Reflection on Matthew 2:1-12

 

Matthew 2:1-12

1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:

6  ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,  

for from you shall come a ruler 

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

 

Reflection

God gave the magi a star.

I do not want you to forget this intentional action by the Lord.  God gave the magi a star.  I do not want it to get lost on you just how much of a gift this is, especially considering who they were. 

Typically, we think, these guys are three kings.  Of course, God has their backs.  But, these guys were not kings, they were magi.  They were into astrology.  They were into reading the stars and getting meaning out of the stars, because they (like most ancient people) believed that the stars were actual heavenly beings.  And, if you could figure out what those guys and gals up there in the heavens were up to, then maybe you could figure out what is going on with the stuff down here as well. 

Divination, figuring out what the heavenly beings are up to, was forbidden in Leviticus 19:26.  It reads, “Do not practice divination or sorcery.”  That seems to be a pretty clear cut instruction. 

Could the sun, moon, and stars be used to help predict the seasons and the time of year?  Yes, that was permitted.  God might even use the sun, moon, and stars as a sign or warning (Genesis 1:14).  So, you could watch out for that.  But, are people allowed to use them to eavesdrop on the heavenly council as they make their deliberations?  No. 

Of course, the magi were not Israelites, so we can forgive them for being ignorant of this law.  They had no compulsion to follow Israel’s laws, but that makes it all the more surprising that God chose them.  God gave them a star.  And, if God chose them, God might also choose you.

And, while we are at it, can we mention that it is equally surprising that God gave a star to these people “from the east,” who were not even followers of Israel’s God?  Why would God choose these strangers to reveal God’s greatest gift to humanity?  Why not choose someone who actually knows about the coming of the Messiah; someone who has been eagerly awaiting and praying at their bedside for the Messiah’s coming.  Why not choose someone who cares that the world will finally be set right by God?  I do not know the answer to that.  But, I do know that God chose the Magi.  God gave them a star.  And, if God chose them, God might also choose you.

Many biblical scholars have pointed out that these “three men” might not have been three, nor were they necessarily men.  Even in the Bible there are women mentioned practicing divination.  And, the Bible says nothing about how many visitors there were to Jesus’ home.  That being said, it is quite possible that they were men; after-all, if the three wise women had visited Jesus, they would have brought diapers, formula, and a casseroles or two for the family.  I stole that from the internet.  But, I agree, who gives a baby “gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11)?  But, the magi did.  It was to them that God gave a star.  And, if God chose them, God might also choose you.

You see, the more that I study the Bible the more I think that God chose the magi because they were foreigners.  Just remember that when the Lord called Abraham, he said, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).  And later after Isaac was not sacrificed by Abraham, God repeats this promise and says, “In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18).  God has always, from the very start of the story, wanted to reach everyone.  So yes, these foreigners are chosen to see God’s gift of love to the world; God’s love in the flesh.  And, if God wanted to reach them, God probably wants desperately to reach you in a deep way too.

God did send the magi a star, because that was where these magi were looking.  God gave them a star to follow in order to reveal God’s ways to them.  Take a quick note that it was only when the magi detoured from this plan, detoured from that star that some major, life threatening problems were set in motion.  But, we will get to that in a minute. 

First, I just want to point out that these people knew the language of reading the stars, so God started there in order to draw them closer to the Lord’s heart and soul.  God is willing to stoop down and speak our language, to walk with us for a while in our ways, in order to grasp hold of us.  The magi believed those stars meant something, so God made the star mean something.  God gave them a star.  And, if God spoke their language and understood their ways, maybe God understands you better than you can even imagine, and can speak in ways you can understand as well.

God gave them a star.  But, they failed to keep their eye on it. 

They saw the star while they were still in the east, but they failed to follow it straight to God’s intended destination.  The Bible indicates that the magi were detoured, because the first time the magi make an appearance in the Bible is just as they wander into Jerusalem asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage” (Matthew 2:2). 

