The Shepherds find The Shepherd

 

Luke 2:8-20

They were the lowest on any social register, these shepherds.  In some places, they were not even allowed in the city.  It might have been safest for them to visit late at night.  Of course, we do not know their names. We don't know how many there were or if they were young or old.  We don't even know what became of them after this night when they walked briefly into history.  Yet, they are mentioned in more than half the carols in our hymnal and they are familiar figures in every Nativity scene. 

I do not know why God sent his angels to announce the birth of Jesus to a band of shepherds, except that Luke takes great pains to let us know that things are different now, that God's grace reaches out to the lowest of the low. 

Still, I can't help but wonder is night after night as they gazed into the starry sky, they were becoming more and more filled with awe and wonder at God's work in the world.  After all, it was a shepherd who wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God." 

Imagine them as they sat through the long nights, watching the stars, listening to the sounds of the night.  There is something about the nighttime sky that dwarfs a person and makes them feel insignificant, that convinces them of the power of the Creator.  Perhaps the shepherds felt that way, perhaps these shepherds spent those long nights talking about the promise of the Messiah.  Every Jew knew that promise.  Of course, most Jews wouldn't have engaged them in such a conversation--these shepherds.

Whatever may have been in their hearts and minds that night, when the angelic message came, they responded.

Over two thousand years later, they teach us how to respond to the message behind Christmas.

We Should Follow the Shepherds in their Priorities.

The shepherds demonstrate their priorities in two areas.

They teach that the spiritual is sometimes more important than the material (15).

In this situation the shepherds could have protested that their sheep would have been endangered if they left them to go to Bethlehem.  That's why they were out there in the first place.  Wild animals threatened the sheep.  Thieves might steal them.  They might wander away.  So the shepherds spent their night in the hills, protecting their sheep.

Nevertheless, when the angels told them to go to Bethlehem, they went.  Without hesitation, they left the sheep to go to Bethlehem.  By the way, notice how specific the angel was.  They would find the baby "wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."  Finding a baby wrapped in such strips of cloth would not have been unusual, but lying in a manger--that was odd.  There would be no mistaking the baby the angel was talking about.

So, they trusted God with their material possessions while they acted in obedience to God's message.  Jesus himself would state the basic principle in what would be called "The Sermon on the Mount;" he said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and God will take care of what you need."

I feel sure those seemingly abandoned sheep were safe, for God has promised to take care of those who give him priority.  It doesn't mean we won't face trial and difficulty; it means he'll be with us to sustain us and strengthen us for the challenge.

It is God's promise to us as well.  That's hard to believe in our culture of materialism.  Such materialism is always part of our lives, but it seems heightened at Christmas.  But it has not always been so.

In 1905 in Portland, Oregon, God sent a great revival. Hundreds of people trusted Christ.  Almost 200 stores agreed to close for three hours each day so employees and customers could attend prayer meetings.  A contemporary newspaper account stated that "...business was practically suspended, and from the crowds in the great department stores to the humblest clerk, from the bank presidents to bootblacks, all abandoned money for soul saving." (Orr, p. 79)  I don't wish to be cynical, but it is hard to imagine our modern store managers putting spiritual matters above profit.  Remember how just a few months ago a clerk was fatally injured in a local toy store and the store stayed open as the squad came and carried the poor man away.  We have much to learn from the shepherds.

As we consider the shepherds' priorities, we are reminded we ought to make Christ our central concern.  Christ is the central figure of history.  We Christians divide world history at his birth.  Christ was the goal of the prophets.  Christ is the hope of the lost.  As the angels said, "to you is born this day...a Savior."  Rich or poor, educated or uneducated, our great problem is sin and Christ came to deal with the problem of sin.  For this reason he should be our focus at Christmas and all year long. 

Sometimes our focus on Christ is not as sharp as it should be.  Lesser matters obscure our vision.  Finances, politics, home problems, and even church problems may keep Christ from being the center of our concern.  We must take a careful assessment our lives, reorder our priorities, and put Christ back at the center.  We must follow the shepherds in their priorities.

