“PREPARATION I - MAGNIFYING OUR JOY”
Text:
December 2007
Among the four gospel accounts, the Gospel according to Luke might be considered the most
joy-filled, and rightly so. Joy is a recurring theme throughout – the joy of a lost sheep found, a
lost coin recovered, a lost son returned home; the joy of a paralytic walking, a blind man seeing,
ten lepers cleansed, a little girl who died restored to life; the joy of a sinful woman finding
forgiveness and acceptance, and outcasts of all sorts being welcomed and received; the joy of
angels in the heavens, shepherds in the fields, prophets in the temple. The Gospel concludes with
the disciples returning to
baby Jesus was dedicated.
And of course, in the opening chapters of Luke’s account where the birth of John the Baptist,
and six months later, the birth of Jesus are recorded, joy overflows. This morning as we begin our
time of preparation called Advent, we’ll be considering a song of joy gushing from the heart and
lips of a young maiden named Mary; the one uniquely chosen by God to become the earthly mother
of Jesus. In Latin, this song is called the “Magnificat” which translates “that which magnifies”
or “that which declares the
greatness of.”
The
occasion of Mary’s song is a visit to her kinswoman named
been visited herself by the angel Gabriel who brought her two announcements. The first joyous
news we touched upon last Sunday: that she was favored by God to carry and deliver from her
womb into the world the Redeemer of all humankind . Speaking of this Son Mary was to bear, the
angel said, “He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God
will give to him the
throne of his ancestor David. He will
reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Another piece of this first announcement
was that the conception would be miraculous. Mary, a virgin, asks, “How can this be?” And
Gabriel explains: “The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High
will
overshadow
you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of
God.”
The second joyous announcement was that Elizabeth, who was without child and well past the age
of childbearing, was six months into her term with a son who would someday come to be known as
“the baptizer;” the one foreseen by prophets to be precursor of Jesus’ ministry. This news prompted
Mary to pack her bags and go immediately to visit her relative in a city in the region
of
Mary’s arrival and greeting,
the child growing in
After undoubtedly having to
catch her breath,
women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
Let’s turn our attention now to that great song of joy - that Magnificat - which is printed on the ---
------ colored insert in your bulletin. I’d like us to read in unison.
(Read Luke 1:46-55)
How many of us are feeling the joy of the Christmas season on this first Sunday of Advent? Only
23 more days leading up to the celebration of our Savior’s birth. The sanctuary decorated in honor of
this festive season. CD’s of those beloved Christmas tunes in our home or automobile sound system.
Some of us would answer, “Why
yes, I do feel a joy at this time of year!” Others of us might say,
“Yeah, I sort of feel the joy of Christmas...... I think. I’m supposed to.... right?” Then there are those
of us
who would admit outright, “No. I feel
pressure. I feel anxiety. I feel overwhelmed. I feel
down. I miss my dad..... my
mom..... my spouse..... my
grandparents. To be honest, no, I don’t
feel
particularly joyful at this time.” Well, take heart that you are not alone.
At this time of year, we come to church, we read the familiar and cherished stories, we sing the
familiar and treasured carols, all in the hope and expectation of catching the right spirit of the season.
But the fact is, there are so many things which can squeeze the joy right out of Christmas. The mass
and crass commercialism of the season approaches the point of sickening. It was not even the end of
August before Christmas items had begun to appear on the shelves at Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target.
Television commercials drum ad nauseam into our heads and the heads of our children what toys we
want, and need, and must have for Christmas. Along with that comes the tremendous stress associated
with trying to fulfill the wishes of everyone’s Christmas list; fulfilling all of those obligations to buy.
That credit card we’ve finally paid down in October will skyrocket again. There will be the perennial
“no-win” decisions about whose house do we eat at when – breakfast at Aunt Stella’s, brunch at sister
Ann’s, lunch at Uncle Bill and Aunt Dorothy’s. And mom is going to be mad when we get to her
house for supper, and nobody’s going to be hungry. Run. Shop. Schedule. Work down the Christmas
card list. And then run some more. That’s become the American Christmas way, not exactly as
Currier and Ives pictured it. When we get a moment to catch our breath, we
wonder, “Where is the
room for joy in
all this?”
Another joy-robbing reality of the season is the grief we feel over loved ones who won’t be at our
holiday table with us this year, or for the third year, or the tenth. Along with that is the loneliness and
emptiness so many of us feel, especially as we think back and remember those days when the family
was intact, when the children were all at home, when worries seemed few.
