Advent day 22: Christmas eve's eve

And Mary sang:  "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 his descendants forever. "  Luke 1:46-55.

And so we come to the last part of Mary's song.  In this last sentence she speaks of God's help, God's mercy and God's promise.   These are three good things to take with us into an uncertain year ahead.  Mary would certainly need God's help, mercy and promise on more than one occasion in the months ahead of her.  As will we.  Where do you need God's help?  Where have you seen God's mercy?  What promise of God gives you encouragement as you move into the future?  Take time to write and pray about this before the end of the year.

It has been a good practice for me to memorize Mary's song over the past few weeks, and it has been a challenging discipline to post on this blog everyday as I reflected on what the words I trying to learn by heart.  Doing so has forced me to take time away from the seasonal busyness to slow down and do some thinking and praying.  For those of you who have walked through this advent journey with me, thank you for your quiet companionship.  I hope your hearts are feeling more prepared for the coming celebration.

And now it is time to celebrate!  Christ's first coming is such good news it needs a great festivity and some beautiful music. Sing and celebrate heartily tomorrow on Christmas eve.

I will take a break from posting over the rest of the month but will back after the new year.  Blessings!

Advent day 21: On empty

And Mary sang:  "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."  Luke 1:46-53.

God "has filled he hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty."  An ominous warning?  Maybe, especially if one lives in one of the wealthiest countries on earth.  But perhaps it is also an invitation.

Mary's words remind me of  the gospel story (Mark 10) where a rich young man came to talk to Jesus (Mary's son).  The man wanted to know what he had to do to be a part of this abundant life Jesus kept talking about.  He was, you might say, hungry for more.  So Jesus invited him to sell all he had, give to the poor and come follow him, saying he would have treasures in heaven, but the man walked sadly away, presumably because he couldn't leave his wealth.

He has "sent the rich away empty," Mary said.  Or do we send ourselves?

A friend posted this quote recently:

“If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand,...we would know that the Kingdom of God is what we all of us hunger for above all other things even when we don’t know its name or realize that it’s what we’re starving to death for. The Kingdom of God is where our best dreams come from and our truest prayers. We glimpse it at those moments when we find ourselves being better than we are and wiser than we know. We catch sight of it when at some moment of crisis a strength seems to come to us that is greater than our own strength. The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it.”
-- Frederick Buechner

Well said, brother Frederick.

Advent day 20: I'm hungry

And Mary sang:  "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."  Luke 1:46-53.

For my birthday last summer my husband gave me a clear plastic bird feeder that attaches with suction cups to the window.  I filled it with sunflower seeds and waited...and waited.  Days dragged into weeks and weeks dragged into months.  One day my husband reported that he had seen a cardinal at the feeder.  A couple of weeks later I saw a cardinal too.  A few weeks later it started---a crowd of feathered creatures sometimes waiting their turn in the butterfly bush, sometimes diving into the feeder with a flutter and annoying  another out.  Titmouse, chickadee, goldfinch, house finch, wren had found a good place to eat.

Sometimes good food simply isn't available to us.  And so we have food pantries and soup kitchens.  We teach creative farming methods in countries where many are hungry.  We care for depleted soil.   We literally follow Christ's call to feed those who are hungry, trusting that one day there will be enough for everyone.  

Other times, however, our stomachs are full but our souls are malnourished.  It can take a long time to learn where the good soul food is to eat.  It's hard to believe that what our hearts really need is God's very self.  God?  That's gotta be boring we think for the longest time.  We don't notice how God's forgiveness and healing is food for everyday.  We doubt we need to hear God's word in the morning.  There is always somewhere to be and something to do.  It takes a long time to realize that the entertainment and busyness we think will bring satisfaction and success does not in the end feed our souls. 

I'm not sure what in the end led the birds to the inconspicuous feeder, but at some point they began to communicate the good news to one another.  Nor is it always clear what brings us to the realization that our souls are hungry for God.  A friend's words? God's grace?  the Holy Spirit?  Good news?  However it happens, people begin to gather in groups around word and communion to love God and love neighbor, and we discover this to be as necessary as bread.  It is what gives us life.

God has filled the hungry with good things, sings Mary, and sent the rich away empty.

Advent day 19- Lowly lifting

And Mary sang:  "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..."  Luke 1:46-52.

In the previous posts I spoke about my own proud thoughts and negative powers that God is gradually scattering and bringing down in my life.  By hearing these words of Mary in personal terms, I don't mean to trivialize the radical, universal nature of what Mary is claiming here.  As has been so evident in the last week with the Newtown tragedy, we need Christ to come and set things right.  That's the promise.  Nevertheless in the meantime God seems to be carrying out this promise in a behind-the-scenes way, changing individuals and calling groups to be salt and light in the world.