We Should Follow the Shepherds in Their Proclamation (17-18)

As the shepherds proclaimed what they had seen and heard, they remind us that the Christmas story cannot be kept quiet.  Imagine the shepherds keeping quiet about what had happened.  Never mentioning the angelic choir.  Never telling of the baby they found in the manger.  Surely only the most callous and indifferent could keep quiet about such matters.

They couldn't keep quiet because the story is exciting.  Think about it.  The God of heaven is so committed to us, that he came to live as one of us, to be born into humble surroundings rather than in a palace. 

The very fact the angels came to the shepherds is exciting for it demonstrates that God cares for those who have been despised and rejected by society. 

Implied in the angel's message is the exciting news that Christ would give peace and freedom to those who have been trapped all of their lives--trapped by fear, by guilt, and by sin.  The Baby born in that stable would give wholeness to those whose lives have been broken--by grief, by disappointment, by despair, and by sickness.

If the shepherds had reason to be excited about what they had heard from the angels, surely we have reason to be even more excited.  Unlike the shepherds, we have the story of Christ's death and resurrection.  Surely it is exciting to think of the depth of God's love for us, that his Son should die for us unworthy sinners.  It is exciting that a man who died on a cross should return in resurrection power--a power we may share.

They had the Christmas message; we have the message of Christmas and Easter.

Because of what happened at that first Christmas and that first Easter there can be real "peace on earth."  Peace comes when the rift between ourselves and God is overcome; when the rift between God and ourselves is overcome, the rift between ourselves and others may be overcome.  The work of Christ makes that possible.  Yet, when we hear the angel's pronouncement of "peace on earth," we tend to wonder about the reality of that promise.  Like Longfellow, we hear the bells on Christmas Day and say there is "no peace on earth."  Should the angels' promise be mocked?  The Christian answer to this has always included the truth that real peace on earth cannot come until that time when "every knee shall bow and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord." 

But Christianity has always stressed an additional truth: When we experience the peace of Christ in the depth of our being, we tend to become more peaceable.  We strive to become the peacemakers Jesus said would be blessed--blessed by being recognized as doing God’s work, reflecting God's character.

When we're at our best, Christians take seriously the call to be peacemakers.  We see it in the efforts of an internationally-famous Christian leader attempting to pull two nations from the brink of war.  We see it in the missionary attempting to bring feuding tribes together.  We see it in the church member striving to mend the divisions at her office, in her neighborhood, at her church.  Ours is a message that changes things.

Of course, the shepherds couldn't keep quiet because the story is so important.  Sin has destroyed our relationship with God and with each other.  It has corrupted God's creation.  The Christmas story tells how God has dealt with the great problem of sin.  And that makes the story important. 

We build churches, send missionaries, support universities and seminaries, and pray for our unbelieving family and friends because the story is important.  Though they may have been simple and uneducated, the shepherds saw how important the story was.  Do we?

There is something else to see here.  As the shepherd's proclaimed the story, they also praised God.  We need to remember that telling the gospel story gives honor and glory to God.  When we point to the story of Jesus and say, "Look at what God did," we are not only laying the foundation for our hearers coming to Christ, we are declaring God's worthiness to receive our praise.  It is yet another reason for us to tell out greatness of our Lord.

 

CONCLUSION

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, we ought to consider the shepherds' example.

Perhaps they never fully understood what had happened in Bethlehem, never understood they had found the Good Shepherd who lay his life down for his sheep.

We do understand who the Baby was.

Because of this we need to keep our priorities in order and our proclamation clear.

The shepherds who came to Bethlehem believed God was doing something remarkable in the world.  If we could capture their excitement, our vision for the year before us would give us a joy that will sustain us through the ups and downs we will face.

 

 

No Vacancy

 

Luke 2:1-7

Several years ago, when we were still living in Texas, Pat, the boys, and I attended the Southern Baptist Convention in St Louis.  I don’t recall a lot about the convention; I think we heard Billy Graham.  But I recall the next few days pretty clearly. 

After the convention, my vacation began and we drove north through Illinois.  We stopped in Springfield so the boys could see Lincoln’s home and tomb.  We headed on to Chicago where we saw the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. 