So truth be told, how many are feeling the blues more than the reds and greens at this time when
we’re supposed to be filled with joy? If you happen to be one who isn’t feeling all that joyful on this
first Sunday of Advent, you need not feel embarrassed, or guilty, or like there’s something wrong with
you as a Christian. As I said, you have a lot of company among your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Although redeemed by our Savior whose birth we’re soon to celebrate, we are human. And part of
being human is to sometimes feel down
when we’re supposed or expected to feel up.
But there is good news. We’re given these coming 23 days of Advent for a number of reasons: to
prepare, to refocus, to re-prioritize, to attempt to reclaim the joy which is rightfully ours as Christian
folk, the joy we should be feeling in these days leading up to the best news humankind has ever
received: Emmanuel..... God with us. An easy task? Certainly not, as we exist in the whelm of a
society where Christmas has become a holiday almost devoid of its purpose; a culture where we get all
dressed up, but have forgotten where we’re supposed to go. Yet these three weeks of Advent present
us an opportunity - and moreover, a responsibility - to make room for the Child, and for the joy of His
coming.
I believe the Song of Mary is a good starting point for a process of preparation as it’s one of the
most passionately joy-filled passages in all of scripture. Mary begins by magnifying – declaring the
greatness of – allowing to expand and grow in her heart – thoughts of Almighty God. She rejoices in
God’s presence and God’s saving grace, already experienced, and yet to be experienced, like a spring
which never stops flowing, or a well which never runs dry. She thanks God that she has been chosen,
selected among all women, called out for a giant honor although she’s just an ordinary young girl of
her day. As we’d asked last week: Who would have
thought?
That only we would begin to rejoice in what God has done, and will continue to do for us. We all
have some special way the Lord has blessed us; has called us and set us apart. But the uniqueness of
who we are and what we bring in the way of our personalities, our talents and skills, our aptitudes and
abilities, our gifts and graces can get lost in all the frenzy of our busy lives. Let’s slow down, step
back, and be glad in all the ways God has “looked with favor” upon us, even though we may feel very
ordinary or not always feel so great about ourselves. Perhaps we can allow our souls to magnify – to
declare the greatness of God our Savior.
Mary then begins to sing of the reason for the season. She sings of the attributes of the God she
serves, and of His Son to whom she will give birth. Before we listen again to these words, a quick
Greek lesson will help bring
insight to our understanding. Beginning
at verse 51, each past-tense verb:
“shown,” “scattered,” “put down,” “exalted,” “filled,” “sent,” “helped,” is in a grammatical form
called aorist. This means the action denoted by these verbs is not past and over with, but action past and
continuing
into an indefinite future. So, “He
has shown (and will continue to show) strength with his
arm.” “He has scattered (and will continue to scatter) the proud” and vain and unrighteously
powerful “in the thoughts of their hearts.” “He has” (and will continue) to exalt and lift up those who
are just ordinary folks like us. Those who hunger, he has filled, and will continue to fill with good
things, while those who have gotten rich at the expense of others have and will continue to be sent
away empty. In other words, God’s coming, and the birth of the Christ Child, means that in the end,
perfect justice will prevail. And in God, we have found, and will continue to find mercy; forgiveness
when we fall short; strength to lift us back up; courage to keep us going even when life becomes more
than we think we can bear. All this, and more, is what the Child means.
If we, like Mary, could just focus our thoughts on these attributes of God we’ve seen in Jesus Christ.
If we could just clear away some of the holiday clutter, and meditate on the joy of what Jesus means -
mercy, forgiveness, strength, courage, new beginnings, all at no cost beyond acceptance - we wouldn’t
be able to help feeling a sense of inward joy; a joy which can’t be quenched by crass commercialism, or
unrealistic gift demands, or mega-scheduling, or a tight budget, or other things which tend to make us
feel blue. Everything will become of secondary import as we refocus, re-prioritize, and reclaim the joy
of all which Christ’s birth means. Even as we remember our departed loved ones with a tear, we can
rejoice in the reality that they await us at a banquet table greater than any at which they or we’ve ever
sat. And the joy of our eventual reunion them is beyond any joy we can begin to imagine!
So why not spend the next 23 days meditating on these things, even as you’re driving your car to the
mall. Why not read and reread the Song of Mary in the middle of some of your busiest and most
exasperating hours. Make her song your song. Sing it as you shop. Sing it as you schedule. Sing it as
you remember the loved ones who won’t be at your table this year. Although you’ll find yourself busy,
you won’t be swept away by the busyness. Although you grieve, grief won’t swallow you up. You’ll
find the blues slowly giving way to an inner peace and joy. Then as you manage all the matters of the
season, you can do so with your primary focus on the only One this holiday is really all about. Permit
your soul to magnify the Lord; to declare His greatness in your every thought. Allow thoughts of the
Lord to grow and expand in your heart. And your spirit will, as Mary’s did, rejoice in Christ -- her
Savior, and ours.