Mary's Song

Mary’s Song
Here we are in the third week of Advent…Advent is the season before Christmas in the church…Advent is the season of waiting…waiting for the birth of Jesus. This week as we continue to wait for Christmas, we turn our attention to another song in the Gospel of Luke. Last week, we heard the song of Zechariah—Zechariah & Elizabeth are the parents of John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin. John was the forerunner to the Messiah—he proclaimed loudly of the coming Messiah. When John was born, Zechariah sang a song dedicating John to the work of the prophet and praising God for what God had done.
Luke tells us in the 6th month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, that Elizabeth’s cousin Mary receives some very interesting news from an angel of the Lord…The angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her that she will have a child…But who exactly is this Mary?
Well, Mary is betrothed to marry Joseph—a carpenter. So, we can be sure that Mary is not a queen or a princess or really anyone of high class stature. And she’s from Nazareth…Nazareth was known for being one of the poorest regions and had the stigma from the surrounding communities of being the “bad side of the tracks”…When people ask the question, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” They aren’t being sarcastic or witty…they are really asking if there is anything positive that can come from such a vile place…The place that Mary lives. So, we know that Mary is one of the poorest of all.
The other thing that we know is about the betrothal…In that time the age of marriage was between 11-13. Mary was probably around the age of 13 when she was engaged to be married to Joseph. Shortly after her engagement was when she learned that she was pregnant with Jesus.
The annunciation, when the angel told Mary that she would have this child—Mary took a great risk in saying “Let it be with me”…She was unmarried, engaged to be married…When she started to show her pregnancy, there were going to be questions and accusations…Her whole family would be disgraced and her fiancée would have an option to take her in or throw her out. Joseph clearly knew that there was no way that he could be the father of this baby…So that left only one option—Mary clearly had an affair. So, Joseph could legally have cast her out with nothing and even more than that—have her put to death. By saying to the angel, “Let it be with me according to your word,” Mary knew the great risks that she was facing—an almost sure death. But she also knew the risks if she told the angel that she wouldn’t carry this child…
This was no small thing that Mary did—Mary gave her whole life to God—she put her whole trust in God’s grace and that God would remain true to God’s word. If this was God’s son that she was carrying, she had to trust that God would care for her and for Jesus.
This baby was no ordinary baby—this baby is the Messiah…Which we know means something very different. This baby was born to die…This baby was born to take away the sins of the world through his blood. Did Mary know all of this? Did she understand what it meant that this baby would be born? Did she know? We can know for sure that Mary certainly looked on this time much differently at the foot of the cross than at the manger…
But that’s getting a little ahead of the story, because our passage for this morning is the song that Mary sings of gratitude of what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do. In the Greek language, which is what this was originally written in, the verb tenses shift from the past to the present and to the future. Which is not all that unsimilar from what we know of God…God is the past, present, and future—God has no beginning or no end. So, when Mary sings about what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do—it’s really not that much of a surprise because that’s who God is!
Mary sings over and over about the lowly being raised up and powerful being scattered. It’s a theme that is recurring all throughout Jesus’ life & ministry…All throughout the story of God. The ones who are considered to be the least are favored in God’s eyes. Mary was one of the most lowly people and she carried God’s son…It’s not the first story of God using and unexpected person to share God’s message of love and grace…God uses unexpected people all the time!
Mary’s song ends with the reminder of God’s covenant with God’s people through Abraham…Which is also a reminder to those who have heard the story would remember their part within the covenant—they are blessed to be a blessing. Mary was blessed to be a blessing—she gave birth to Jesus.
Mary is an amazing person to learn from—in the face of some incredible risks, she told God that she was willing to be God’s servant and do whatever it took to follow God. If we could only have faith like Mary…What would the world look like? What would it look like if we were like Mary and put aside our own comforts, our own lives even to follow God and to do what God calls us to do? Mary gave up everything because God asked her to—she faced death, rejection, alienation, suffering…just to do what God called her to do. God continues to make that call to all of us—to put ourselves aside to do what God calls us to do.
It’s not an easy place to be and it’s not something that our society teaches. Our society tells us to look out for number one and take care of yourself first before thinking about anyone else. And God’s message is counter to that—God says think of “ME” first, and I’ll take care of you. It’s not comfortable to have to rely on someone other than ourselves and yet it’s what God calls us to do… Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when The first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a great Treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver And precious gems. I could be decorated with an Intricate carving and
everyone would see the beauty.'
Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a Mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the Waters and sail to the corners of the world. People Will feel safe in me because of the strength of my Hull .'
Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be The tallest and straightest Tree in the forest. People Will see me on top of the hill, look up to my branches, And think of the heavens and God and how close
to Them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all. Time and people will always remember me.'
After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, and he began cutting it down. The Tree
was happy, because he knew the carpenter would Make him into
a treasure chest.
At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like A strong tree. I will be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on His way to becoming a mighty ship.
When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree Was frightened because he knew that if they cut him Down his dreams would not come true. One of the men Said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll Take this one,' and he cut it down.
When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was Made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in A barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he Had prayed for.
The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing Boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying Kings had come to an end.
The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone In the dark.
The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave Birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box That was made from the first tree. The man wished that he Could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would Have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event And knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from The second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and The tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men Safe. The men woke the
sleeping man, and He stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew That it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed To the tree and raised in the air to die at the top Of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to Realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top Of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, Because Jesus had been
crucified on it.