Then we headed back to Missouri where we were going to spend a few days with my mother who lived in Farmington. 

We were about half-way there when our station wagon began to overheat.  The thermostat needed to be replaced.  We bought a thermostat and drove to a roadside park to change it.  Now, back in those days it was fairly easy to change a thermostat.  You just removed two bolts, lifted the housing over the thermostat, removed the defective thermostat and replaced it with a new one.  Once you put the housing and the two bolts back in place you could go on your way.  Of course, this is assuming you don’t lose one of the bolts.

Somehow, I dropped one of the bolts and I simply couldn’t see it anywhere.  I looked, Pat looked.  It wasn’t on the ground under the car and we couldn’t find where it had fallen into the engine.   Later, when we traded in that car, I assumed the bolt was still lodged somewhere safely.

All we could do was limp into the next town and try to find a new bolt.  So we did.  With only one bolt in place, the car lost water quickly.  We had to stop every few miles, let the car cool, and add more water.  By the time we arrived at the next town, the parts stores were closed, early since this was a Saturday.  We were going to have to spend the night so we could go to the one parts store we learned would be open on a Sunday.

For some reason, the motels in town were full.  Only one independent motel had a room.  By the time we found it, it was dark.  Before I agreed to rent the room, I asked to see it.  Even before the manager turned on the light I could see movement on the carpet.  When she turned on the light, roaches headed for cover.  We weren’t going to rent that room.

Our only recourse was to sleep in the car.  But where?  We found a grocery store that stayed open all night.  I explained the situation to the manager and she said we could park there.  She even said we could use their restrooms and they would keep an eye out during the night since we had to unload the car so we could stretch out to sleep.  So, with our possessions on the pavement next to us, we spent the night.  Next morning, a little stiff and scruffy looking, we went to the parts story, bought our $.79 bolt, tightened down the thermostat housing, and went on our way.

Travel can be such fun.

More than any other writer in the New Testament, Luke links his story to people, places, and times.  He does this as he introduces the account of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.  In so doing, he also explains how Joseph and Mary happened to be so far from home.  They weren’t on vacation but they were going to have a memorable journey anyway.

Simply put, the Roman Empire had initiated a census or registration throughout the regions under their power.  Such registrations had two purposes.  First, they allowed the government to collect taxes.  Second, it helped the government know how many men who could be drafted into the army lived in the various provinces.  The Jews were exempt from serving in the Roman army; they were not exempt from paying taxes.  The Romans had a kind of “flat” tax; they said we’re flat going to tax you and you flat better pay it. 

Such registrations didn’t always require people to return to their ancestral homes but, on occasion, they did.  Archaeologists in Egypt discovered such an edict, dating from about a century after this story. 

So, Joseph and Mary set out to Bethlehem because Joseph’s family, descendents of David, considered that their family home.  Why did Joseph take Mary, who was so far along in her pregnancy?  We don’t know.  It may be that there was no other family or friends he could leave her with; perhaps, the whispers of impropriety had caused some to scorn her.   It may be that, knowing the marvelous circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, they felt they should stay together.  I think this may be the most likely explanation for the couple taking the difficult eighty mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

The exact timeline is not spelled out for us but Mary had probably not been there long before she went into labor.  Of course, a woman having a baby was commonplace but most of those women had their children in the warmth and safety of their homes.  Not so Mary. 

As we all know, “there was no room for them in the inn.”  So many had travelled to the little town of Bethlehem, the facility was crowded to the maximum.  It might be better to translate this statement as “there was no place for them in the inn.”  An ancient inn was not like a modern motel with rooms for individuals or families to rent.  The sleeping area in the inn was a large open room where dozens of people might be sleeping.  Often, travelers were expected to bring their own food and bedding; they were paying for a spot, nothing else.  It wasn’t luxury but they were out of the elements.

At least one commentator emphasizes the fact that the word translated “inn” could be translated simply as “dwelling place.”  He concludes that Joseph was turned away by a relative whose house was crowded with family members who had come to pay their taxes.  It’s an interesting theory but I don’t think it has enough merit to displace the traditional account.

