables I set up as if God’s Kingdom depended on it? Do you?

Prayer: Lord, prepare me for whatever service you need me to do. Place mentors in my path when I need their knowledge. Place willingness in my heart when I need to make just one more pot of coffee. Amen.

*The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. St. Martin’s Press, 2014

**Read more about John of the Cross at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_the_Cross

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.

Magnifying Love

magnificatAdvent
December 17, 2014

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:46b-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. — 1:46-50

Mary’s song, named the Magnificat, has been set to music by many composers from 17th century, Claudio Monteverdi to 18th century Bach, and 20th century John Rutter. It follows Luke’s theme of Christ’s ministry for the oppressed. One of the earliest songs or hymns of the church, it speaks to the heart of our call to love.

Mary identified her too-early pregnancy as the means of magnifying God. How do we magnify God? How do our lives open the eyes of others to the love of God? When I think back on the people who have impacted my life, I remember all those teachers who probably have not a clue how much their belief in me gave me strength throughout my life. Most of them I knew for only a year or so. The wisdom I gained from caring for patients in nursing homes not only from their words but from their total vulnerability wrapped in trust that all would be well. There are also many clients with whom I worked, where technically I was the one who was supposed to be helping them, but they magnified the love of God for me as they faced impossibly difficult life situations with dignity and peace.

I don’t think we can set a goal of magnifying God. Like with Mary any insight of our magnifying God comes in hindsight. We are called to love in all that we say and do and at the right time and right place our love will glow with God’s love and the people whose lives we touch may get a small glimpse of God.

Prayer: Lord, help me to live a life worthy of magnifying your love. 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.

Prayer

Living in the Spirit
June 18, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Psalm 86:1-10, 16, 17 

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord,
   and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant;
   save the child of your serving-maid.
Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
   because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. – Psalm 86:8-10, 16, 17 

The people who compiled the lectionary surely envisioned Hagar when they read this Psalm, which is most likely why it follows her story.  Genesis 21:15-17 (see June 17 devotion) records Hagar’s only prayer as a request not to have to watch her child die. She had given up. In fact, it does not record any words at all from Ismael, but it does say that God heard Ismael’s voice.  I am reminded of Romans 8:26—Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. It is important to pray and to pray earnestly even though we may be way off course in what we ask. God hears our prayers and translate then in God’s infinite wisdom and understanding.

While this Psalm can be seen through the eyes of Hagar, it also can be seen through the eyes of Jesus. Mary described herself as the servant of the Lord (Luke 1:38) when she accepted the call to be the mother of the Messiah. She stood at the foot of his cross and watched him die. I think Jesus would have taken great heart in verse 9: All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. Jesus was dedicated to bringing us all together as the family of God.

Prayer: Thank you for the gift of Jesus, for his teachings and his example, for his understanding and love and for his great sacrifice. 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.