And so today we hear that God has "lifted up the lowly."

I see God's "lifting" work being done in so many ways, in so many places.  A few simple examples:  people in our congregation arranged an afternoon of hospitality to take family Christmas portraits in a troubled neighborhood of the city.  Another team drove to NJ and spent a day helping with Sandy clean-up.  Next week over Christmas break some are volunteering to staff the church-sponsored shelter for the homeless.  This to me is God working through us to lift up the lowly.

Bear with me as I go personal with this text again.  Today I am sitting in my study hoping to crank out three messages for the coming week.  I never feel more lowly than when I face this task of what to say to the people of God.  I'm an introvert and would rather not speak; to do so drains me.  But the idea that I must speak words that perhaps God can use to nurture and challenge God's people (or perhaps not) is daunting.  And I am aware of my lowliness.  That God's word does come through is a great testament to God's grace in my lowly work and the congregation's great patience.

So here I am, sitting wordless in my lowliness and not feeling the least bit lifted up yet.  Except I keep remembering my morning walk where about a half hour before sunrise there was an amazing flush of rose fire in one quarter of the sky.  For a few minutes only the clouds were vivid.  The browned grass wore a pink, frosty wash.  The dark flowing water of Trout Run became a racing maroon current.  By the time I had hurried up cemetery hill, everything was fading back to a slate gray and cloud cover was closing the slim  sky opening, preventing sunlight from being seen today.

What does that have to do with the scripture text or my task of the day?  Only this and only tangentially: any lowly one who is homeless, any lowly one who faces yet another day of flood clean-up, any lowly one who was unable to sleep last night because of grief over the death of a child, any of these lowly ones might have glimpsed the incredible beauty of God's creation.  While God will lift up all lowly one day in amazing ways, today God offered us free beauty as we plow ahead into our day of lowly and perhaps painful tasks.  A few may have seen it and been lifted up.  That's my prayer anyway.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly...

Advent day 18- Down from thrones

And Mary sang:  "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..."  Luke 1:46-52.

There are a number of things to which I grant power that only belongs to God.  Other peoples' opinion and, related to that, making a good impression.  Letting the waster of free time have more power than doing some more "productive" things that I sincerely want to do.  My introvert self digging in its heels and yelling:  not another phone call!  Coveting what I use to go out and buy or the traveling I use to do before the economic downturn affected our family. Justifying every little thing I do rather than admitting I am not perfect.   None of these things is worth the power I give them.

Here's the good news:  the fact that I am aware that I give these things power which they don't deserve indicates that God is beginning to bring them down off of the thrones  in my life. I think that God seems to be dismantling the powers from the inside out in a quietly, subversive way.  It's a slow process.  Of course, it has been a long process for the Church which has been singing this song for about 2000 years and waiting for God to come and put things right once and for all.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones.....
.

Advent day 17- The great scattering

And Mary sang:  "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...."  Luke 1:46-51.

The popular polls would have picked someone else as the mother of Israel's messiah, but God chose to come to simple and sincere Mary instead of the proud and politically powerful.   It was a slap in the face to the influential....an affront to the demented King Herod who couldn't stand, as it turns out, thought of a messiah taking over his throne.  So Herod resorted to the murder of the innocent children in the town Jesus was born to prevent such a messiah from surviving.  Herod died shortly thereafter, perhaps even thinking he had managed to snuff out the upstart messiah's life, but he had failed.  The holy family had escaped to Egypt for a time.   God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 

According to Mathew's gospel, Mary's betrothed husband, gentle Joseph, was figuring out how to quietly divorce her after he had received the news she was pregnant.  Joseph knew the child wasn't his.  His plan was justified; he could only assume Mary had been unfaithful.  And I will assume (reading between the lines) that Joseph's pride, both in terms of his righteous morals and his personal affection for Mary, had been bruised.  But those plans were dispersed by angel Gabriel's arrival with a message from God.  The message changed Joseph's mind.  God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 

Jesus bent down and wrote in the sandy dirt.  A woman caught in adultery had been dragged over to stand near Jesus.  The arresting religious leaders pretended to want Jesus to judge the case.  If he did not condemn her, he would obviously be breaking the Jewish law.  If he did condemn her, he would lose the following of the ragtag masses.  Either way, the religious leaders would win...they thought.  Jesus looked up and said, "Let the one without sin cast the first stone."  He then went back to writing in the sand and waited them out.  One by one, the accusers walked away, and Jesus then absolved and instructed the woman who had been their pawn.  He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

Whether a ruthless king, or a confused and loving fiancee, or the judgmental, self-righteous elite, or whether it is me....He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  Week after week, God works in my heart and in the hearts of all of God's children, transforming us, changing us, teaching us.  Teaching us to think of others rather than pursuing only our own welfare.  Teaching us that surface appearances are indeed deceiving.  Teaching us that our self-righteousness can blind us.  Teaching us not to be controlled by our pride.  Teaching us to wash feet when necessary.  Sometimes it takes a lifetime, but Jesus comes into our lives to scatter the proud thoughts of our hearts so that love will ultimately win.   

