Luke’s Gospel records the first songs of Christmas which are called the Canticles of Christmas. A canticle is a song in the bible that is not a psalm. Embedded within the arc of the story line that leads from before conception to the intertwined births of John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ and their presentations in the temple, Luke records four songs that present a powerful pathway into the beauty of the Christmas story. The songs are poetic story pieces that belong to Mary who was the mother of Jesus, Zechariah who was a temple priest and the husband of her cousin Elizabeth, the Angels who announced the birth of Jesus first to the shepherds in prayerful song, and Simeon who was a righteous and devout man of God who met Mary and Joseph with Jesus in the temple. You may want to read Luke 1:5-2:40 for a view of the whole within which these pieces fit. At the end of Advent, I'm adding the Song of the Messiah from the book of Isaiah to celebrate Christmas.
This week we explore Mary’s song, found in Luke 1:46b-55, called the Magnificat, a Latin
word which literally means “exalt, glorify, magnify.” And that she does! Mary had been visited by the Angel Gabriel
and told she would bear the Son of God.
After her initial questioning and confusion, she answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” She immediately set out to see her older
cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John (the Baptist) who would journey
with Jesus until his death, “preparing the way” as he had from before his
birth.
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| Madonna mit blauem TuchBallenstedter Jahre OEL 25 x 29
1955Erich Streuber [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
My soul sings in gratitude.
I’m dancing in the mystery of God.
The light of the Holy One is within me
and I am blessed, so truly blessed.
This goes deeper than human thinking.
I am filled with awe
at Love whose only condition
is to be received.
The gift is not for the proud,
for they have no room for it.
The strong and self-sufficient ones
don’t have this awareness.
But those who know their emptiness
can rejoice in Love’s fullness.
It’s the Love that we are made for,
the reason for our being.
It fills our inmost heart space
and brings to birth in us, the Holy One.
If music is a pathway to God for you, you might want to
listen to Magnificat
(All That I Am) a lovely arrangement by David Haas
based on Mary's song. The link will take you to YouTube where you will find a video with lyrics written and song clearly sung. I invite you to simply rest in its beauty as you listen.
Mary’s song is deceptively sweet as she exalts, glorifies, and magnifies God’s glory but look closer for Mary’s message is as much of a song of justice as it is of mercy! This poetic song has powerful social and political overtones. It speaks of a great reversal— what might be called a social, economic, and political revolution. To people in Mary’s day, there is little question as to what she is talking about. The Jewish people are oppressed by the Roman Empire, and to speak of a King who will demote the powerful and rich and elevate the poor and humble means one thing: God is moving toward setting them free! And yet, knowing the end of the story as we do … freedom has a high price and is not always manifested in the ways we desire.
You can simply say “Amen” now but if you would like to spend time in prayerful reflection with Mary’s Song, the Magnificat, I invite you to engage in the spiritual practices of Breath Prayer and/or Lectio Divina.
You can simply say “Amen” now but if you would like to spend time in prayerful reflection with Mary’s Song, the Magnificat, I invite you to engage in the spiritual practices of Breath Prayer and/or Lectio Divina.
Breath Prayer: Take a deep breath and prepare your heart to listen to Mary, the theotokos (which means Mother of God) as her song of praise pours forth. You may use this one or create your own from your response to the Magnificat: 6-8 syllables is an optimal prayer for breathing your prayers.
Breathing in … Mysterious God
Breathing out … Dance with Me
1) Lectio: reading.
Slowly read the passage and immerse yourself in the beauty of the text. There may be a word, phrase or image that bubbles up into your consciousness, the words may "shimmer," calling your attention. You may use the paraphrased version above, use this one from the NET Bible, or open your own favorite bible to Luke 1:46b-55
“My soul exalts the Lord,
and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior,
because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant.
For from now on all generations will call me blessed,
because he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
from generation to generation
he is merciful to those who fear him.
He has demonstrated power with his arm;
he has scattered those whose pride wells up
from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.
He has brought down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up those of lowly position;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior,
because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant.
For from now on all generations will call me blessed,
because he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
from generation to generation
he is merciful to those who fear him.
He has demonstrated power with his arm;
he has scattered those whose pride wells up
from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.
He has brought down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up those of lowly position;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
2) Meditatio: meditation.
Read the passage again, slowly. Allow your word, phrase or image to come alive and deepen in your consciousness. Consider what it means in this passage and what it means in your life. What is God saying to you through your word, phrase or image?
Read the passage again, slowly. Allow your word, phrase or image to come alive and deepen in your consciousness. Consider what it means in this passage and what it means in your life. What is God saying to you through your word, phrase or image?
3) Oratio: prayer.
When it feels time to move on, read the passage again, slowly. Allow yourself to move toward God who has already moved toward you through your word, phrase or image. How do you respond to God's movements ... in words or another creative way?
4) Contemplatio: contemplation.
When your time of encountering the scripture feels finished, it is time to rest. Allow all of the words and images and emotions to fall away until you are immersed in Silence, the God who holds you ... for as long as you can. Make an embodied gesture to close your time of prayerful reading and allow your heightened sense of God's presence to linger, however that manifests for you. Amen.
Spiritual Practice for your Advent "waiting:" As you journey through this week, take something with you. Take time to pause, breath and allow something of God to shimmer up into your consciousness. It may be your breath prayer or it may be a word or phrase from our passage or the song, "Magnificat." It may be the image shared above, below, or another one. It may simply be an emotion that was evoked. It may even be something you found somewhere else. What you choose or what chooses you is not really as important as who you are ... one who turns toward God with an open heart, often.
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| The Black Madonna of Częstochowa, also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa, is a revered icon of the Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa. ~14 century |
"What good is it to me if Mary gave birth
to the Son of God fourteen hundred years ago
and I do not also give birth to the Son of God
in my time and in my culture?
We are all meant to be Mothers of God."
~Meister Eckhart (15th century German mystic)
to the Son of God fourteen hundred years ago
and I do not also give birth to the Son of God
in my time and in my culture?
We are all meant to be Mothers of God."
~Meister Eckhart (15th century German mystic)
If you are interested in this series on The Canticles of Christmas, I am sending out a weekly email via Constant Contact which may include some additional material. Take this link to sign up: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07efw8jr1ea20519e9&llr=h5cishrab
Next week in
Advent 2, we look at the Song of Zechariah found in Luke 1:68-79. This series is a companion to prepare for the
Advent Worship/Sermon Series at Holy Covenant UMC in Katy, TX. You can live stream the sermon on Sundays around
11:15 via facebook @holycovenantkaty or listen to it on the website: https://www.hckaty.org/sermon-archive/
where you can even subscribe to our podcast!
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