"And Mary said, 'My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.' "

 

         What kind of soul or spirit is able to rejoice in God?

         A soul that recognizes God as personal Savior.

         A soul that is quiet before God: able to listen, to believe, to see God at work.

         In contrast, souls that are overly busy, distracted, without time for prayer, filled with noise from the world, burdened or made hard by sin, rich in pride or greed, are not able to rejoice in God.

         Mary was a quiet, listening, believing soul. She rejoiced in God her Savior. In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in Mary. Much has been made of her young age when she would have given birth to Jesus; perhaps she was just 13 or 14. Much has been made of her vulnerability; an unmarried, pregnant young woman would carry a good bit of shame in the community. There is much interest in Mary these days. We are interested in many aspects of her life and especially her experience in being the mother of Jesus.

         Today we want to focus on the soul of Mary. From the recent writings of Scot McKnight and the Sunday School class led by Steve Hall, I have gleaned a few things that we can say about the soul of Mary:

• We can say that Mary was a young woman who stood in a line of those who were longing for the consolation of Israel.  She was one who carried God's heart for the poor and the righteous, and she was one of them.
• We can say that her mind was thoroughly biblical. Though not educated formally, she knew God's word and had learned it by heart.
• By reading Mary's Song, we can say she was a woman of remarkable courage, even to the point of speaking ideas that could have been considered revolutionary: "He has brought down rulers from their thrones."
• We can say that she was a woman of faith, even to the point of prophecy: "He has filled the hungry with good things."
• She spoke of God's future and described it as if it had already happened: "He has lifted up the humble . . . he has sent the rich away empty."

         Hers is a soul that clearly had developed over time, perhaps generationally. She had cultivated her heart toward God. She had learned well. She had a personal relationship with God.

         I have seen this quality in some of our Confirmation students over the years. There are young people of age 13 or 14 who not only have learned the answers, who have the Bible knowledge, but who also have developed a heart for God. So Mary, although young and vulnerable, was very wise, courageous and faithful. She had, even in her youth, a cultivated soul, a heart for God.

         This is the soul that rejoices in God as she anticipates the birth of Jesus. Joel Green writes, "Mary's song proclaims that this act of supernatural conception has set in motion the decisive, eschatological work of God." The word "eschatological" refers to a way of thinking. Jewish people at that time thought of history in terms of "this age" and "the age to come." "This age" is characterized by sin, death, illness, injustice and oppression. In the age to come God would bring his peace, his justice, his redemption to people.

         In the life and ministry of Jesus, and especially in his death and resurrection, the life of the age to come broke into this age, into our world. For decades righteous people longed for and waited for a time of peace, justice, freedom and healing. Jesus Christ brought to them eternal life, living water, a taste of the Kingdom that is still to come. This is what Mary is rejoicing about as she waits for her baby to be born.

         Mary lived in a difficult time in history, and she lived on the lower rungs of society. Leon Morris writes that "the ancient world expected that the rich will always be well cared for. The poor must expect to be hungry."

         The rulers in Mary's time did not have God's justice in mind. Herod the Great had assassinated a number of members of his own family out of jealousy. He had ten wives and many children vying and plotting for his throne. He taxed Israel beyond its means, and let the burden fall most heavily on the poor.

         Caesar Augustus was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, who after his death had been declared to be a god. So Augustus, who carried the title "savior," was said to be a son of a god who brought peace to the world. This peace he brought came with a heavy price. Dissent was crushed and Roman rule was exceedingly oppressive.

         It is in this context that we listen to Mary sing of "God my savior," a God who is mindful of her humble estate, who has mercy on all who fear him, who has performed mighty deeds with his arm. She speaks in the past tense of things, some of which are yet to happen. So we hear in her song the longing of a people who have known the faithfulness of God, and who wait for it.

         In contrast to the harsh and uncaring rulers and proudly rich people of her experience, God her savior is merciful, and his mercy has been known for generations. It is this mercy that has sustained the faithful in Israel.

I think of the many people who have gone before us in our tradition, who outwardly suffered much, who made many sacrifices, and who sang with deep conviction and joy,

Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my father.

There is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not.

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

         Then Mary sings of God's mighty deeds. She says that God scatters the proud, brings down rulers, lifts up the humble, fills the hungry with good things, sends the rich away empty and helps Israel. The courage of Mary is astonishing here. Herod and Caesar do not take kindly to such singing.

         How are we to read this song on Christmas Eve, as our souls rejoice in the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior?

         I think we begin by reading it individually, as a song that speaks of our hearts, as a song that leads us to repentance and to renewal. This is a song that speaks of the salvation of your soul.

• When Mary says that God scatters those who are proud in their inmost thoughts, she is talking about our pride, that which keeps us distant from God.
• When Mary says that God brings down rulers from their throne, she is talking about that which rules your life, the power of money, for instance.
• When she says that God has lifted up the humble, she is talking about a part of you that needs to be lifted up, made prominent. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self control. These God can make grow in your life; He can lift up these qualities.
• When she says that God fills the hungry with good things, she says that God can fill the hunger of your soul, that God can meet the pain in you, the hole in your soul, with his goodness, so you will not have to reach for the destructive promises and addictions of the world.
• When she says that God sends the rich away empty, she is saying that you do not have to feed your greed and pride, but you can find your help in the merciful God who gave his only son out of His love. The song of Mary speaks to each of our hearts, and leads us to repentance.

         Next, Mary helps us to see what God is doing in the world through Christ. God is active today on behalf of the hungry, the poor, and the lowly. When you go to serve at PADS one night and sit at table with a homeless person or family, you may experience that God is working in their lives to help them. When you come to the Adopt-a-Family Christmas party and sing a few carols of the birth of Jesus with people who struggle to make ends meet and are on the edges of our society, then you come away with a sense that God is working in some of their hearts, he is saving them, helping them, and you see how they must trust God for everything. When you go to the food bank to serve, or on a summer missions trip, you see that God is at work and his mercy is extending to people most in need. It is not a matter of what we are doing or how much we are giving. But you come to see that these are just opportunities that help us to see God at work in our world. Out of those experiences we begin to define the ministry of the church, we begin to see what we should be doing to join with God in his work.

         Mary's spirit rejoiced at the birth of Jesus. At the manger she experienced the humility of God, the gift of deepest love, the quietness and holiness of salvation. Her spirit rejoiced. She worshiped God her savior. And every Christmas we have the opportunity to join Mary, to bow our knees in worship of Christ.

         "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

         Amen.