Advent day 16- Metaphors

And Mary sang:  "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...."  Luke 1:46-51.

I love metaphors and use them all the time.  Spirit is wind.  Christ is light.  My granddaughter is sunshine. Books are a retreat.  Uncertainty is a dense fog.  A listening friend is a cup of cold water in a desert.

Mary uses a metaphor:  God has shown strength with his arm.  I managed to disconcert a few people in bible study the other week when I suggested that I don't believe God (as Creator/Father/ first person of the Trinity) has a body as we know it.  God is not literally showing strength by something God is doing with an arm: wielding a sword in battle, tossing bolts of lightening, shaping humans from dust or holding back the sea.

It seems to me that "strength of his arm" used here and other times in Hebrew scriptures is a metaphor for the powerful ways God works to defend and care for God's people.  And that's how Mary, pregnant with Jesus, is using the metaphor, especially if we read the verses that follow (which we will over the next few days.).

But wait!  Once Jesus enters the picture, the metaphor melts into reality.  Jesus actually has an arm, two of them,in fact.  What exactly do we see Jesus doing with the strength of his arm?  Jesus pointing to the other side of the boat for the disciples to throw their fishing nets.  Jesus picking up a child to bless.  Jesus spreading mud on a blind man's eyes.  Jesus taking a whip to the tables of money changers in the temple.  Jesus writing on the ground to divert a group of self-righteous leaders and protect a needy woman.  Jesus carrying a basin of water to wash dirty disciples' feet.  Jesus blessing and breaking bread with "tax-collectors and sinners."  Jesus with arms outstretched on the cross. Jesus uses his arms to defend and care for God's people.  Actually, he uses his arms to save all of humankind.  And that is not a metaphor!

A hymn for advent day 15, for tragedy day 4

Today, on what should be the most joyful Sunday in advent, we acknowledged the grief and prayers we hold for those who have lost their children, family members and teachers in Connecticut this past week.  The following words are from the hymn we sang at the lighting of the advent wreath this week.  It is all about Emmanuel, God with us in the sorrow.  It is about the promise (heard loudly in advent) that he will come again to make right what is unbearably broken.  Although it was hard to do any rejoicing, the words are a call, a plea, for Christ to come into the darkness.....

O come, O Branch of Jesse, free your own from Satan's tyranny;
     from depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o'er the grave.



O come, O key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home;
     make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.

 

O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer;  O sun of justice, now draw near
     Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadow put to flight.

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Tomorrow we go back to Mary's song.....

Advent Day 14- How to see a mercy

And Mary sang:  "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.

Somewhere in our confirmation class of 7th to 8th graders, there is usually a discussion about what "fear" of God means. Something about a revealing of God's presence must be fear producing, because angels are forever telling their visitees not to be afraid.  (Gabriel's words to Mary, in fact.)  Eventually, however, our class discussion gets around to a fear of God that equals honor, awe, respect, worship...even obedience. I don't doubt that a healthy respect and awe of God might produce some trepidation at times.  However, Jesus talked about God as "father" in loving relationship with God's children.

Mary says, "His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation."  At first hearing it seems that God's mercy is available to those who honor/worship (fear) God, which may lead one to conjecture that God's mercy is not available to those who do not honor (fear) God.  I would not go for that assumption.  "The sun shines on the good and the bad" as the saying goes.  The whole world benefits daily from the grace and mercy of our Creator and Sustainer.  It we are breathing at all, God's mercy touches us, believer or not.

But I can say this.  If  one is not worshiping, honoring (fearing) God with awe, it is almost a sure thing that one will not be able to see and take notice of the mercies of God "that are new every morning" and all around.  It is only in relationship with the Holy One that a person can see what a loving God is doing in her or his life as well as in the world around.  Like forgiveness.  Like healing.  Like hope.  Like unconditional love.  Worship and honor (fear) of God opens one's eyes to the many divine mercies that one would miss otherwise.

