In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” – Luke 1:26-28

We are jumping from the Old Testament to the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament now. In the previous 25 verses, the birth of John the Baptist has been foretold, John’s father Zechariah has been struck mute for not believing the angel telling him about the impending birth of his son, and John’s mother Elizabeth has conceived him, taking away the disgrace she had endured among her community for being barren.

Are you feeling caught up now? Good! Moving on…

An angel comes to an unmarried teenage girl in Nazareth who is engaged to a much older man. It is probably a good thing that the angel’s first words to her are that she is favored and that the Lord is with her because I cannot imagine the terror she would be feeling at a heavenly visitor suddenly appearing to her. The message he (the angel) is bringing is one that could potentially threaten her life or undo the marriage arrangement that was supposed to be happening because it was a huge stain on the family if a woman was found to be pregnant out of wedlock.

Ignoring the societal realities at play here, we are about to receive some amazing news: God is coming to dwell with us! God is putting on skin (paraphrasing the words of the Lutheran pastor, author, and speaker Nadia Bolz-Weber) and coming to live with us! The amazing part? God isn’t just descending on earth with a huge light show and a massive choir of angels visible everywhere. Instead, God is coming in the womb of a teenage girl in the backwaters of some obscure Roman territory. What does it say about God that the “favored one” is someone who has some of the least power on earth?

Thank you, God, for turning the expected order of things on its head and sending Jesus to come to one without status or prestige. Amen.
-Jen McCabe

It is with wonder and awe I open the Bible to The Magnificat, taken from the Gospel in Luke 1:46-55. My wonder is the Blessed Virgin Mary, a woman chosen by God. My awe is teachings from the Bible, a gift from God. After experiencing a Pentecostal background both Biblically and ministerially I have been led to the Episcopal world of ministry. Once again, I am like a new Christian which can be both exhilarating and new.

As I reflect on the Magnificat, it is the words of the prayer of praise of Mary. It is the essential link between humility and holiness. God recognized a handmaid when the angel Gabriel shared with her of the impending birth of Christ. We may never be able to approach Jesus from Mary’s level of sanctity as the Mother of God. Although we are offered her words in response to Elizabeth’s greeting, glorifying God and thanking Him for choosing her to bear His Son. This prayer of praise is used all over the world and through many faiths.

Mary was chosen by God through whom the Messiah came. The announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary is called The Annunciation. It is dear to the world because it is a prophecy of the Savior Jesus Christ’s birth, to foretell of the grace and peace that would come to mankind from God through Jesus Christ.

No matter how the world is changing around us, God’s goodness is unmatched, we can trust in Him (Nahum 1:7: Exodus 33:19; Psalm 25:8; 34:8; Matthew 19:17.) I trust and remain in wonder and awe of the privilege to read the Word of God, and today to hear the word of Mary’s praise.

Our Father in heaven, thank you for your Mercy and Grace. Thank you for never leaving us. Thank you for sharing the words of Mary so that we may feel and hear her response. I pray I would say yes to anything asked of me. Forgive us when we don’t thank you enough. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
-Acacia Kimball

The Magnificat is a response to some pretty esoteric stuff: a virgin, an angel, a message from God, a kingdom without end. And the virgin’s acceptance of all this with extraordinary simplicity, innocence, and trust. And then the exuberant exultation as this powerless, vulnerable maiden suddenly finds herself vaulted into the arena of world events. Was I ever so young and trusting? I would more likely have said, “I know this is your plan, Lord, but…geez!” Mary just said “yes” and became the bearer of the Son who brought good news to a broken society and ultimately to a broken world.

Israel saw healings and forgiveness, saw the lowest cared for, their humanity acknowledged, their place in society restored. Then the scales of justice slowly began to move into balance. The lowly were lifted up, the powerful were brought down. With this maiden-mother’s son God deposed the tetrarch and his collaborators. Down through the centuries, her name became a prayer for many while the titles of powerful men turned to dust. Her child grew to manhood and overwhelmed an empire with mercy.

God had rocked the world in order to fulfill an ancient covenant. God’s people would see that he had not given up on them, even though they had forgotten their part of the bargain. God kept faith because that’s what God does. This is good news for the world, and for me.

Even when I fall, the Holy One lifts me. The events that seem to rule my life are nothing compared to him. He loved me from birth, took me as his own at baptism, and promised me his eternal love. Can I return that love, every day? Can I love what he loves? Can I exalt his name forever? That is my prayer.

O Holy One, may I love you and praise you daily, love those you love, and answer yes when you call. Amen.
-Carol Treston

The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed. – 1 Samuel 2:10

The word that comes to mind when I see this passage is “braggadocio”. Also, the name of a font found in Microsoft Word, it means “empty boasting, arrogant pretension: cockiness” according to the Merriam-Webster website. My mental picture of this word is a combination of the song “We Will Rock You” by Queen, an MMA fighter trash-talking their opponent, and the yelp Tim Taylor makes in the TV show “Home Improvement”. I mean, Hannah sings about the Lord’s adversaries being “shattered”—that is not a mild statement!

In the context of the rest of Hannah’s song, however, it works well. Much like today, she was perceived to be weak as a woman, and there were political powers at play where she lived that threatened her and her people. Israel had judges, but they would frequently stray from the path dictated by the Ten Commandments and the 613 laws in Leviticus, resulting in the Lord sending some foreign nation to rule over them for a bit to punish them. At any moment, some massive foreign power could come in and rule over them again. I mean, the last verse in the book of Judges talks about how “in those days there was no king in Israel” and “all the people [doing] what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25, NRSV) There is about to be a takeover, and Israel might not come out on top in this one. The belief that the Lord was going to “shatter” the adversaries would be incredibly comforting because it meant that the Lord was in control and everything was going to work out in the end.

Is our world that much different today? Are we living in a situation where we feel like we are being ruled by enemy forces in the form of the other political party? What side is the Lord on, anyway? We need to take heart that the Lord has a plan for all of this and what is right will triumph in the end.

This is my Father’s world;
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is king, let the heavens ring;
God reigns, let the earth be glad!
Lutheran Book of Worship #554
-Jen McCabe