Advent Meditation: Mary's Magnificat, Dismantling the Empire

Depiction of Mary, Jesus' Mother

This Sunday was the third Sunday of Advent.

With a focus on joy.

A good portion of the teaching at my neighborhood church was on Mary's Magnificat. Traditionally, it's taken from the first chapter of Luke (vs. 46-55).

Mary had just arrived at her cousin Elizabeth's house, a few short days after the angel Gabriel visited her. The two of them were both pregnant. Elizabeth in the biologically traditional way. Mary via God's Holy Spirit.

As Mary entered Elizabeth's home, her cousin greets her with joy.

In fact, according to Luke, Elizabeth tells Mary that "when I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb lept for joy." That baby would grow up to become John the Baptist.

Luke also records that Elizabeth was "filled with the Holy Spirit," and was evidently given supernatural knowledge as to who her cousin's baby was - "the mother of my Lord, [Jesus]."

In response to this preternatural greeting, Mary responds:

"My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me..."

Mary probably looked like a middle-eastern teenager

If you think that perhaps Mary was boasting, keep in mind what had happened just a few days earlier.

She was most likely a teenager. Living in a small town. Probably less than 500 people lived in or around it. So news tended to travel fast. And in those times and in middle-eastern culture, pregnancy outside of marriage was a huge taboo.

As if this weren't enough to contend with, at the time of the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary, she was engaged to marry Joseph, a carpenter.

Back in those days, an engagement was a very significant step. Socially, it was very close to being married. So, it was a very big deal for Joseph to find out that his fiance was with child. Matthew records: "Joseph, Mary's fiance, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly."

This was shortly before an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, letting him know exactly who the father of Mary's first child was (Matt. 1:18-20).

Given all of the above, is it any wonder that Mary's faith was stretched? And in response, she declares to Elizabeth what could be taken as an astonishing statement of defiance of societal norms.

"...God shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear [revere, reverance] God. God's mighty arm has done tremendous things! God has scattered the proud and haughty ones. God has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands." (Luke 1:50-53).

Wow!

Mary is basically saying: "I'm pregnant and single. I'm very aware of what my neighbors think of my situation. But I'm trusting God. In fact, just take a look at how good God is! Look what God is up to here! It's much bigger than me. I'm a nobody. But in God's eyes, we nobodies are somebodies!"

And that's why we can have joy during this Advent season. Even as we wait. Even as the birth of the Savior is not yet. 

Mary reminds us all: God is for us- especially the poor. 

God is with us - especially those of low position. 

God loves us - especially those who aren't valued by the society in which they are living. 

And God continues to dismantle and disarm the Empire.