Advent Day 13 with hearts broken

On this very sad night, when children and teachers have been shot to death, when families are desperately grieving, when words fail us, when we wonder what has gone wrong with our world, the season of advent voices our pain and hope for something better:  Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Our world needs your healing and peace.

Advent Day 12--From generation to generation

My great-great-grandfather was a circuit riding Methodist preacher in the hills of North Carolina.  I don't know much about him except his daughter (my great-grandmother Daisy) eloped with a young man attending a worship service.  (And a good match it was, I'm told.)  Daisy's daughter, my grandmother Josephine,  was a bible teacher in a large city church.  Her daughter, my mother, has led small groups of Christians in bible study for years.  And then there's me (and my two brothers).

My mother reminded me of my great-great grandfather when I was down visiting her a couple of weeks ago.  We are told that great-great-grandfather Preacher Hubbard made it a practice of praying for his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and his descendants yet unborn (including me), etc. etc.  Although we do not know specifically what he prayed, we are told that he prayed for us to come to faith in Christ.

So when Mary sings that that God's mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation, I think of my great-great-grandfather's prayers and am grateful that, although he never saw me, he prayed for me.  Thus, knowing God's mercy from generation to generation is true in our family.  So now it is time for me to start praying for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, etc., etc.

And Mary sang:  "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.

Advent Day 11- If a punch bowl were holy

And Mary sang:  "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."

When I was growing up there was a china closet in the dining room.  In the china closet was a punch bowl that had been handed down in the family.  Actually, the punch bowl still has a special place on the closet's shelf.  It is made of beautiful cut glass and reflects colors in the light.  Our family has only used it on special occasions.  The rest of the time it sits apart safely on the shelf where I admire it every time I go visit my parents.

What does it mean for Mary to say God's name is holy?  One definition for "holy" is set apart.  Is God and God's name like the punch bowl sitting on the shelf, set apart and brought out only for special occasions?  Well, some folks may view God that way, but I don't think that is what Mary is talking about. In fact, I think the opposite is true.

Martin Luther reminds us in the shorter catechism that to make God's name holy, one is offering in prayer that God may become holy in us.  This does NOT mean we are going to become perfect little holier-than-thou creatures.  We will always be flawed on this earth.  And it does NOT mean that we withdraw from the everyday and sit on a shelf apart, so to speak.  Rather, to make God's name holy means that we give God priority in our lives by what we say and by what we do.  We give God room in our ordinary lives to live and love and work and share through us.

Where would a punch bowl be if it were holy?  What if we brought the punch bowl out of the china closet and gave it a space of prominence on the table?  What if it held our ordinary milk for breakfast cereal and later in the day our root beer for a  pizza supper?  Maybe even our popcorn when it was time to watch a movie. Then it becomes a treasure that participates in our ordinary meals and ordinary lives.

In advent we think of pregnant Mary having the treasure of the Word of God, the messiah Jesus, physically growing inside her. Meanwhile, we too let God's name be holy when God's treasured Word is growing in us...all the time, all the very ordinary time.

And holy is God's name!

Advent Day 10- How do you see things?

It's all in how you see things...I mean, how you really see things.  The kind of seeing that is not just through your physical eyes, but, instead, how you see things with your soul paying attention to what God's doing. This "soul seeing"  sees more clearly when praying is happening.  What this soul seeing sees is often invisible to others unless they too are praying with you.

A few weeks ago, a long-term project came to an overwhelming obstacle.  I was ready to quit.  I didn't know how to continue it anymore.  As I often do when discouraged, I retreated into a good book, licking my wounds, feeling rather abandoned by God.  That good book, however, gave me surprisingly creative ideas about a new project.  A project, I thought, that would distract me from the first disappointing one.  My energy began to pour into planning the new project.

But then, a few mornings later in my devotions, it suddenly hit me while praying: this new project wasn't an escape from the first.  It was not a timely coincidence that happened to get me out of my doldrums and self-pity.  It actually was a gift of God doing a great thing. God had not left me high and dry after all.  The new project had everything to do with the first.  God was offering a creative remedy for doing the first project in a different way.  It was all in the matter of "soul seeing."   The turn of events and new opportunity was not a random coincidence, but was God's direct, redeeming answer in an overwhelming situation.

And so Mary sings: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior who has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me......