 The innkeeper has often been the focus of criticism.  That’s probably unfair.  There was probably little he could do if his inn was full.  We don’t know but it may have been the innkeeper who suggested the couple could use one of the stables.

Ironically, it might have been more comfortable and more private for Mary to have her child in the place where animals were sheltered.  This probably wasn’t the ramshackle wooden stall we see depicted in Christmas plays or on Christmas cards.  Most likely this was one of the many small caves used for this purpose in and around Bethlehem.  If Joseph had been able to gather some clean, dry straw, and throw a blanket down on it, Mary might have been fairly comfortable.  Scholars don’t agree on whether a midwife would have been present.  They often attended births, especially for women giving birth the first time.  But none is mentioned.

Mary wrapped Jesus in “swaddling clothes,” that is she wrapped strips of cloth tightly around him.  Some point to this act as a sign of the couple’s poverty.  Actually, it was standard practice in first-century Palestine.  In fact, here in America new mothers are being taught to wrap their babies in much the same way.  It appears that it gives the baby a sense of security.

As you know, the night’s activities weren’t over but we’re going to talk about that another time.

Instead, let’s examine what Luke has told us this far.

In mentioning Caesar Augustus, Luke is saying something about the world into which Jesus was born.   It was a world where individuals could issue a command and millions would respond, whether they believed it fair or not.  Octavian was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, his uncle, and became the first true emperor of Rome when he defeated Antony and Cleopatra in 31 BC.  Under his rule the empire stretched throughout the Mediterranean world.  He helped build the great Roman road system and brought about what came to be known as the “Roman peace,” that period when the empire was free from war and conflict.

For such accomplishments the Senate gave him the title “the August one” Or
“the Reverend.”  Although, his successor claimed to be divine, Octavian doesn’t appear to have done so.  Interestingly, Herod the Great built two temples to honor Augustus as a god.  It was a strange thing for a supposed Jewish king to do, but it was politically motivated since Herod had originally supported Antony.

Augustus ruled with the firm hand needed to maintain control over the vast empire.  Luke mentions Quirinius the governor of Syria.  There’s a problem here since Quirinius did not become governor until after Herod’s death.  There may be a couple solutions.  William Albright believed the record showed that Quirinius had been provincial governor twice.  Others point out that the words could be translated as “this was before Quirinius was governor of Syria.” 

Luke mentions Syria because Palestine was within the province of Syria.  So, these opening words include a twofold reminder of the Jews’ humiliation.  They were under the thumb of the idolatrous Romans and, adding insult to injury, they were identified with their ancient enemy Syria.

To this beaten and subservient people came the reminder that God had not forgotten them.  The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of a centuries-old promise made and remade to Israel.  In fact, God used the edict of an emperor who would have had little regard for the Jews and their dream of a Messiah to help fulfill a specific part of that promise.  Over seven hundred years earlier, Micah had predicted that God’s Anointed would be born in Bethlehem.   God often surprises us; God may even accomplish his purposes through the most unexpected means.

When you and I fret and worry about our lives and what is happening to us, we need to remember this.  When things have changed and we look back at God’s acts of power and grace displayed in our lives through unexpected channels, we might find ourselves saying, “Who would have ever thought it.”

When you and I face tough times, when the situation in which we find ourselves is far from ideal, we need to remember Mary and Joseph.  Of course, they wanted their baby born in a comfortable home, wanted friends and relatives close-by to celebrate when Joseph showed them his son, wanted things to be ideal.  But they learned something that we often need to learn:  Even in the least ideal circumstances God can do the remarkable, the life-changing.  God’s promised Messiah born in a stable: no one in Micah’s day would have imagined that.  With the memories of those angelic visitations in their minds, the manger may have taken Mary and Joseph by surprise.  God wasn’t surprised.

The angel’s words may have been in Mary’s mind when she lay her baby down on the hay in that animal trough, that manger.  When we think of her smiling down at her little one, we need to remember that God calls us to use what we have at hand to serve him.  A broom, a skillet, a pen, a word-processor, a shovel, the most ordinary of items can become a vehicle for serving God. 