They were not the first people to take their eyes off of God resulting in a tragic consequence, and they will not be the last.  Adam and Eve took their eyes off of God and trusted the word of a snake instead.  There were tragic consequences.  The Israelites, after being freed from slavery in Egypt, failed to trust God while Moses was away on the mountains receiving the commandments.  There were tragic consequences.  And, I am not even going to start talking about all of the times that I have not trusted in God and the direction that God wanted me to take.  But, if I were, you would see that the consequences, though they did not exactly affect the destiny of all humankind or cause a mass casualty situation, were not good all the same.

For the magi’s part, their failure to trust God, and where God was leading them, caused them to trust in an insecure ruler which lit the spark of a horror that they could have never anticipated.  They went to Herod to inquire about the newborn king.  This caused Herod to be “frightened,” as the Bible says, “and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3).  Sure, the magi were given the probable location of the child, the Messiah, the new king, by Herod’s priests and scribes, but they also triggered the fears of a man who did not want to lose power, and set the stage for many baby boys to lose their lives as Herod sought to destroy the future king.

If only they had trusted God and not sought out the wisdom of someone else.  If only they had just looked up, because when they eventually did look up they saw “ahead of them, [going] the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:9). 

Have you ever been in that sort of situation?  Have you ever faltered in your trust of where God is leading, and it backfired?  Have you ever trusted in your own smarts or the recommendation of a friend, or simply just ignored God’s leading because it was not to your liking and you did not like what God had to say?  Has anyone ever been hurt because you failed to follow your star?  God gave them a star.

I do not know about you, but those failures, those hurts that I have caused will play over and over again in my mind, usually when I need to be to bed early and get lots of sleep.  It is always on a night when I actually need to be well rested for the next day.  Every, single, time. 

Well, if you understand what I am talking about, then I have a story that I want to finish for you, because, even though the magi take their eyes off of God, God does not take eyes off of them.  God gave them a star, again.  And, if God chose them still, even after their failure, God will also choose you too, after your failures. 

When Jesus instructs us to forgive seventy times seven times, it is because he forgives that many times.  Jesus is always seeking to lead us back.  God is always forgiving and trying to start over with us again. There is always a star to follow.  This forgiveness does not erase the harm that is done, but God always provides a chance at a new start and a new life. 

And, that new start, that chance to follow the star once again, delivers the magi to, as the bible says, “the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:9-11).  They followed the star, and it led them right to where God wanted them the whole time, to Jesus.  And, when they are with Jesus, their hearts are overcome with joy and gratitude as they give gifts out of thanks for all that God has done. 

God gave them a star.  And, if God chose them, God will also choose you.

Look up and follow your star; whatever that star might actually look like.  It might be a faithful friend.  It might be a faithful coworker.  It might be an unexpected opportunity or seemingly chance occurrence.  Or, it might be an actual star up in the sky.  No matter what God chooses to draw you closer, look up and follow your star.  Even if you have tragically veered off course before, look up again, and follow the star.  Jesus is drawing you closer and closer to his abundant life.  That is the way of love.

Reflection on Psalm 148

 

Psalm 148

1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; 

praise God in the heights.  

2 Praise the Lord, all you angels; 

sing praise, all you hosts of heaven.  

3 Praise the Lord, sun and moon; 

sing praise, all you shining stars.  

4 Praise the Lord, heaven of heavens, 

and you waters above the heavens.  

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, 

who commanded, and they were created,  

6 who made them stand fast forever and ever, 

giving them a law that shall not pass away.   

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, 

you sea monsters and all deeps;  

8 fire and hail, snow and fog, 

tempestuous wind, doing God’s will;

9 mountains and all hills, 

fruit trees | and all cedars;  

10 wild beasts and all cattle, 

creeping things and flying birds;  

11 sovereigns of the earth and all peoples, 

princes and all rulers of the world;  

12 young men and maidens, 

old and young together.   

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, 

whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over earth and heaven.  

14 The Lord has raised up strength for the people and praise for all faithful servants, 

the children of Israel, a people who are near the Lord. Hallelujah!   

Reflection

There are not too many times of the year where we spend so much time praising God as at Christmastime. 