As I wrote yesterday, Mary could have kept count of all the difficult situations she was facing and, heaven knows, there would be many more painful challenges to come. She could have seen her visit to Elizabeth as an escape from all the hardship she was facing.  But instead, with her soul-seeing heart, she identified what most others could not yet see, how God was doing mighty things in her life...in her body, in fact.  Elizabeth, a woman of prayer, also recognized God's great work in Mary.   With her soul eyes, Elizabeth identified the baby Mary was carrying as the Messiah, not a youthful mistake of passion.  Joseph, a godly man, eventually came to understand the "soul seeing"' truth as well; he would adopt the Messiah as his own son to help raise.  Why?  A mighty God was doing a great thing, not just in terms of their personal lives and little family, but in terms of a larger whole for a greater good.  (The larger whole was the  the world; the greater good was the world's salvation) .  It took the way of soul'seeing for Joseph, Mary and Elizabeth to acknowledge what others could not yet see..

So how do we get our soul-sight working?  How do we see beyond the everyday discouragements that weigh us down?

I don't pretend to have the answers.  God works so differently in different people.  But I can say what helps me, in spite of the fact I must be "blind" more often than not.  I try to take quiet time to listen to God's word in scripture and pray about it....for me that is in the morning, writing in my journal and walking the dogs before I go into the office.  And then, either in the morning or at night, I try to take time to look (and sometimes hunt) for what God has done in the day (or the day before).  Sometimes, in the most difficult things of my life, there is at least something, even if quiet and subtle, for which I can be grateful.  Upon more reflection, that one thing may actually be a mighty act of God that almost got away without me recognizing it.  Most of the time, the lack of recognition is my own fault for not paying attention.  On the other hand, and please forgive me, there are times I really do wonder if God relishes playing hide-and-seek.  If so, why do I need to be so serious?!   God might be inviting us to take a playful delight in hunting out and discovering what and where God has been up to.  So go hunting with your special set of eyes today.

While others thought she was in a serious predicament, Mary, with soul-seeing eyes, joyfully, and maybe playfully, laughed:  The Mighty One has done great things for me!

Advent Day 9- Difficult Blessing

Mary sang: 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....(Luke 1:46-48)

Yesterday I  attended the worship service where three young adults were ordained to be pastors in the Lutheran church.  I had had the privilege of working with one of the young women when she was a counselor at confirmation camp.  It was obvious then, more than eight years ago, that she was gifted in ministry and a person of faith.

In his sermon yesterday, the bishop reminded the three ordinands of all that they had been through to get to ordination (a college degree, three academic years of seminary, a semester of clinical pastoral education, a year of internship, endless interviews and questioning by candidacy committees and congregations).  On one hand they must be proud of their accomplishments, the bishop said.  But from this day forward, their accomplishments were not the point anymore.  It was no longer about them, but Christ.  They would need the help of others.  They would absolutely need to trust Christ. They would disappoint many.  Their calling would be hard.

And yet, after their vows were said, there were many tears of absolute joy and gratitude to God for calling these people and giving them the strength to serve the church in this difficult time.  And I, as an older pastor, who can count the years on one hand until I retire (maybe), felt such gratitude for their young voices to speak to a searching generation in a way that I can't.  How I pray a blessing for them!

From now on all generations will call me blessed.  Mary said that , not because of her accomplishments.  Not because this mother of Jesus role was about her any more than it is for any follower of Jesus.  Mary is called blessed because of what God is doing through her, just as the Church called the three newly ordained pastors blessed because of what God would do through them.

The "blessing" was difficult for Mary too.  At the time of her song in Luke's gospel, it is unsure whether Joseph or her immediate family had signed on to stand by her pregnancy.  Later she and Joseph would have to leave the country and flee to Egypt to save the child's life from a jealous ruler. For Mary, there would be  years of baking bread, cleaning house, washing Jesus' clothes and hunting him when, after visiting Jerusalem, he stayed behind in the temple without telling her.  Then there was the time she watched him die at the foot of the cross where he hung.  Blessing?  There was nothing rosy colored about that blessing.  Mary's life could be called a blessing only because God was using her life to bring blessing to the world.

Pray with me for all those---whether bus drivers, news reporters, physical therapists, teachers, insurance agents---who by what they do bring God's blessing to others.  Being blessed by God isn't about us at all, but about the blessing we, with God's Spirit guiding, bring to others.  God's blessing will bring, as it did Mary, many inevitable challenges.  So challenging, in fact, that we will only be able to trust God to see the next step.

A Sabbath Advent Day 8

As I write this, it is still Saturday.  Tomorrow, Sunday, I will take a sabbath from writing. (Not from work:  two worship services, a congregational meeting, a mission project in the city and an ordination.)  By the end of the day, I will sit still and listen to this beautiful anthem written by Christine McIntosh that a friend posted.

I can imagine these words being whispered by pregnant Mary that first night in Elizabeth's home.  Full of Elizabeth's warm welcome and blessing, drained by the exuberance and intensity of her own singing (Luke 1:46-55), but still too restless to shut her eyes, Mary steps out of the home of her sleeping friends and stares into the moonless sky.  I may do the same by the time I get home after tomorrow.