The story of Jesus’ birth is a multi-faceted story.  It teaches us much about God’s character, power, and purpose.  As we imagine that manger, it certainly teaches us that God can make the ordinary something sacred.

Thoughts on the Tragedy in Connecticut

   Our choir is presenting its Christmas program tomorrow (Sunday) and I do not usually speak on such occasions.  However, the shooting in Newtown compelled me to offer some thoughts to my congregation.  I hope they are comforting but, if not, know they reflect my real feelings.

Friday evening I was thinking of the tragic mass shootings over the past few years.  They have taken place at schools, at theaters, at shopping malls, in churches, in synagogues, on military bases.  almost anywhere you can name.  The inevitable conclusion most of would reach in the face of this record is that there doesn’t appear to be anyplace that is really safe.

But our focus right now is on the deaths of 20 children and 6 adults at an elementary school in Connecticut.  Already we are hearing of the heroic acts of supervisors and teachers and seeing the pictures of some of the children who were killed.  As we listen to the stories, we inevitably ask “Why?”

I wish I could offer an answer that makes clear the reason for this sad event. 

We will hear people say that it happened because it is too easy to buy guns in this country.  I have no intention of presenting the pros and cons of stronger gun-control but the simple truth is Adam Lanza could not have done what he did had he not had access to the weaponry his mother had purchased.  But it is equally true that millions of Americans own guns and have never even pointed them at another human being.

This brings us to the issue of mental illness.  We are already hearing suggestions that Lanza had some kind of emotional or psychological disorder.  I claim no expertise but I doubt this fully accounts for his actions.   Certainly, it does not excuse what he did.  I believe we need to take mental illness seriously but it can‘t become the first place we visit to explain the unexplainable.  We do need to make sure the mentally ill get help; sadly, several years ago legislators with the best of intentions made it very difficult to have a person committed so they could be evaluated.  I don’t know about Connecticut but I do know Ohio lags behind other states in providing services for the mentally ill.  I know it seems we are taxed piteously but I hope you weigh carefully any levy that seeks appropriations for mental health services.

There may even be some who explain the events in Newtown as God’s doing.  They will tell us God is punishing America for embracing homosexuality, allowing abortion, or choosing the wrong president.  Some of these folks may even be Baptists.  I don’t know what to say except to remind you that Baptists are among the most innovative and creative of Christian groups in modern history.  But even we have been unable to find any way to filter out such foolishness.

Having said that, there is one explanation that needs to be mentioned and unless you listen carefully you may confuse what I am about to say with the groups I’ve just condemned.  The shootings in Newtown reflect the presence of sin in the human race.  We are broken, estranged from God; in fact, we are in rebellion against him.  And rebels often find ways to justify the most horrific acts, acts that can only be described as evil.

What’s the difference in the two explanations?  According to the first, God initiates the act to punish us—even if that means killing kindergartners and first-graders.  In the second, the act is born in some human heart that is filled with anger, selfishness, hate, and bitterness.  The fact that so many of us welcome and nurture these feelings is a symptom of our brokenness.

When we hear of what happened in Newtown or some other such act of violence against the innocent, we sometimes say, “This never used to happen.”  To a degree that’s true, yet in small war torn countries thousands of miles from here, two dozen deaths would hardly capture anyone’s attention.  But that is war; it is not a single individual taking out his anger on people he has perceived to be somehow contributing to his pain and troubles. 

As I thought about how a single human heart could harbor such evil, I thought of another incident some two-thousand years ago.  It is part of the Christmas story yet I’ve seldom mentioned it in a sermon, never seen it portrayed in a Christmas pageant, and am sure it finds no place in any carol I’ve ever heard sung. 

It is part of the aftermath of the visit of the wise men.  The wise men had planned to tell Herod they had been successful in their search for the infant "born King of the Jews,” but warning dreams prompted them to return to their homeland another way.  Joseph also had a dream telling him to take his family to safety in Egypt.  Matthew tells what happened next.

Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.

 

The sin that gives birth to the fury demonstrated in Connecticut is not new to the world.  The paranoid king Herod had no problem ordering the deaths of children.  Notice, too, is soldiers had no compunctions about obeying his wicked order.  Bible scholars and historians believe about thirty male children would have died to relieve Herod’s paranoia.

