Mary's Song of Hope

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor 

on the lowly state of his servant..."

(from Luke 1:39-45)

When I sing songs of praise to God while in the shower, I hope God isn't listening., but looking with favor on his lowly servant.

God knows, we need some songs of hope.

Mary lived in a more honorable time that was much different from the stressed-out society we experience today.

Today we experience a Christmas market mentality, continuous traumatic news, sex-abuse scandals, divisiveness, and a sense of chaos.

So, yes, God knows we need some songs of hope.

One song of hope is God's promises affirmed in others which is happening when Mary makes the journey to Elizabeth.

A second song of hope is God’s constant mercy.

As Mary’s song moves from personal, she sings of what God has done in the lives of people around her from “generation to generation” and “forever”.

Whatever mercy God is doing now, God is capable of doing forever.

Mary’s song of constant mercy is one we need in our world marked by anxiety-producing change.

A third aspect of Mary’s song of praise is the radiating of vitality and hope through praising of God.

It radiated hope with Elizabeth, Zechariah, shepherds, and Simeon then from generation to generation.

As Christians our calling and mission is to continue singing Mary's song of hope with our "souls magnifying the Lord and our spirits rejoicing".

What, Then, Should We Do?

"Even now the ax

is lying at the root of the trees;

therefore every tree

that does not bear good fruit

will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And the crowds asked him,

“What, then, should we do?”

(From Luke 3:7-18)

During fellowship time after worship, the conversation at my table turned to drones.

Folks began to drone on about drones.

"Why don't they just shoot them down?

    With apologies to Longfellow:

        "I shot the drone in the air,

        It fell to earth, I know not where."

"Why don't they just tell us what they are?

The FBI and DHS stated they believe most of the drone sightings are cases of “mistaken identity."

Most of the public are misidentifying small, legally operating manned aircraft, or commercial airliners, as drones which may actually be commercial drones.

The sightings create a sense of urgency, and anxiety. 

What should we do?

This is the same question people asked John the Baptist after he warned them of the coming wrath; the axe and the fire.

He declared, "bear fruits worthy of repentance!"

John the Baptist is talking about a repentance that is a concern for faithful action which marks a life realigned with God’s purpose.

Repentance in the Gospel of Luke is not just a feeling, instead it means concrete acts of change

It amounts to recalibrating the course of your life; reexamining your thinking, or plan, or system of values, and adjust it in accord with a new understanding or purpose of God. 

The call to repentance may truly be good news because it invites us to take practical steps toward aligning our lives more squarely with God’s purposes.

That's why John gives distinct instructions: to the crowd share clothing and food: to tax collectors,collect justly; to soldiers, be content without extortion 

Repentance takes abstract aspects of faith and makes them external and concrete. It gives opportunity for faith to have full expression.

Today, John’s message calls us to step away from our conventional patterns so our can sights be recalibrated on the One who draws near to us, not just at Christmastime, but every day.

Preparing the Way

As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.”

(from Luke 3:1-6)

 The last place I want to be during the Black Friday Season is the wilderness of Walmart.

The long paths to the check-out registers are definitely not straight as people usually wait patiently to purchase their presents.

The Season continues with Cyber Monday and intensifies until reaching “Last Minute Shopping”.

Our practice is to shop small business on-line, most of which we have visited at one time or another.

There’s a backstory to Black Friday. Around 1951, "Black Friday" came to be used by Philadelphia police to describe the crowds and traffic congestion when the Christmas shopping season began.

There’s also a backstory to John the Baptizer’s appearance at the Jordan River.

According to Malachi, a prophet filled with the Holy Spirit will appear filled with a message of repentance, salvation, and forgiveness.

The prophe twill grow becoming strong in spirit living in the wilderness until he began preaching at the Jordan River.

Tiberius the emperor was considered cruel, perverse, and self-indulgent which is in stark contrast to the kingdom of God Jesus proclaimed.

Preparing the Way of the Lord began with John the Baptizer’s message claiming that God saves even in corrupt, messy, and complicated historical events and situations.

Preparing the way is responding John’s call to a baptism of repentance which indicates living a life demonstrating God’s purpose of a restored people of God’s.

Preparing the Way is acting on John’s message today by redirecting people to God with the promise of salvation when we redirect our lives to an eternal source of life and acceptance.

A voice is us calling from the Black Friday frenzied hustle and bustle and money-oriented generosity, to redirect our lives to prepare for the coming of Christ the Lord.