Advent Song

by Christine McIntosh

Look, God look

in the vastness of your dark

hear the song

in the chorus of the world

where I sing

for the glory of your coming

held by love

as the music pours from me

a flame within

as the night falls around me

hear my prayer

and come through the darkness

hold me waiting

as you wait to be born.

You can listen to it here.  Blessings on your sabbath and 8th day of advent waiting.

Advent day 7- What do you want to be when you grow up?

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.  (Luke 1:46-48)

Were you ever asked what you wanted to be when you grew up?  Did any of you answer a servant?  What about a slave? I'm guessing not.  It might have been an actor, a baseball player, a train engineer, a teacher....

Even if you are not a Downton Abbey fan, you are probably familiar through books or movies with the British butler, the lady's maid, the housekeeper, the cook, the chauffeur, etc.  The servants on the estate were not enslaved by any means, but they were certainly expected to serve with impeccable obedience to the will of the lord, lady, earl, duchess, etc.

The Greek word for servant that is used in Luke is "doulos," meaning a servant or slave.  In the Christian scriptures, servant/slave is a common term the early Christians used to describe their position in relation to Jesus Christ. For example, the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans wrote, "Paul, a servant (slave) of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God...."  And Peter, preaching to the crowds, quotes a scripture, "Even upon my slaves (servants), both men and women, in those days I (God) will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy."

Mary says she is the servant of the Lord.  She unmistakably has had God's spirit poured out on her as she carries this Son.  In her song, which I am reflecting on this advent, she certainly prophesies (in the biblical sense) about what God is doing.  She has been obedient to Gabriel's message from God that she will bear the messiah:  "Here am I, the servant of the Lord.  Let it be with me according to your word." Luke 1:38.  And now Mary has gone to visit Elizabeth for awhile at Gabriel's request.  So far she is serving with obedience the will of the Lord and setting the standard for all future servants of Christ, including Paul and Peter, and down to us.

What am I going to be when I grow up?  A servant?  A slave of Christ?

My answer at this late stage of my life is that I hope so.  I am certain, however, that I have not nor ever will serve impeccably.  But then, neither did Paul or Peter.......or the Downton Abbey crew for that matter.

Advent Day 6- Long way from Lord to lowliness

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.  (Luke 1:46-48)

There's a long way from Lord to lowliness.  A long way from the Mighty One, the Holy One, Creator of the Universe, God of Israel and all the famous personages of the scriptures, to a teen-age peasant girl whose parents (Jesus' maternal grandparents) are not even named in the gospels.  A long way, and Mary knew it.

This song (dig out your bibles and keep reading on) reflects how she found the whole thing amazing, humbling, and a great reversal of the way things are run in the world.  That the God of Israel should choose to keep the centuries old promise through her was mind blowing.  Heart stopping.  It's a long way from Lord to lowliness.

But there is one thing that Mary may not have grasped quite yet.  Even the gospel writers and we ourselves are confounded with the mystery.  The Lord of the universe is not simply looking "down" with favor on a "lowly" Mary.  The Lord of the Universe is becoming "lowly" in order to serve Mary and all of us.

In her book, Fragments of Your Ancient Name, Joyce Rupp writes:

"Lord."  That word sounds extremely patriarchal.
Definite.  No compromising.  Heavy-handed.
"Lording it over," so the phrase goes,
Implying one who wields power callously.
But your coming to dwell among us
Expressed the very opposite of this.
You, Lord, washed feet, touched lepers,
Wept with the grieving, forgave sinners.
You did not over-power.  You empowered.
Restoring dignity and self-confidence.

And the apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2 that Christ

"...though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death---even death on a cross.

Yes, Mary, it is a long way from Lord to lowliness, but a greater mystery how the Lord becomes the epitome of lowliness itself.

Advent Day 5- A grandfather's favor

Mary's song continues:

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. (Luke 1:46-48)

Do you know that safe feeling when there is someone in our lives that "looks with favor" upon us? 

I remember my grandfather, Charles Dickerson.  What I know about him is that he grew up on a farm in Delaware and eventually made his way to Norfolk where he proudly sold Pontiac cars.  I know he kept his own car polished and gleaming in the driveway.  I know he raised beautiful flowers in the small, immaculately groomed yard of my grandparents' city home.  The colorful gladiolas he grew garnered a lot of attention.