Praise, of course, comes out of a deep sense of gratefulness and joy.  For example, as a child, when the Christmas morning came that I finally got to open up the one gift that I had been waiting for over the course of years (a Power Wheels police motorcycle, like the ones I saw Poncho and Jon ride on the TV series, CHIPs) I must have excitedly thanked my Mom at least two hundred times.  I would wheel past while she was washing dishes and say, “Thank you, Mom!”  I would wheel past while she was folding laundry and say, “Thank you, Mom!”  I would wheel past while I was supposed to be brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed and say, “Thank you, Mom!”   

You get the idea.  I was full of praise for the great thing that my mom had done…oh, and my dad.  I am sure he had a hand in buying to too.

And, during Christmas, we sing our thanks and praise to God for giving us Jesus, the Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us.  We longed to be connected to God, to have God with us, walking and talking with us, and in Jesus we have it!  What is there not to be excited about?  What is there that would keep us from singing songs of praise?

The gospel writers certainly offer us glimpses of praise at the birth of Jesus!  We see Mary sing her heart out as she finds out about the coming of the Lord, in her own belly.  We hear angels sing full voice as the Shepherds see the heavens open, revealing the choir of heavenly beings, all praising God.  And, though it is not in the Bible, we often hear tales about cattle, sheep, and even poultry in the stable all giving their praise for what God has done in giving the world the gift of Jesus. 

Where does the inspiration for all of this praise come from?  You need look no further than Psalm 148 that has all the heavenly beings as well as all creation singing God’s praise.  Now, Psalm 148 does not talk about Jesus, but you can see how both the followers of Jesus and the writers of our Christmas hymns are all highly influenced by its poetry.

Psalm 148:1-2 begins excitedly with: “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise God in the heights.  Praise the Lord, all you angels; sing praise, all you hosts of heaven.”

That is right; the heavenly angels give their praise of all that God has done in creation.  At Jesus birth, they sing once again about God sending Jesus to redeem the world.  We still sing of it this day in verses 1 and 4 of “Angels from the Realm of Glory.”

Angels from the realm of Glory

1          Angels, from the realms of glory,

            wing your flight o'er all the earth;

            once you sang creation's story,

            now proclaim Messiah's birth:

            Come and worship, come and worship,

            worship Christ, the newborn king.

4          All creation, join in praising

            God, the Father, Spirit, Son,

            evermore your voices raising

            to the eternal Three in One.

            Come and worship, come and worship,

            worship Christ, the newborn king.

You heard the hymn right.  Not only are the angels praising God, but so is “all creation.”  Even before our hymns were written, Psalm 148:7-10 tells us of creation’s praise.  “Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and fog, tempestuous wind, doing God’s will; mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; wild beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds…”

Sea monsters and ocean depths, fire and hail, mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, the wild animals such as bears and domesticated animals such as cows and cats, even creeping spiders and flying blue birds all give praise to the Lord for all that the Lord has done in creating and sustaining each of them.  Maybe, those early Christmas hymn writers were not so far off in having the cattle and sheep giving their quiet praise at the humble cradle of the Christ child. 

And, though I do not necessarily want to, I feel compelled to point out that even snow and blustery winds are praising God in Psalm 148.  Of course, not everyone has a negative relationship with the winter.  As Carl Reiner once quipped, “A lot of people like snow.  I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”

But, the Bible was not written by people who had to shovel the stuff.  In an arid desert, snow was the unlikely gift of water to a people suffering from dry conditions.  Snow is a type of liquid manna, falling in the desert.  Snow is a miraculous cause for praise for those in arid conditions.

So, yes, even snow and the cutting wind that accompanies it, joins in praising God and is still remembered in the Christmas song of praise: “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

In the Bleak Midwinter

1          In the bleak midwinter,

            frosty wind made moan,

            earth stood hard as iron,

            water like a stone;

            snow had fallen, snow on snow,

            snow on snow,

            in the bleak midwinter,

            long ago.

