MAGNIFICATION
First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa
Rev. Dr. Barry W. Szymanski
Minister of Pastoral Care
Advent 2013

Luke 1:39-45 and 46-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’ And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour 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 to his descendants for ever.’

SERMON

We all know the hymn: ‘Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let every heart prepare him room.’ This song is a summary of Mary’s song. Today’s scriptural passages tell about Mary visiting Elizabeth – of Elizabth’s song about Mary – and of Mary’s song about God’s work – and gratitude to God for what God does for us. Mary tells all of us that heaven and nature sing because of the birth of Jesus.

A seminary professor, Edmund A. Stemle, who died just 15 years ago, wrote about Advent in his book From Death to Life: “. . . Advent . . . is to open our eyes to the wonder that God keeps coming, entering into dialogue with us, to speak in love, and in judgment in love, where we least expect: . . . always appearing to be less than he really is, so we can recognize him in his love, in the big, overbearing problems of a world in radical change, or in the simple delights of daily life. He’s literally all over the place hoping that we’ll have the eyes to see and the ears to listen to his coming.”

In Advent season we learn of Mary and Elizabeth’s meeting. Both of them are part of tapestry of Jesus’ birth story. There is a lot of history in Luke’s entire gospel. Some have the opinion Luke learned the story of Jesus’ birth from Mary – and she shared the story with him after Jesus resurrection.

There are many other opinions as to the origins of these passages. But what is the first key is the spiritual significance of this encounter between two women. The second key is that work is called for in Mary’s song. Spirituality, if it is authentic, results in work – work to bring about God’s Kingdom in this world. And how?

Just as Jesus announced, as the Gospel records, when he returned ‘. . . to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. In the synagogue Jesus stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.

Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”’

On that day what did those who heard Jesus announce his mission do in response? Luke records they drove him out of the town, with the intention of hurling him down a cliff. Luke 4:16-30

Jesus worked hard to bring about God’s Kingdom in this world. Jesus certainly intends for us to join with him after death in eternity --- but he fully intends for us to work with him to labor in this life for him, and for our neighbor.

True spirituality results in feeding the hungry, and giving water to the thirsty, and welcoming the stranger, and clothing the naked, and caring for the sick, and those in prison.

This is all recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, when people asked Jesus what he meant, and Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” Matthew 25:31-46

But let’s get back to Mary, because this Advent story! Mary’s song has a special name. When I told Lee Jacobi I was preaching this passage, he immediately said: “The Magnificat”! That is how Mary’s song is known. The Magnificat starts out with the wondrous words: “‘My soul magnifies the Lord . . . . “ then continues with Mary’s affirmation that her “. . . spirit rejoices in God [who is her] Savior . . .”

Mary’s song is so commanding that when formal evening prayer, often known as Vespers, is prayed in the Lutheran, Orthodox, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic Churches, the Magnificat is always sung --- every day of the year. The important Magnificat is included in our Congregational Pilgrim People Hymnal [in our pews] at page 734.

Who was Mary? At the time of Jesus’ birth Mary was not a queen or princess --- she was a young pregnant woman, a mother- to-be who lived in an obscure and poor village.

Who was Elizabeth? She was the wife of a relatively obscure Jewish priest who lived in another obscure village, so minor Luke doesn’t even name it – other than for him to write that it was located in the hill country in Judea.

We cannot, based upon Mary’s song, form an opinion. Mary was just a quiet girl who just said ‘yes’ to God’s announcement to her and let it be at that. She was a strong pregnant woman who knew she had a major part in history, even though she did not fully understand it.

When we look at Jesus’ birth story, as even witnessed in pageants, we see the shepherds have a great part - they are even able to move around, -- but Mary just stands next to the manger.

In reality, the whole birth of Jesus revolves around Mary and her baby.
Mary was definitely involved. Luke’s writing of Mary’s song tells us of a young woman with powerful ideas!

However Mary’s Song, the Magnificat, came to be, it has been, for 2,000 years, prayed as our song. When Mary says her soul magnifies the Lord, we must ask ourselves the same question, of whether our souls magnify the Lord. Or, on the contrary, do our souls possibly diminish the Lord God? Do our souls reduce God’s work in the world?

Mary is convinced that her soul and the baby she was going to raise was going to make God’s work in our world greater than it was before.
With God’s grace, can we be convinced that our soul, and the labor we can do, will make God’s work in the world greater than it was before?

Then Mary continues by exclaiming that her spirit rejoices in God, her Savior. Does our spirit rejoice in God? Can we sing out and rejoice in our ‘Joy to the World’? Do we accept that God is our Savior? Mary sings that “. . . holy is [God’s] name.”

