By Stephen Lowe, a sophomore music and theater major from Dayton, Virginia
Scripture: Luke 1:39-45, (46-55) (NRSV)
The Magnificat, or Mary’s song, is one of the many beautiful pieces of poetry in Christian Scripture. It has pervaded Christian worship for centuries, being used in liturgy and set to song for generations. But what is magnificat? In the magnificat, Mary recounts God’s justice throughout history, and declares that God’s restoration is coming soon, and that this justice is not just for the few, but for the hungry and the lowly. Mary extols the least of these, and warns the powerful that God is going to bring about changes that will shake up the world order.
As I reflected on the Scripture this week, it brings to mind one of the songs that Chamber Choir sang for Festival of Carols this year, The Work of Christmas. This text is taken from a liturgy by Howard Thurman, an African-American Theologian and Civil Rights leader. It goes like this:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.
Like Mary, this text reinforces that God’s justice is coming. It did not end with a little baby in a manger, but continued and continues to work in the world. And this justice will bring restoration to feed the hungry, to liberate the oppressed, to rebuild the broken, and to bring peace among all people. Magnificat is that hope that God has and is working God’s justice in this broken world.
This season let us rejoice, like Mary, for the opportunity God gives us to bring about justice, restoration, and reconciliation to the relationships in our lives, to our local communities, and to the poor and dehumanized in our midst. Amen.
*The poem “The Work of Christmas” is from Howard Thurman’s The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations and is used by permission of Friends United Press. All rights reserved.
Scripture: Luke 1:39-45, (46-55) (NRSV)
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”