Do not forget that Psalm 148:9 also has “mountains and all hills” praising the Lord who is exalted over all the heavens and the earth.  Along with mountains and hills, all creation repeats the sounding joy of God as we still sing in verses 1 and 2 of “Joy to the World.”

Joy to the World

1          Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

            Let earth receive her king;

            let ev'ry heart prepare him room

            and heav'n and nature sing,

            and heav'n and nature sing,

            and heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing.

2          Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

            Let all their songs employ,

            while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains

            repeat the sounding joy,

            repeat the sounding joy,

            repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

And, why does all creation sing their praise to God?  First, God has taken the time to create us in the first place.  And, to some of us in creation, God even breathes in us life.  Rocks still give their praise, though they did not get this gift.  So, we should give praise even more so than rocks! 

This breath of life is so taken for granted, but as every person with asthma knows…every person who has struggled to suck in that life giving air…the breath of life is truly a gift to get excited about. 

So, even if you cannot rejoice in anything else in this hard life, at least rejoice that you can take a breath.  Take a breath and know that you are blessed!  Take a breath and give thanks to God for that gift.

We do take the time to rejoice at each gift that the Lord provides, because God did not have to give any of it.  All creation is enslaved to sin and death.  All creation is subject to harm, and falling apart, and eventual death and crumbling.  Therefore, all creation gives praise to God when it is given a hope that it can be blessed and restored again.  Verse 3 of “Joy to the World” gets at this source of praise.

Joy to the World

3          No more let sin and sorrow grow

            nor thorns infest the ground;

            he comes to make his blessings flow

            far as the curse is found,

            far as the curse is found,

            far as, far as the curse is found.

“Let them praise the name of the Lord, whose name only is exalted, whose splendor is over earth and heaven” the writer of Psalm 148:13 exclaims. 

And, at Christmas, we praise God for plowing the fields and making creation ready for the planting of a savior who will redeem not only lowly people, but will redeem all creation.  Romans 8:22 says “that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now."  God has plowed a furrow, a trench, in which is planted the Messiah who spreads his arms wide to redeem all creation.  Colossians says of Christ Jesus, “He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).  So, we sing praises out loud for those furrows to receive the glorious seed of Jesus, the Messiah, as we sing in verse 2 of “People Look East.”

People Look East

2          Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,

            one more seed is planted there.

            Give up your strength the seed to nourish,

            that in course the flow'r may flourish.

            People, look east, and sing today—

            Love, the Rose, is on the way.

All creation celebrates God’s redemptive task!  All earth is hopeful!

All Earth Is Hopeful

1          All earth is hopeful, the Savior comes at last!

            Furrows lie open for God's creative task:

            this, the labor of people who struggle to see

            how God's truth and justice set ev'rybody free.

So, this Christmas we will continue to sing our praises to God for Jesus.  We will listen to the writer of Colossians as he instructs us to: “With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God” (Colossians 3:16). 

After-all, when you sing praises to God, you are actually doing something quite holy and quite essential to the faith.  Even if you if you sing off tune, you are still letting Christ do something so, so important in your life.  You let Christ thrive in you.  So, this Christmas and beyond, sing your praises to God and “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16).

*Thank you to Sermon Brainwave hosts Rolf Jacobson, and Caroline Lewis for these examples from hymnody.

Reflection on Luke 2:1-20

 

Luke 2:1-20

1In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Reflection

One Christmas, when I was young, I saw my grandma staring at the Christmas tree.  I asked her, “Are you looking at the star?” looking way up to the top of the tree myself.  The star was there, casting a burst of crystalline illumination on the ceiling. 

“The star is really nice,” she said, “but I was looking at one of the lights in the tree.  Do you see that light that somehow got shoved way in toward the center of the tree?”

I looked, and sure enough there was a lonely light that had haphazardly been pulled into the center of the tree. 

“I like how it lights up all of the needles and branches around it.  It is in its own secret little spot.  It is pretty.  Even though it is in a forgotten place, it still lights everything up.  I think God works that way.”

Grandmas are amazing.  At least mine were.  I love how my grandma just plopped that little insight, that little piece of heavenly wisdom, into this little boy’s heart, and then just walked away to serve some pumpkin pie.

