"A SONG OF JOY"
Advent 3 2002
Texts: Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:45-55

We have heard the words of the Magnificat, the Song of Mary found in the first chapter of Luke. I want to read the few verses before that song which set the scene:

" 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 leaped 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 leaped for joy.  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."  (Luke 1:39-45)

And then comes Mary’s song - often called the Magnificat because of its title in the Latin. It stands as a link between the Old Testament story of God’s dealings with the Israelite people and the New Testament - the new revelation of God. In her song Mary embraces both the prophetic and narrative traditions of the Old Testament. The words of the song are almost completely an amalgamation of references from Old Testament and apocryphal books: I Samuel, Psalms, Habakkuk, Genesis, Fourth book of Ezra, Sirach, Zephaniah just to name a few. And like other women in the bible: Miriam, Deborah and Hannah, Mary uses a song to celebrate the evidence of God’s action: the Magnificat celebrates both the attributes of God (holy, mighty, merciful), and the saving deeds God has done. Everywhere we go at this time of the year we hear carols and Christmas songs. The tradition of Carol singing reaches far beyond Christian churches. Tonight we’ll be lighting candles to sing carols in the Park, and once again we expect many to come who are not a part of our regular congregation. They will come because carol singing is such a well loved Christmas tradition. And one could argue that this tradition extends back to Mary and the Magnificat. This young mother-to-be set the example that has been followed now for many centuries - by responding to the revelation of God’s presence coming to her by bursting into joyful song.

If we listen carefully to Mary’s song we can hear in it a medley of voices.

1. Firstly there is the voice of humility and gentleness. Mary was no doubt a very young woman, probably still a young teenager, and yet she is portrayed as quietly obedient to God’s message that the angel brought her. We are told Mary "arose and went with haste" when she was told of her cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy. This same phrase is used later of the shepherds, who "arose and went with haste" to see the newborn king. It is a phrase describing faithful obedience to the word of God. Mary does not push herself forward, but waits to be recognised. She is accepting of the situation she has been placed in - "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word". And the song shows us that she has realised the greater significance of her state – she understands something of its implications will reach beyond her own generation.

2. Then there is the voice of joy and exultation. Pregnancy can bring a profound sense of joy - for the one who is pregnant but also for those around who can share the experience. The image of Elizabeth’s child leaping in her womb in response to Mary is a beautiful image of the anticipation of God’s action of salvation. This is one of those occasions where a female preacher has an advantage in understanding a passage of scripture! Some of my most treasured experiences have been associated with pregnancy - the knowledge of a life growing inside is emphasised by the strange and thrilling experience of movement in the womb, signalling the inescapable presence of another being. This is a significant moment. Some years ago Graham Paulson told us about the various totems which determine the traditional spirituality of Aboriginal people. One of them is the "conception totem" - the place where a mother first feels the baby moving inside her. According to this theory Daniel should have a special affinity with the University of Cape Town, Benjamin with Clifton Hill and Joshua ought to have a special link with the Hume Hwy between Melbourne and Albury! But we can definitely say in the case of Elizabeth, that the movement of her baby had a spiritual significance. It became much more than the natural thrill of the first sign of life. For Elizabeth it was the miraculous recognition of the presence of the living God embodied in her cousin.

But the thrill of knowing something important is happening is not limited to this experience. All of us at some time in our life will be aware that we are experiencing or witnessing something profoundly important. Apart from the birth of my children the most significant moment in my life would be the privilege of being present in the crowd when Nelson Mandela was released from prison and hearing his first speech in freedom. Thorwald speaks of the breaching of the Berlin Wall as an incredibly moving experience for him. I’m sure many of you would be able to name other moments. Those precious times in our life when we become aware of the depth and breadth of human experience and our potential to respond with joy.

3. But life is not based solely on experience. Sometimes our experiences are painful, and we need a reality beyond ourselves to depend on. This is why it is important to hear another voice in the Magnificat - the voice of strength and steadfastness. While Mary is portrayed as humble and obedient, she could not have been immune to the pain of gossip and disapproval at her situation. As a first time mother-to-be she also faced the fear and uncertainty of the birth itself. But none of this fear and pain is expressed. For Mary the acts and character of God take precedence over her physical situation. She was able to see a bigger picture.

4. But the song also has a wondering voice, the need to ponder on the earlier question: "How can this be?" When Elizabeth greets Mary she echoes the younger woman’s incredulity "why has this happened to me?" The song itself causes us to wonder. How is it that the God who has "shown strength with his arm", who has "scattered the proud and put down the mighty from their thrones", how is it that this God is to become present in the form of a baby in the womb? It took centuries of reflection to express this paradox in words with which we are now familiar:

And we have to say the way God is at work in our lives is not always clear. Often times it is only in the pondering, the re-echoing and re-examining of our experiences can we come to see how things have worked together for good.

