May 25, 2008
The Visitation (Year A)
1 Samuel 2:1-10; Psalm 113; Romans 12:9-16b; Luke 1:39-57
It may seem odd to you that the readings for today are about the impending birth of God, and it's true, these readings and especially the gospel reading, are usually heard in Advent, as we await together the birth of our Lord. But imbedded in the church calendar at this time of year when we mark so many new beginnings, e.g., graduations, confirmations, weddings, we also find, on May 31st., the feast of the visitation, the commemoration of Mary's response to the miracles that God bestows on his people. I know these readings are especially important to Gale as she celebrates the eighteenth anniversary of her ordination with these same Propers that were part of that day, a significant day, when she said "yes" to God.
The reading this morning from the gospel of Luke is filled with hope and wonder and expectation. I love that about Luke. His telling of the story paints a picture of deep emotion, of the innermost longings of our hearts and souls, as we yearn for a deeper relationship with God. We don't spend too much time focusing on Mary in our Episcopal Sunday Eucharistic tradition, but this song is an option for every praying of the Daily Office, and is a chance to gain insight about the nature of God through the faith of this incredible young woman.
We enter the story of Mary immediately after she has been visited by the angel Gabriel, and told that she will bear the son of God. We go with her as she makes the journey to see her aged relative Elisabeth, who also awaits the birth of a long wanted child. I can only imagine how she might have felt, frightened I think: she was young, an unmarried girl, pregnant, and not carrying the child of her betrothed. She presumably was a peasant girl, not from a well-to-do family or particularly well educated. She probably wondered what would happen to her when her fiancé, her family, her community, found out. But I think she was also excited. She probably thought of herself as a rather ordinary girl, and yet here she was, chosen by God and filled with the Holy Spirit, and about to be part of something that would change her world, and the world as we know it, forever. She arrives at the home of Elisabeth and the sound of her greeting fills Elisabeth with great delight and wonder and knowing, as the child she is carrying, the child who will become John the Baptist, "leaps with Joy." And Mary responds with equal joy in her song that will become known throughout history as the Magnificat.
This beautiful song of praise and thanksgiving is packed with meaning and emotion. It is a song of Joy and unconquerable hope – I think that's important – we all know of the suffering and pain that both these soon to be born babies will experience in their earthly lives before fulfilling God's promise; and we know the suffering that Mary will endure. God doesn't promise a life free from pain. But this song and the stories of the Bible it reflects, speak of a God of love and hope, and in whom all things are possible. A God who knows how to laugh, who teaches us, nurtures us, and stays with us in the celebrations and the trials of our lives. Mary sings of a God of welcome and joyfulness, in love with His creation.
In words that echo throughout scripture, including the song of Hannah from this morning’s Old Testament reading, we learn of God's faithfulness to his people, especially those who are from the most humble beginnings and are most vulnerable. Mary sings of a God that is personal, who knows us from the depths of our longings and works through us, to accomplish his extraordinary purpose. Through our careful listening to words of the song and to the words spoken directly to our hearts, we will know the intimacy of a relationship with this God of deep and abiding love.
And the song speaks of God's relationship with all creation. In language that sounds a lot like judgment, God overturns the social order. But I think these words are actually more about justice. I don't think God indicts the rich and the prosperous; he doesn't hate worldly goods, fame and fortune. God is more concerned about the contents and nature of our hearts. I think that his warning is to those of us who measure our success through our abundance of material wealth, our standing in our own eyes and those of society, rather than by our love of God and His creation, those of us who pursue things while being blind to the needs of God's people.
God wants us to understand that holiness expresses itself not in the pursuit of pride, power, and wealth, but rather in a humbleness of heart, a knowing that it is through our relationships with Him and each other that we are to find true riches. God builds up; he is a God of creation, not destruction. If we are to find true salvation, in an imitation of Christ, we welcome God and each other with open minds and hearts, with humility and warmth and gratefulness. And it is never too late. As in the miracle of a pregnancy of an old woman and in the miracle of the virgin birth of our Savior, anything is possible. God forgives; God welcomes; God rejoices in His creation, in us.
"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.”
Today, we hear again in song and proclamation the joy of Mary, expressed in the words of the Magnificat. These are words that touch us to our core. May they give us hope and fill us with gratitude and a sense of wonder, a knowing that with God, all things are possible. God's blessings are available to us, all of us, if we are willing to be open to the possibilities, are willing to take that step of faith into the unknown, trusting in the goodness and the faithfulness of God, to say "yes," and change our life forever.
Amen.
The Rev. Maggie Geller
Church of the Good Shepherd