“Even though it is in a forgotten place, it still lights everything up.  I think God works that way.”

That makes me imagine the angel Gabriel making his way through the skinny city streets of Nazareth, dodging houses, wagons, and people, like he is working his way through his own jumble of pine needles and branches, in order to find the young, forgotten Mary whose faith shined bright.  Later, that faith breaks out into a song about how God is working to change the cruel world, pushing down the proud and raising the lowly, leaving the rich empty but filling the poor with all that is good. 

She is a forgotten light, in the despised trade city of Nazareth, which was full of unseemly characters.  Even one of Jesus’ disciples, Nathaniel, later replied with an eye roll, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).  But the amazing thing is that God has made Mary to shine on everything around her anyway.  The place is not forsaken by God.  The place is the place God chooses to shine a light through Mary.

As I gaze into the memory of all of those pine needles and branches being illuminated by that forgotten light, I think of “shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8)  And, how in those forgotten fields God caused a light to shine even on them.  “Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord’” (Luke 2:10-11).

I said that God caused a light to shine “even on them” because hired shepherds were despised, and viewed as homeless nobodies.  No one wasted any time thinking about shepherds, except to make certain their purses were still hanging off their sides after passing by a shepherd.  But, God thinks about them.  In fact, God uses them as the first people to start declaring Jesus’ birth.  God makes them shine as they run back home “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” all along the way (Luke 2:20).

We like to stare at the bright stars on the top of the tree, and there is a bright star later on in Jesus’ story too, but first we get to see God’s lights, Mary and the shepherds, shining through the needles, from within the forgotten part of the tree.  Of course, they may have been people who were forgotten by the world, but they definitely were not forgotten by God.  In fact, it is they who God chooses to be a part of one of the biggest things that God ever planned to do: bring his Messiah into the world in order to rescue it and to take “away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).

And that leads me to imagine the scene of the shepherds finding the baby Jesus lying in a manger; in a feeding trough. “They…found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16).  You cannot get any more out of the way and obscure than being housed in a feeding trough.  The baby Jesus, then, is also found way back through the needles of the tree, but he lights up all that surrounds him.  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5).

“Even though it is in a forgotten place, it still lights everything up.  I think God works that way.”

This is a hard time of year to suddenly find yourself in a forgotten place.  It is not uncommon for people to feel like there is a lack of “holiday cheer” running through their veins.  It is not uncommon for people to feel like they have been forgotten, obscured by the branches and needles of the Christmas tree, with the ornaments and the stars and the angels getting all of the attention. 

And, if that is where you are this Christmas, or you know someone who is in that forgotten spot this Christmas, just remember, the forgotten places are where God is.  The forgotten places are where it all began.  The places forgotten by us are not forgotten by God. 

Instead, the forgotten places are the starting place for God to shine a light.  The forgotten places are where eternal love and forgiveness take their baby steps.  The forgotten places are where God chooses to come and live, in the flesh, as Jesus.  Emmanuel, God with us, lies in that manger, with a life of salvation straight ahead.  We will see him again in another forgotten and despised tree, the cross, and even there he shines a light of life in the face of sin and death.  On that tree he shines a light of merciful love that shines out from a forgotten place and rescues us all. 

Even you.  Even you, who are hidden behind the branches and needles of the tree.  Even you, who finds yourself in a forgotten place.  God’s light is there in that place.  “The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5).

Just as my grandma taught me while staring at that little, lost light: “Even though it is in a forgotten place, it still lights everything up.  I think God works that way.”

God does work that way.

Reflection on Luke 1:39-55

Luke 1:39-55]

39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

    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 lowly state 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 indeed, 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 imagination 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 come to the aid of his child Israel, 

in remembrance of his mercy,  

55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, 

to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Reflection

There are lots of things that I do not understand in this world.  For one, I do not understand how feeling a child moving around within ones womb can convince someone that the Messiah is very near.  How does feeling a baby jumping and thrashing around within her belly convince Elizabeth that the child within Mary’s belly is the Lord?  I do not understand.