I also know without a doubt that he looked with favor upon his three grandchildren---and I was the first, therefore the oldest, and the only granddaughter, so, unless the Ed Sullivan show was on,  I managed to garner a lot of his attention too.  I am positive that he never spoke a cross word to me (or my brothers) and that his heart burst with pride whenever he got to show us off.  This wasn't often, because we drove the 300 miles to visit only twice a year.  If our visit was over a Sunday, my grandfather absolutely glowed.  He was the superintendent (I think, remember these are childhood memories) of a crowded men's Sunday School class.  As a nine and ten year old,  I was learning to play piano at the time.  He took special delight in having me play something for their opening exercises.  I must have played whatever music I was working on for a recital and am almost certain it had nothing to do with church and was quite ordinary. But for my grandfather, it didn't matter.  It wasn't what I did; it was simply who I was, and for that he looked on me with favor.  Looking back on it, my grandfather's church friends must have been quite gracious as well.

Mary knows that although she is quite ordinary and she has done nothing special, God has looked on her with favor, enough favor to choose her as the one to give birth to and raise the Messiah. It is for her, quite amazing that God would take notice and turn God's caring attention upon her in such a way.

But then, that's the way God is for all of us.  Listen to what the apostle Paul says in Ephesians about God:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as chose us in Christ before the foundations of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.  He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Doesn't that sound like we are looked upon with favor?  And before we've even done anything to earn it!  So with all of that favor of God being bestowed on us perhaps, on this fifth day of advent, while we wait for Christ to come, we can also be bestowers of God's favor upon the ordinary people around us.  There are so many people who need to know about this, including our own incredulous hearts.

Advent Day 4-One requirement for a Savior

My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Luke 1:46-47)

People spend a lot of effort on do-it-yourself stuff, sometimes for the satisfaction of it, sometimes to save money.  Right now I am waiting for a do-it-yourself Christmas present that my husband is giving me.  It is a kit to make a camping quilt and sleeping pad.  The materials are supposed be awesomely light for those who don't want to carry heavy packs on the trail.   I will receive the basic materials and directions, but then I will have to cut and sew it myself.

Ever since most of us were little kids we have wanted to do things ourselves whether it is to walk or tie our shoes or ride a bike.  We want to be independent and not need anyone to help us.  It's part of growing up.  When as adults we relax and depend on others to do some things-like fill our coffee cups, clean our office, build our houses---our independence comes out in other ways.  In whatever areas we are supposed to be qualified and expert, we really do not want to ask for help.  We want to solve our own problems, get ourselves out of jams, be in control of difficult situations, not admit to any weaknesses, surround ourselves with success, pretend we'll stay young forever. Some of us work hard not to need help. 

But here's the dilemma.   In order to rejoice "in God my Savior" there is a requirement.  Yes, I know we talk about grace, but there is  no getting around this requirement.  By definition the requirement is that we have to have a need.   By definition, a savior rescues/heals/saves from a desperate need.  If you have no needs, then there is no necessity for a savior, is there?  On the other hand, anyone who has a great need which that person cannot do for themselves needs a savior.

"...my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

We can only guess at Mary's personal needs.  Safety through her first childbirth.  A husband who wouldn't reject a child not his own.  Food on the table.  Freedom from Rome's oppresion on town's streets.

In our "can do" and "do-it-yourself" world,  it would be wise to pause and name our needs--ours personally and ours globally.  The thunderous explosion of a school being bombed.  A tsunami crashing into a village.  An eviction notice.  The divorce papers.  The words of the doctor, "There is no more we can do."  If we refuse to acknowledge our needs, we might not recognize the Savior saving.

 

Advent Day 3: Rejoice? Really?

"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior," sings Mary. (Luke 1:46-47)


In spite of all I wrote yesterday (or in addition to all I wrote yesterday),  I must ask:  Rejoice?  Really?


I would have said that "My spirit trusts in God"  might be a more appropriate wording for Mary here.  It seems a bit premature, doesn't it, to talk about rejoicing?  For the moment the mighty are still on their thrones and the proud haven't been scattered anywhere. (You have to keep reading after verse 47) Nor have the lowly had any change in life circumstance.  Rome, ever the conquering tyrant, is still in control about to demand a new round of taxes.  And besides, childbirth in Mary's time, brought all sorts of risks.  Of course she would have to trust God.  But rejoice about it?

And if one peeks into Matthew's gospel, it gets worse.  Joseph is questioning whether to marry Mary after all.  The birth of her baby followed by a visit by eastern sages will send the governing authorities searching to kill her child along with a village of toddlers.  There will be plenty of opportunities to trust God through dangerous circumstances on her flight into Egypt, but rejoice?  Really?