It’s interesting that there are no independent accounts of what has been called “the slaughter of the innocents.”  Yet, this really poses no problem.  The act fits what is known of Herod’s character and it reflects the fact that, outside the world of the devout Jews, children were not especially prized in the first-century world.  The Romans often ordered such mass killings to reduce the population of groups they feared were growing too numerous.  The sorrow and grief Americans feel at the deaths in Newtown is, in part, a reflection of what Christ has done for the world.  He taught us to see children in a new way.

Then, too, the reality of the world’s sin and the presence of real evil remind us of the why of Christmas we sometimes forget.  Jesus came to free us from the power of sin and to give us hope in the face of death.   May that hope shape our prayers as we remember those grieving parents this Christmas.

As we remind them that most schools are safe, may that hope help us to calm the fears of our own children and grandchildren. 

 

Song of Christmas: A World Turned Upside Down

Luke 1:26-38

Hillary Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Frieda Pinto, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Kate Middleton are all women who are known the world over.  Yet as recognizable as their names might be, there is one woman whose name is better known.  She is certainly the best-known woman in the western world and one of the best known in the rest of the world.  She was one of the world’s most famous women a hundred years ago and a hundred years from now when people ask, “Who was Katy Perry” hundreds of thousands will still know the woman I will be speaking about this morning.

Indeed, there are churches named in her honor on every continent.  Yes, including Antarctica.  Yet, we don’t know if she was tall and willowy or short and stocky.  We can be fairly certain she was not a golden-haired northern European girl she is sometimes depicted to be in Christian art.

We Protestants may not give her much thought outside the Advent season but she deserves our respect.  Alan Richardson reminds us that Mary’s submission to her place in God’s plan helped initiate the earthly sojourn of the Word made flesh.

At one point Protestants may have hesitated to say much about Mary but no longer.   We see her as a woman of faith, a woman worthy of our careful study and, to some degree, a woman who should be an example for us.

Historian Ruth Tucker summarizes the appeal of Mary Luke’s story.

Mary has been the object of both excessive adulation and unnecessary belittling.  But the portrait in Luke’s birth narratives and the further unfolding of her experiences in the Gospels reveal a woman who both loved God and needed to grow in faith.

 

It’s this Mary I want us to look at this morning.

The Singer Inspired

 

You know that Mary was probably no more than fourteen or fifteen at the time of Jesus’ birth. 

Of course, a fourteen year-old in the first century was probably considered more mature than a typical fourteen year-old in the twenty-first century.  She would have been considered ready for marriage and ready to start a family.  Adolescence has become much longer in the west and in much of the non-western world as well. We have come to anticipate a woman going to college and possibly starting a career before getting married.  This is a “modern” perspective.

And, so, when we meet Mary she is “betrothed” to a man named Joseph, who himself may have been no older than eighteen or nineteen (though, some traditions suggest he was several years older). 

In the Jewish culture, betrothal was more binding than our engagement but did not include the right of sexual intimacy.  In fact, to not bring her virginity to the marriage bed would be a disgrace for a Jewish bride and an insult to her husband.  Mary, who appears to have been a devout young woman, had lived in purity, anticipating her marriage.

As we read the story of Gabriel’s announcement, we can hear Mary’s puzzlement.  At first, she very reasonably questioned what the angel told her.  She was a virgin and virgins don't have babies.  But her faith was strong enough to accept the angel’s assurance,”…nothing is impossible for God.”

As you read this story, notice not only what Gabriel said but what he didn't say.  It was challenge enough at this point to accept she would be with child through God's miraculous overruling of the natural processes of conception.  So, Gabriel said nothing of mangers, of a megalomaniacal king attempting to kill her son, or of hasty flights to Egypt.  There would be time enough for those challenges later on.  There was still plenty to deal with right now.

At some point she told Joseph and we know he struggled with about what to do.  Matthew tells us he seriously considered ending the betrothal as quietly as possible so both he and Mary could get on with their lives.  He wasn't motivated by anger or bitterness; he never wanted Mary to be embarrassed or shamed by his actions.  Perhaps he wanted her to be free to marry the baby's father, whoever he might be.  Just how long he weighed his decision before he had his own angelic visit we don't know. 