Maybe, it is because I am a guy, and I have no idea what it is like to have a baby inside of me, pushing on by spine and bladder?  Maybe, I simply have no idea what it is to have such an intimate relationship with an unborn child? 

But, I do not need to have a womb or a child in my belly to trust what the Bible says.  And, it says that after the child leapt, “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” and it says that because she was filled with the Holy Spirit, she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:41-42). 

That is the way of the Spirit.  Like the wind, it “blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8).  God’s Spirit does what it needs to do, and we are not here to understand, we are simply here to pay attention.  So, I will pay attention of Elizabeth.

Again, there are lots of things that I do not understand in the world.  Like, I do not understand why younger women need to go to the bathroom together.  What are they doing in there?  In the same vein, I do not understand why it was so essential for Mary to get to Elizabeth so fast in the first place.  The Bible says that she “went with haste” to greet Elizabeth (Luke 1:39).  It also specifically mentions that she went into the “hill country” to visit her.  One thing that I do know is that “hill country” is a reference to being on top of a cosmic mountain, where heaven and earth touch.  I do know that whatever is going down between these two women is viewed as really, really important by the Bible.  Apparently, this mutual support between two women was considered so holy and so vitally important that it got its own special “mountain of God” scene here in the Bible.  Are women supporting women really that important and that holy?  I do not understand.

Maybe, I just do not fully understand how vital it was for women to stand together in the male dominated world of the time?  Maybe, I still do not understand the vital importance for women to stick together and support one another today, even in the bathroom?

But, I do not have to have experienced one of these female relationships to trust that the Bible says that these sort of relationships are extremely holy (like, mountain top holy), and even vital to God’s purposes.

That is the way of the Spirit.  Like the wind, it “blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8).  God’s Spirit does what it needs to do, and we are not here to understand, we are simply here to pay attention.  So, I will pay attention to the importance of these relationships.

Once again, there are lots of things that I do not understand in the world.  For instance, I do not understand why adults go on and on about the incompetence of the younger generation, but God chooses someone so young to carry out one of God’s greatest tasks.  In response to having been given the task to birth and raise the savior of the world, the young Mary exclaims, “for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant,” and then she continues to sing, “the Mighty One has done great things for me…” (Luke 1:48-49).

Nor, to I understand why so many people try to convince us that gaining success and power is what we should all strive for in life, when Mary sings that God, “has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,” and that God “has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly” (Luke 1:51-52).

In the same way, I do not understand why so much importance in life is put on striving for wealth and getting things, and why rich people are always held up so high and listened to above all others when Mary sings that God “has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:53).

 

I do not understand a great many things about why we do what we do and why we trust who we trust, but what I do understand is that because we have everything so backwards; because we do make judgments about people, and do not pay attention to who the Spirit is choosing; and because we believe so much in our own independence that we dismiss the importance of close relationships and needing others; and because we look down on the young, the unimportant, and the poor (who are all God’s children too), we desperately need the savior in Mary’s belly to come to the “aid of his” people and remember us all in “his mercy” (Luke 1:54).

 

Only by Jesus’ mercy, is our up-side-down world made right-side-up again.  Only by the blowing of the Spirit where it chooses, is our backwards world turned to face the right way.  Only, by Jesus’ mercy are we turned around in our hearts and minds so that we too might be a part of the “great things” of the Lord (Luke 1:48).

 

Because, the Lord “has done great things” for Mary even though she was “lowly of state” (Luke 1:48-49).  The Lord likes to raise the lowly.  The Lord likes to choose the unlikely.  The Lord likes to use the mess up. 

 

So, maybe even we have a chance.  Maybe, this savior in Mary’s womb will be able to save even a mess up like me.  Maybe, this savior will choose someone even like me for some mysterious and vital purpose.  Maybe, we will even start singing a song of thanks and praise that will reverberate throughout the ages.  Who knows? 

 

After-all the Spirit blows where it wants.  Why would it not blow through an old Elizabeth, or a young and lowly Mary, or even someone like you?

 

“For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Luke 1:49).