Devotion for the Second Sunday in Advent (Day 8)

THEME FOR THE WEEK: LOVE

DEVOTION FOR THE SUNDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT (DAY 8)

READING: Luke 1:46–55 (NRSV)

⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. ⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; ⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

REFLECTION:

After yesterday’s “Palm Sunday” text for the Advent devotion, I really appreciate today’s text, which is usually called “The Magnificat” or “Mary’s Song”. This is the song that springs forth from Mary lips after she and her cousin Elizabeth have greeted one another, following Mary’s arrival at Elizabeth’s home in the hill country. Elizabeth’s unborn baby John has jumped around in her womb, in acknowledgment of Mary’s special unborn son. Elizabeth praises Mary, and Mary responds by breaking into this song.

Mary’s song is an early warning alert that God’s kingdom is in the middle of us. Mary sings of God’s work in turning the established order upside down. In God’s kingdom the hungry are fed, not just by food pantry items, but with really “good things”, and the rich are sent away. Although this text is familiar because we sing Mary’s song in our Evening Prayer services, when you actually think about the words, it is quite revolutionary. So revolutionary that in some countries, its use has actually been banned.

In this passage, Luke signals, even before Jesus’ birth, that Jesus is going to rock the traditional way things happen. Luke also points out that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament: “according to the promises made to our ancestors, Abraham and his descendents forever.”

The fourteen year old Mary knows that God has blessed her and is using her along with her unborn son to do something very different in the world. From Mary’s word, we, too know that Mighty One has done great things. God’s Love is about to be born into the world.

PRAYER: May you see in Jesus the fulfillment of God’s promises to God’s people. May the hungry be fed and the lowly lifted up in our time. May you feel the love of Jesus in your life. Amen