As I reflect on the story, I can only imagine how high the emotions were during this time.  It was during this time of high emotion that Mary visited Elizabeth.  Perhaps Mary made her trip to find the courage and strength to tell Joseph she was with child. Or, could it be that she had told Joseph and it was during his time of indecision that Mary went to see her kinswoman?  Or did she return from her three-month visit to Elizabeth unable to hide her pregnancy?  We don't know but during that trip to see Elizabeth something remarkable happened.

Their encounter reveals something about both women and gives us a snapshot of the hope they had in their hearts.

Luke recounts their meeting.

 

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

 

As soon as she could after her visit from the Gabriel, Mary headed off to see her older relative. 

The visit was filled with several emotions.  There was joy. There was wonder.  There was gratitude.

Elizabeth revealed her depth of character as she celebrated Mary's pregnancy.  She showed no jealousy or envy that her young kinswoman should have been chosen to give birth to the Messiah (for whether anyone else knew what was happening, this handful of people had grasped the reality that God was at last fulfilling the promise to send a Redeemer). 

Luke says Elizabeth was "filled with the Holy Spirit."  The epistles will give further insight into what this means for a believer but here it seems to mean that God's Spirit gave Elizabeth special insight to understand what was happening.  So, she bursts out with a joyous declaration.  She declares Mary's great blessing and that Mary's child would be her "Lord."  In all that she says, Elizabeth is demonstrating the same willingness to fit into God's plans that Mary had demonstrated when she told Gabriel, "I am the Lord's servant." 

 Just how are we to understand Elizabeth's testimony that her baby "leaped for joy?"  Experiments suggest that a baby in the womb may respond to outside stimulus and react to the mother's moods.  Perhaps the level of joy and awe Elizabeth felt at this moment was sensed by her baby and he did move accordingly.   That an unborn Jewish infant in the fifth or sixth month of development might know he was in the presence of the Messiah is not necessarily Luke's intent here.  Nevertheless, there are wondrous elements to this encounter and Luke certainly isn't telling us about an everyday occurrence.

Whatever Luke's meaning, the account points ahead to John's enthusiastic devotion to what God was doing in and through Jesus. 

The Singer Lifts Her Voice

 

Mary's response to Elizabeth's greeting tells us something about her and gives us one of the most beautiful portions of Luke's gospel and what might be considered the first example of Christian poetry. Her words are called the "Magnificat," a term coming from the Latin version's opening usually translated "I magnify." 

Mary's words form a song of praise. It has two parts.

The opening words deal with God's wondrous work in Mary's own life.

46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies The Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.

 

The focus of her praise is God who is doing such a remarkable work in her life.  She sees God as her "Savior," the One who is a deliverer and rescuer.  She may have in mind God as Israel's savior but she certainly pictures God as her savior.  She sees nothing in her personal character to merit his choosing her for the role she will play. She seems unready to accept any notion of having had an "immaculate conception," of being born without sin.  Her amazement suggests she knew she was as unworthy of the honor as any of us would be.

Future generations will call her "blessed," not because of something inherent within her but because of God's actions in her life.  As one writer has pointed out an unknown Hebrew teen has, because of God's grace, become the most honored woman in human history.

As Mary considered her future--mothering God's Messiah--she must have taken comfort in the fact that God is "the Mighty One" who can do such "great things" in the lives of those who trust him.  Because of this confidence she would be able to face the criticism, gossip, and challenges that would soon come her way. 

As her song continues, Mary turns to the wider blessing God was about to bestow on humankind.

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors."

 

This portion of Mary's song reflects her familiarity with the Psalms and other prophetic passages of the Old Testament.  The unifying theme seems to be the notion of a great reversal in which the rich and powerful are pictured as exchanging places with the poor and powerless.  In her song, Mary sees her Son making all things different.  He would change things.

