Words of Advent: Rejoice

And Mary said,
“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;
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 forever.” ~ Luke 1:46-48

And so we rejoice with Mary. No extra quote needed.

We rejoice with her in her lowliness.

We rejoice that her blessing will be found in serving her God and that that blessing continues to us today and for generations to come.

We rejoice that pride is not God's way.

We rejoice that the powerful will not always hold sway over the lowly and God's heart extends to all.

We rejoice that the hungry are not meant to be hungry.

We rejoice that being rich is not the way of salvation.

We rejoice that God's mercy is vast and wide.

2000 years later, the way of the Empire is still not God's way. And yet it is still the way we are confronted with every day. The way we see in our news and on TV and in government and in politics.

So with Mary we may rejoice that God's abundance and promise and mercy extend beyond our limited notions. We rejoice that God's creativity and grace extends to a Kin-dom where the table is wide and full and robust.


Lord, may my soul magnify your great mercy and love. Amen.


Thoughts for engagement:

How are Mary's words relevant for us today?

What are the things we can rejoice at that are of God rather than the human way of doing things?



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