Yes.   Mary trusts God so much, trusts that God will bring good and keep promises so much,  that she rejoices in what is yet to be accomplished.  She can sing and rejoice with such gusto because there is an underlying trust that God is going to keep the promises.

So it is not only rejoicing going on here. Nor is it a simple question of is-your-cup-half-full-or-half-empty optimism. In fact Mary's belly-laugh rejoicing is a testimony to gut-wrenching trust in the face of danger and misunderstanding.  Woman made brave by a Holy Spirit turned loose! Radical trust bursts like flame into an exquisite rejoicing over what is yet to be!

Is it really only for Mary?  Will God help us to trust God's promises like that?

Advent Day 2: Rejoice!

"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior," sings Mary. (Luke 1:46-47)

Now when I think of rejoicing in God, I think of it in more formal terms.  You know---like a large choir and trumpets.  Or the quiet, profound rejoicing of communion.  Or maybe an occasional celebratory standing ovation.  "Rejoicing in God" seems like such a serious, beautiful, orchestrated kind of joy with heavenly hosts and all...

...until last week when I received a video from my son and daughter-in-law.  My granddaughter is laughing at her daddy making funny noises.

So what if our rejoicing in God was more like her earthly belly laugh?  What if we were so absolutely enthralled and delighted by what God is doing to save us and the world that, with inhibitions gone, we just can't hold still or be quiet, but have to roar with laughter? We even have to gasp for air!

Mary and Elizabeth's rejoicing the day when they first saw each other pregnant and told stories of what crazy thing God was doing---well, honestly, I suspect it was more of the belly-laugh kind.

So can we rejoice, yes, rejoice, in what we see God is doing?!
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(Posted by Elaine with the help of Jon...)

Advent Day1: Magnificat, magnificat, magnificat

So, as I was driving from Virginia to Pennsylvania yesterday, I listened to a recording of the Magnificat by Rutter.  I thought it would be a good break from memorizing Mary's song in Luke 1.  It was being sung in Latin, and my Latin is tenuous since, after all, it has been a very long time since high school.  But it was still fun listening carefully, figuring out where the choir was in relation to the English translation I was trying to memorize, and delighting in how the music painted the text.  So the music starts:  "Magnificat, magnificat...." which in English is "Magnify, magnify."  In the music the drums beat louder and each "magnify" rises higher. It is exhilarating.

Mary's song, the Englsih version, begins:  My soul magnifies the Lord.  If you are reading this blog, then you surely have used Google Maps or Mapquest.  You know, for example,  how we can start from a large area map and step by step zoom in closer and closer.  When my son was hiking the Appalachian Trail, he posted a link on his blog to a map of the trail up the east coast.  One could see how the trail went from Georgia to Maine.  But then one could click the "+" button and zoom in closer;  go click "+" again and zoom in still closer.  Pretty soon one could see the elevation contours, the shelters, the parking areas of the vicinity he was in. One could even zoom in and magnify what the challenges might be for the day, or where roads or rivers  need to be crossed, or the locations of towns where supplies could be gotten. 

My soul magnifies the Lord,  said Mary.

I wonder if Mary's life was like a map, where one could locate the "+" button, zoom in and see more clearly what God had done for her.  She actually seems delighted in letting people know what God was doing.  Her focus seems to be not about herself at all; it was about what God was doing.

So what about our lives?  Are we willing to get out of the way?  To hit the + button of our lives so that others can see more closely what God is doing?  Do we want to magnify and feature God or ourselves?  Who do we want magnified?

May soul magnifies the Lord, said Mary.

Important words.  Can I say the same?


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Twas the night before advent...

Twas the night before advent and today through the long drive of 300 hundred miles home, I worked on memorizing the "Magnificat" or Mary's song from Luke, chapter 1.  It is a beautiful hymn that has been sung by the Church through the centuries. As Luke tells it, Mary is  pregnant with Jesus and rushes to her kinswoman Elizabeth's house (you can surmise why the haste to get away) where she stays for three months.  Elizabeth greets her with warmth, joy and a surprising blessing---saying that she knows Mary is the mother of the Lord.  Mary's words of relief and response to Elizabeth go like this:

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 as 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 his descendants forever.

A confession:  I had to make several corrections in the above typing which I attempted to do for memory and failed.  Obviously I don't quite know it by heart yet.  But I will continue working on it throughout the 23 days of advent.  Why?  It seems to be a good counterpoint to the typical frenzy of the season. It shifts one's gaze in a different direction---to noticing what God is doing rather than being consumed by checking my long personal lists. My goal for this blog is to post something each day as I reflect on the Magnificat's meaning for me in this time and place.

See you tomorrow.