As we read this we need to remember that the rich are not condemned because they are rich.  Riches are often seen as part of God's blessings on the righteous.  No, the rich in Mary's song are those who have gained their wealth by crushing the poor or exploiting them with no regard for their humanity.  Mary, a peasant girl, is not promoting the class envy we have sometimes seen in history.  She is underscoring the Bible's consistent warning against unjust rulers and the greedy rich who are "proud in their inmost thoughts."  They show no fear of God; that is, they do not recognize God for who he is and order their lives accordingly. If they had, they would show compassion and care for those less fortunate than themselves.

Mary's song foreshadows the strong social ethic that marks Luke's gospel.  He pictures Jesus as being especially concerned for the poor.

Some are surprised that Evangelicals have a long history of activism in dealing with social evils.  The Evangelical Awakening in Britain saw the creation of dozens of agencies and organizations designed to help the poor and oppressed.  Evangelicals led the way in ending slavery, producing child-labor laws, building hospitals and orphanages, and opening schools to teach the basics of literacy.  You might not believe it when you hear some of the rhetoric on the radio or in political ads, but Evangelicals were among the most vocal advocates for the creation of labor unions to make sure workers had decent wages and safe working conditions.

Above all, they believed the example of Jesus and the implications of his teachings would generate the moral suasion to change a corrupt world.

Some of the stories we retell this season reflect the change Mary's Son made in the world.  In A Christmas Carol, Dickens challenged a notion that was gaining ground among the intellectuals of nineteenth-century England.  He puts this view into the mouth of the pre-conversion Scrooge who argues that society is better off without the poor and handicapped like Tiny Tim.  Dickens counters this with the view that every man, woman, and child has value--an attitude shaped by the Biblical moral vision.

Of course, Mary isn't suggesting that poverty is to be cured by a handout.  At best, that is a stopgap measure.  Instead, Mary sings of a time when the structures will be transformed and the roots of poverty will be eliminated.  How that will happen demands careful reflection, not chaotic revolution. 

For example, some of America's and the world's most successful retailers pay salaries so low their employees often must supplement their incomes with food stamps.  At the same time, these corporations sometimes have strategies that undercut any effort by workers to organize.  What's the solution?  Boycotts and strikes will hurt the workers long before they hurt the stockholders. 

I’m no expert but it seems to me we might try a multifaceted approach. First, we should tell our community leaders to refuse special favors to these corporations until they improve their treatment of employees.  I think this should also include a refusal to honor the stores for “community service” like giving scratching posts to the cat-shelter as long as their employees are using food stamps. Second, we should assure the corporations that we will continue to be customers even if the prices should correspondingly increase with an increase in salaries.  Jordan Weissmann of The Atlantic says, “If workers were paid $25,000 a year [instead of the current $19k], with half the cost passed on to the consumers, the average big-box shopper would pay just $17.73 extra a year.”[1]  Finally, I think we should tell the board members of these companies, many of whom claim to be Christians, to put up or shut-up.  We should challenge them to show their faith in real ways.

You can probably think of other ways Mary’s vision might be realized.

Mary's prayer might seem to suggest that her Son would bring blessing only on the Jewish nation.  If a first-century Jewish woman should think that it would not be surprising.  Her Son's closest followers did not grasp the depth and breadth of his work until after the Ascension.  But the broader vision of Jesus' work would be revealed in other episodes in the story of the first Christmas story.  The song's reference to the promises to Abraham recalls how those promises included the expectation that all peoples of the earth will be blessed through his Descendent, the Messiah, Mary's unborn child.

Long before the first Christian evangelists were beginning to take the gospel into the world, Mary envisioned her Son turning the world upside-down. 

And, indeed, because of her Son things have changed.  In the world her Son would create...

The poor are no longer marginalized but are seen as individuals with value and potential.

The rich and powerful are no longer a law unto themselves with no fear they will be called to task for their indifference and acts of injustice.

The sinner--and that includes us all--need no longer grope for salvation, hoping enough merits have been earned to please God, but fearing this is not the case; instead that sinner may rest confidently on the grace of God.

If we truly understood all the change Mary's Child has brought into the world, we each would join her in saying, "My soul magnifies The Lord."

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

[1]  The Week, 7 December 2012, p. 39.