5. Another voice is the voice of Revolution. Mary’s song speaks of reversal. God puts down the mighty and exalts those of low degree. God fills the hungry and sends the rich away empty. God is with the poor and oppressed remnant of Israel, not with the mighty and powerful of the world. God has done great things for a lowly handmaiden. This reversal is a theme common to the biblical stories. A nation of slaves was able to defeat the powerful army of Pharaoh. A homeless and wandering people were given a land flowing with milk and honey to be their own. A despised whore became the mother of judges in Israel. Younger sons rose to prominence over their older brothers against the custom of the day. Elderly barren women became mothers of Israel.

The passage we had read from Micah has this reversal too: "But you O Bethlehem Ephrathah – you who are little among the clans of Judah - from you will come forth a mighty ruler". And so the story of Christmas - God coming to dwell with us in the form of a helpless child – is consistent with so much of God’s story with his people. Coming in unexpected ways. Bringing divine greatness to the lowly of the world. And reversal is always revolution. The turning around of the expected to make something new. "Turning the world upside down" as we often sing. And if Christmas is good news, the people for whom it is the best news are those whose lives need turning upside down: those whose lives are at the bottom. This isn’t what our world tells us – for the world the good news is that there are gifts you can buy even for the person who has everything! But Mary, who has been visited by the God of all worlds, sings of revolution. Another version of the Magnificat that we often sang in church gatherings when we lived in South Africa was "sing we a song of high revolt". This revolutionary song and its singer has often been the focus of hope and faith for so many - especially for poor and oppressed peoples.

Some ancient texts of Luke’s gospel introduce the Magnificat as the song of Elizabeth. Many scholars would claim that it was an existing hymn of Israel that has been placed in the mouth of Mary by the writer of the gospel. But whoever composed the song, it is not a song to be sung alone. It is a song that applies equally to Elizabeth and Zechariah, to the remnant of Israel, to the shepherds out in the fields, to Joseph in the background who is having to take on responsibility for this new family. It is the song of the "little people" whose lives are turned upside down by the gracious working of God.

Luke’s gospel starts with the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah – an elderly couple who are not even mentioned in the other gospels. But they have an important role in the Advent story – like their child John who became John the Baptist – the New Testament prophet who preached repentance and who baptised Jesus in order for him to begin his ministry. Zechariah’s song at the end of the chapter picks up the themes of the Magnificat and so echoes the song of Mary. Luke’s gospel tells us that Zechariah and his son John after him played an important role in preparing the way for Jesus.

But let’s put them aside for the moment, as does the gospel story at this point. For this is women’s business! John is not born yet! If you read the earlier parts of the chapter you will see that Zechariah has been silenced for 9 months! Joseph is nowhere to be seen! At this point in the story the women are the main characters, the prophets, the singers. As they encounter each other, Mary and Elizabeth experience God’s presence in their own bodies - not mediated through priests or rituals or institutions. They draw strength from each other – when Elizabeth encounters Mary she is filled with insight and the joy of the Holy Spirit. When Mary encounters Elizabeth her silence and awe comes to an end and a most eloquent song is the result. Both women had been recipients of a personal miracle.

The natural reaction to pregnancy and childbirth is to focus inwards, to ignore the world that continues on around. But the song which results from this meeting tells of an enlarged vision, one which includes the whole of history and the good of all humanity.

The Magnificat is an Advent text. The message of Advent is that God is coming to be with us. The fact that this coming takes place through the normal processes of pregnancy and birth makes the message even more astonishing. The one who led armies into battle is revealed in tranquil domestic scenes. The one whose hands flung stars into space came into time and place as a helpless baby, shaking tiny hands in tight fists. The one who pronounced judgement on disobedient nations submitted himself to the questionable wisdom of inexperienced parents.

Advent anticipates the story of God’s embodiment in the human realm. God’s presence became known to us first in the form of Jesus, but has continued on down through the ages as the life of Jesus has been fleshed out in the lives of his followers.

And so each one of us, like Mary, can be pregnant with the reality of God. Luke’s story shows us that Mary’s response to her situation went beyond a natural reaction. She acted in faith and sang in worship. And this response took place even before the Christmas event. Can we too let our response to God’s presence be that of faith and joy? Can "God with us" be a reality in our own lives and through us to others? Can we, too, sing Mary’s song in this Advent season?


Rev. Jeanette Mathews 15/12/2002

Last updated: 22 December 2002