Sermons for the Month
Singing Mary's Song
DATE: December 18th, 2005
SERVICE: Fourth Sunday In Advent
TEXT: Luke 1:47-55 and Luke 1:26-38To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
It's difficult to know what to do with Mary, isn't it? Today we read the familiar story of the annunciation when the angel Gabriel came to an unmarried young woman with the astounding message that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would conceive, bear a son and name him Jesus. This is possible, the Gospel writer reminds us, because nothing is impossible with God.
In response to being the chosen one, we are told that Mary sang beautiful words of praise that we know as the Magnificat. "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed."
While all this is so familiar to us, I think if we are honest we would have to admit that the account raises some questions in our minds. It's difficult to grasp the reality of this extraordinary conception or to place such profound words on the lips of a teenager who we think should be shaken, not thrilled, by being chosen. So, it's difficult for us to know what to do with Mary, and that's particularly true because of the way the early church responded to her.
For reasons that related to culture and survival, which I will not go into detail about now, the early Christian church needed a female figure that was "beyond" a run-of-the-mill woman. A teenager who responded to the astounding with trepidation and faith was not enough. So, doctrines were put forth that presented Mary as the universal mother and the great intercessor - ever virgin and free from sin - whose body and soul were taken into heaven at the end of her earthy life so that she could avoid the inconvenience of death and decay.
When the reformers came along in the 16th century their response to all this was, "You have got to be kidding me," as they soundly rejected all doctrines and ceremonies for which there was no clear basis in scripture, the end result being that we are left not knowing what to do with Mary.
Part of the problem is that we tend to get stuck on the details instead of seeing the big picture. I'll let a story from Wil Willimon, long-time Methodist pastor and seminary professor, explain what I mean.
He tells about a college student talking to him about how the virgin birth was just too incredible to believe. Willimon responded, "You think that's incredible, come back next week. Then we will tell you that 'God has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.' We'll talk about the hungry having enough to eat and the rich being sent away empty. The virgin birth if you think you have trouble with that, just wait. It's just a little miracle; the really incredible stuff is coming next week." (1)
Do you see what I mean? The thing that is incredible about Mary is not what exactly happened to make her the mother of Jesus, but who she was, or perhaps I should say what she represented. When Mary refers to herself as lowly, she is talking about more than humility. The Greek word implies poverty, being without resources and power. So, when she sings that the Almighty has looked upon her lowliness with favor, it's not just her song. She's singing on behalf of all the faithful poor, for those who believe that God will make a way where there is no way. In her song the proud are scattered, the powerful come crashing down and the rich are sent away empty. (2)
If we are honest for the second time today, we would say that Mary's song makes us uncomfortable. Well, I'll speak for myself. Mary's song makes me uncomfortable because by the world's standards I am rich and comfortable and healthy, so much so that whether or not I need God can become a question.
And that's exactly why we need Mary. We need her to remind us of how clouded our vision can become. We see the world one way and God sees it another way. We grant value and esteem to people that Mary says are not on God's list of the blessed, and God grants value and esteem to those who we would never called blessed. This is a disconcerting thing, don't you think?
But, if Advent is about anything, it's about hope. And, the message of hope for us is that we are not ignorant of these realities; our ears are now tuned and we know that any song other than the one Mary sings is off key. If there is anything that Mary's son Jesus came to show us, that was it. The reality is this, every future that is dependent on what we - on what the world honors and values - is doomed. But, there is hope because we can make Mary's song our song, and although we may not sing it as well, at least we'll be on the right page singing in the right key. (3)
During the past month I've been listening to a CD that has a song on it titled, "Mother Mary." Over and over again I come back to that song, sometimes playing it five or six times in a row. It is a beautiful and haunting piece of music, and the lyrics so speak to what we need. Let me share just a few of them with you.
"Mary, fill the glass to overflowing, illuminate the path where we are going, have mercy on us all. In the dark night of the soul, your shattered dreamers make them whole. Oh, Mother Mary find us where we've fallen out of grace, lead us to a higher place."
That higher place, ironically, is by the world's standards a lower one. Jesus first transforms the life of a poor teenager - a girl no less - then a bunch of smelly shepherds, and then a long list of outcasts, sinners, misfits AND anyone who has the courage to trust in his love MORE more than anyone or anything. That's how shattered dreamers are made whole and those who have fallen out of grace are restored.
Be advised, though, that those who are restored will struggle with the tune that is being sung all around - that terrible, off-key tune. It really begins to hurt our ears and grate on our nerves. And, if we find ourselves tempted to sing it too, each flat note will stick in our throats and choke us. That's good. It's a reminder that we have a different song, Mary's song of reversals, that needs to be shared.
So, what do we do with Mary? We honor her as the first among the transformed, we learn her song about a world that is turned upside down by her Son's love and we allow her words to illuminate the path were we are going, guiding us to a higher, better place. (1) "Pilgrim Preaching: Magnifying the Lord", Mary Hinkle, maryhinkle.typepad.com
(2) "Mary's Song - And Ours" (Luke 1:39-55), James F. Kay, religion-online.org
(3) Same as above.
AMEN