Daily Devotion – December 22, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison
Luke 1:46b-55
1:46b “My soul magnifies the Lord,
1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
1:48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
1:49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
1:50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
1:52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
1:55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Jesus certainly grew up to be his mother’s son.
Look at the images in this song of Mary’s, said or sung in the presence of her cousin Elizabeth and their two unborn boys, Jesus and John the Baptist, children that these women were unlikely to have birthed in that particular time. Look at the turned-upside-down images: the mother of the savior is a lowly servant. The proud will be scattered and the hungry will be filled. The rich will go away empty. Powerful people will be brought low and the lowly will be lifted up. God keeps God’s promises and help comes to those who faithfully anticipate it.
All of these themes in the Magnificat, as this song has been called, are themes Jesus and John use in their preaching. Praising God is foremost, and secondarily the world’s powerbase is turned upside down.
We hardly ever sing songs about radical Mary. She is often meek and mild in the songs that we sing. But I’m guessing Mary was a strong woman hungering for justice and the fulfillment of God’s promises. That’s why God chose her to be the mother of Jesus.
And thank goodness for that.
Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for finding a woman like Mary to be the mother of Jesus. Help us to have some of her fiery spirit as we go about our daily tasks. Help us to be willing to do what you ask of us and work for justice in our everyday lives.
Amen.