When Jesus taught us how to pray, he told us to call God: Father, and to pray: “. . . holy is His Name.” Mary already acknowledged that. There is holiness in our lives if we permit God to be present in our souls. Mary reminds all of us God’s “. . . mercy is for those who fear him . . .”

Ecclesiasticus 1:18, one of the Biblical Wisdom Books, states that: “The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health to flourish.” Fear of the Lord does not mean a shaking, terroristic, frightened fear, but the kind of fear we have if love is removed from our lives. Fear of the Lord means we are afraid that if God no longer loves us, then we are lost.

Think of a young child if a parent stupidly would tell the child he or she is no longer loved by the parent, because of something the child did.
That is the concept of ‘fear of the Lord’. Mary tells us when we know God loves us, and cares for us, then mercy is ours as we experience God’s kindness, compassion, forgiveness, grace and blessings.

As parents, we are to pass this on from generation to generation. That is our and our children’s legacy. Mary sings of God’s strength, “. . . shown . . . with his arm;” She tells us that, because of the miracles of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and especially her own, God “. . . has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.”

It is so often stated pride is the heart of all sin. Sin is basically choosing ourselves, or another person, or a thing, instead of God.
Pride is the opposite of humility. Humility is not the idea of self-subservience, but rather understanding we are created by God, to be with God for all eternity -- starting now on this earth; humility is accepting our role in God’s created plan. Mary was quite clear about this when in her Magnificat she clearly states the ‘proud have the thoughts in their hearts.’ In other words, what they think they are is not reality! They are imagining something other than reality! Humility is seeing the real. Humility is understanding the real. Humility is accepting the real.

This is why, at the beginning of her Song, Mary could legitimately say “. . .from now on all generations will call me blessed;” It was not because of anything she did. She knew who she was: young, poor, no heritage, no great ancestry, just a good person. So Mary acknowledged God “. . . the Mighty One has done great things for [her], and holy is his name.” She had true humility! And she had wonderful pride in God and gratitude for God!

Philip Chard, a psychotherapist and columnist, quoted Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel: “When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude.” Then Philip Chard adds his own opinion: “. . . we know that expressing gratitude to others is associated with greater energy, more optimism and enhanced empathy. It is a way to care for others while also contributing to one’s own well-being - an emotional and interpersonal win-win.” Philip Chard, ‘Say thanks for those who show gratitude’ in the Column ‘Out of My Mind’, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tuesday, November 26, 2013, Section 2E.

Mary’s Magnificat is a profound statement of gratitude toward God for what God was doing for us, His people. Mary, in her life, was aware of the sheer power of the Roman government, and of the power of the Temple priests in Jerusalem. She saw how their combined power was often misused. She saw how people were oppressed. So Mary sings of how God’s continuing work in the world would continue bring upheaval: to bring “ . . . down the powerful from their thrones, and [lift] up the lowly; [and fill] the hungry with good things . . .”

And she sang that God would instead send those who believe they have everything, except God, “. . . away empty.” Mary was convinced God is compassionately concerned about all --- and therefore we have our work to do as God’s people. Mary’s Magnificat is not just a song of the spirit, it is also a song of toil and labor. We are to magnify the Lord, we are to rejoice in God, our spirit, our soul, is to sing ‘Joy to the World’; and, then, as we realize all of what God has done for each of us, the many, many “. . . great things . . . “, we can justifiably say we are blessed – and can be called blessed! Not blessed by fame, nor power, or what we possess, but blessed by the “ . . . great things . . . “ that God has done for our very souls.

We can rely on God’s mercy
# as we seek union with Him,
# fear separation from Him,
# and realize His holiness.

Mary grasped all this in God’s covenant. It was ingrained in her as set out in the Book of Leviticus at 26:12 wherein God said: “I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

Mary, in her closeness to God’s Word in scripture in the Hebrew Testament comprehended how God was going to help “. . . his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to [all of the] ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.”

Mary’s song is clearly not just her song, --- it is our song. That is why it is included in every formal evening prayer. It is the song of our church, gathered in 1842, to pray, as we continue to work for and serve all ages --- from the very, very young, to the very, very old--- and everyone in between --- and from the time of Jesus’ resurrection through 1842 to this day --- and to continue for the ages to come for our great, great, great grandchildren’s children; in other words, from ‘generation to generation’.

Mary’s song, the Magnificat, is not just a statement, it is a call to realize God’s work and for us to respond to God through our efforts to continue to bring about God’s Kingdom, --- just as Mary knew her part was going to be for all the years that Jesus lived until his death --- and until her death.

And Elizabeth, when meeting Mary, also knew what her part was going to be. What neither woman knew at that time was how their babies would change the world. What their babies did in their lives magnified the Lord God beyond what they could imagine.

May we magnify the Lord. May we rejoice in God our Saviour. May we worship Him who is the Joy of the World.