Mary’s Song

Thursday, December 24, 2015                                                 Luke 1:46b – 55
Sophie Maness
 
Mary was a young woman (scripture does not tell us her age) from rural Palestine, Nazareth. She lived in a world in which the ruling government maintained control by force. For women that sometimes meant rape. It was a violent world.

Here comes the angel of the Lord asking her to bear the word of God, Christ. She asks how, and the angel answers. Mary consents to the will of God. Consent is important in this context. She said yes to God, knowing full well what she would face as a young unmarried woman with child, risky business.

Her response to God’s call is the song we hear in Luke. It is the longest speech/ song of any woman in the New Testament. She was called to bear the Christ child not because of how she looked, or her virginity. She was called because of her grace. Her grace is a rallying cry for the poor.

Her song is often compared to Hannah’s, but the two women have very different circumstances. Hannah’s song is one of Thanksgiving. She has been barren for a long time. Her child is a fulfillment of a long held desire. Mary on the other hand is a young woman not ready to be a parent. Her song is one of vision. If God can see the grace in a lowly, young woman in a small village and call her to bear Christ, God can do amazing things! This is a song that calls all of us to unfinished business. It is not the kind of work we will finish, but it is the kind of work that will bring the kingdom in God’s time.

It is the work of lifting up the hungry, the voiceless, and the left behind. Mary’s song interrupted the hold violence had on her world, and it does the same today. Sing on Mary! Let us disrupt violence with love. It is the call of God.

Prayer: Holy God, help us look for places and people who need a bit of your love today. Guide us to be the body of Emmanuel here and now. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.