"When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy." --Psalm 126:1,2

"And Mary said, 'My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble estate of his servant.' "

 

            We hear, in a variety of ways, a few cultural questions surrounding Christmas. In public life, but also in the church, we wonder how the story of Christmas is to be told, and how that story is to be celebrated.

            I have found our Advent devotional, "Christmas Around the World," to be helpful in thinking about these questions. Most of the Christmas customs featured in the devotional book come from poor countries. Those cultures either downplay or eliminate the gift-giving at Christmas, and there is no Santa story alongside the birth of Jesus story. So Christmas Day is spent largely in leisured worship. They take plenty of time to sing carols and proclaim salvation and tell the story. They are in no rush. Then, after worship, there is often a community meal, or some kind of neighborhood procession. The Christmas story leads them into a community fellowship.

            In our country we have the story of the birth of Jesus and its celebration alongside the story of Santa and its celebration, and the story of family and its celebration. John Weborg writes about how we try to use Christmas to make up what has been lacking in our families during the year, either because of geographical distance or relational distance. I understand that, as it has become quite normal for us to spend Christmas Day on an airplane.

The Santa story is connected to the family story. The relationship is in part established or renewed through gift-giving, through Santa and the Christmas bonus that makes it possible. That is a hard celebration for many people to continue during an economic downturn. It can be hard to look Santa in the eye this year. He becomes more of a judge and less of Jolly Old St. Nick. We may desire a new story, or a new way of celebrating the story.

            So, in a time like ours, we return to the Bible. Tell us again how the Bible tells the story of the birth of Christ. Is there something in that story we need to hear? Perhaps we missed something because we have been trying to tell too many stories at once.

            What we discover is that the Bible does indeed tell the story differently than we do. In fact, the poorer countries in our world seem to be more accurate storytellers. For in the Bible, before we get to the manger, we encounter Mary, and she sings a song, one that is not often found in our Christmas pageants. The church used to include her song. There is much in the way of music from our past that makes it clear that this song, called the "Magnificat," is very much part of the story of Christmas. But we do not often include it.

So Mary sings this first part of the story of the birth of Jesus. We may be surprised to see that it is a song about the poor. It is not about all the poor, the generic poor, but about the pious poor. There is a special name for them, the "anawim." Darrell Bock writes that these pious poor are referred to in two places in Psalm 9 – "He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted" and "the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." The pious poor, the afflicted, the "anawim," are people like Mary, who wait in hope for God, who celebrate his goodness and look for his victory, and who speak of the future Kingdom of Righteousness as if it were present already.

            This song is also about the rich – again, not about all people of means, not the "generic rich," but about the proud rich, the arrogant. She sings of those who are powerful and use their power to oppress the poor and to increase their private holdings, who tip the balance of the scales of life in their favor at the expense of others. Leon Morris writes, "In the ancient world it was accepted that the rich would be well cared for. Poor people must expect to be hungry."

These arrogant rich, Mary sings, are cast down and even sent away empty. This is how the Bible tells the Christmas story. This is how Mary understands the story that gives meaning to the birth of her son, Jesus. The hungry are filled with good things, and the rich are sent away empty.

            But, do you want this part of the story to be included in the Christmas pageant? Is Mary's song part of your Christmas celebration?

            In his book "Simply Christian" N. T. Wright speaks a number of times about the Christian hope, that one day, there will be a world "put to rights." This is the source of Mary's rejoicing. David Tiede writes of her song, "The vision of the feast God has in store for the hungry is a prophetic word which challenges realities that appear unchangeable." I know that the events of this past week concerning corruption in our state make people cynical. It can seem that the corruption of leaders is unchangeable. But Mary experiences something of God that gives her hope, and she rejoices.

            The Biblical story that leads up to the birth of Jesus is one of joy. Psalm 126 captures the joy that is found in the hope of God's people. James Limburg calls it people living "between memory and hope." The Psalm describes the experience of God's people. After long exile in Babylon, they were sent home. They laughed like those who dream, and rejoiced in God who had restored their fortunes.

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy."

            But then they found that re-settling the land was a lot of work, and they met opposition, and there was disappointment. So they cried out "Restore our fortunes, Lord," and said, "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy."

            From this Psalm we learn three things that inform our reading of the Christmas story. First, it is past joy that points to future joy. Our joy over the birth of Jesus is not ruined by loss or sadness. We rejoice in the story of the birth of Jesus, because it points to a greater joy that awaits us all.

            Next, it is the Lord's restoration that is the foundation of joy. Joy does not come from us producing the perfect Christmas. Joy cannot be manufactured, or purchased. It is the Lord's salvation, the experience of being forgiven, healed and saved by God that brings us joy.

            Finally, tears lead us to joy. There is a song that is sung sometimes at Christmas, "Mary, Did you Know?" Mary does not face a trouble-free life. The manger does lead to the cross. The joy of Christmas is not a life without tears; it is rather that the tears are in God's time wiped away.

            In the Song of Mary, we discover that joy is the celebration, not of accomplishment, but of hope. That is to say, the celebration in Mary comes before the victory of God is complete, or even experienced. While she is still pregnant with Jesus, she recognizes the will of God begun, and is able to connect the birth of Jesus to the hope she has carried for so long. In her mind, God's future is just as secure as the past. Leon Morris says, "Mary is looking forward in a spirit of prophecy and counting what God will do as so certain that it can be spoken of as accomplished."

            "He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty."

            All of this prophetic speech finds its center in the birth of Jesus. So the birth of Jesus never becomes a tired Christmas story, like some of the Christmas movies or programs you have seen so much that you find you just can't watch one more time. Mary recognizes that the fact she is having a baby is a miracle. Elizabeth is going to have a baby in her old age, and he will be the forerunner, John the Baptist. So Mary comes to know that God is up to something great, and from her study of scripture she knows what the great things are that God has planned. The birth of Jesus puts all this in motion. When we grasp the song of Mary, then we are ready to hear Luke chapter 2: "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree . . ."

            In Christ, God began to act on behalf of those who had waited long, those who knew tears. So joy came to people who loved God and knew hard days and now in the birth of the Savior rejoiced as they entered God's future.

            In this uncertain Christmas season, let us tell the story from the Bible, and celebrate with joy as we enter God's future.

            Amen.