Sometimes it takes putting aside what we think is best to do what it is that God thinks is best…Like Mary did—putting aside our own selfish desires and our own selfish thoughts in order to do what it is that God calls us to do?
What does God call us? To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world…To share the message of love and grace that is found within the message of the Gospel. That message of love and grace shines through Mary’s story as she felt the grace of God in her womb and watched her child grow up. She saw what God’s love could do as Jesus was crucified on the cross…Mary’s story is an example of the Gospel…But her life isn’t the only example…Your life should be an example of that story as well…Are you a living example of the Gospel message? Do you show love to others? Do you let God’s grace shine through your own life? Do you tell others about your faith in God? Do you put yourself aside in order to do all those things? God has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly…God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich empty away…Does your soul magnify the Lord?
We are blessed to be a blessing…This Advent season let us remember that as we celebrate the birth of Jesus—and celebrate that birth by remembering whose birth we are celebrating—that Christmas is not our birthday, but it’s Jesus’ birthday…That our life is for God…My soul magnifies the Lord…

Zechariah's Song

Zechariah’s Song
The season of Advent is 4 weeks long…Advent is the season of waiting…It’s not Christmas yet as we wait for the birth of Jesus…Now, we of course know the whole story—the story of the baby that was born. But until Christmas comes, we wait…And our waiting isn’t quite as long as it must have seemed for the people who were waiting for the Messiah to come.
One of the things that is interesting to point out in all of the Gospels is that not much time is spent on Jesus’ birth…The Gospels of Matthew & Luke are the only two gospels that share anything about Jesus’ birth. In the gospel of Luke, where our passage comes from today…The birth of Jesus is told in 21 verses. The birth of Jesus’ cousin, John—known more commonly as John the Baptist, is told in 24 verses. Luke spends more time talking about the birth of John than the birth of Jesus.
John’s birth was one of miracles…The angel Gabriel came to Elizabeth and Elizabeth was told that she would have a baby. Elizabeth had been without child for so long that she was in advanced age, that it must have been a surprise to her when the angel told her she would have a baby, but she accepted this good news with excitement…Zechariah, well Zechariah on the other hand had another reaction…Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband was in such disbelief and so surprised by this news! He just didn’t believe that it was possible. Now if there’s anything that we can learn throughout history is that one should always believe that God will do what God says God will do…
A baby was something that Elizabeth & Zechariah had been wanting for a long time, but had given up hope that it was even possible. Maybe you’ve felt like that before…There was something that you wanted so desperately but had given up hope that it was possible and then it just happens! And Zechariah was completely out of the loop with it…An angel came to him and told him that Elizabeth was going to have a baby…Exactly what they had been wanting…And Zechariah’s reaction was not one of joy, but one of disbelief and anger…How is this possible? No one consulted me on this? No one made sure this was okay with me? This is not happening—Elizabeth is old! And I was not there for this decision! Oh Zechariah is upset! But here’s what happens…The angel tells Zechariah what this baby means—that this baby will be the forerunner for the messiah…That this is a joyful thing and that he should be excited and grateful for the gift that God is giving them…But Zechariah doesn’t stop…So, then it comes…The angel says…Hey, I was there—I know the whole story, what you clearly can’t understand. So, if you can’t accept this graciousness, the wonder of this gift, this baby…You will not speak until after your son is born. The angel takes away Zechariah’s voice…And Zechariah was not able to speak again until John was born.
Now this seemed to be quite an effective tool…it gave the angel the quiet to share the good news and it gave Zechariah time to think about what had just happened…He remained without a voice until his son was born. When John was born, Elizabeth & Zechariah brought their baby to the temple on the 8th day to be circumcised and named…Zechariah; still unable to speak was asked what name they were going to give this child. The angel had instructed both Elizabeth & Zechariah that their child was to be named John, so Elizabeth told the priest that was the name of the child and they argued with her. John was not a family name, so they questioned Elizabeth and asked Zechariah…Unable to speak, Zechariah wrote done the name John for the priests…It took him some time to soak in all that happened—the gift of a baby that he and Elizabeth had been given, the calling their son had been given by God, and the special circumstances around this baby…And he took it all in and accepted it. As he wrote down the name John on the tablet, his mouth was opened.
Our passage from this morning has the first words that Zechariah spoke when he was able to speak again. This really isn’t as much of a speech as a song. This was a song that Zechariah sang out of joy and belief. He had some time to think about what had been happening in Elizabeth & his life…And this was the song that he sang out of joy for what God had done in their life. Today, if people are so excited about something that they burst out in song, we think that there might be something a little wrong with them…But it was not uncommon in the temple for outbursts of song to happen. Its how people expressed themselves. Sometimes it’s easier to express in song what words can’t convey. And we have Zechariah’s song.
Even in the miraculous events around the gift of the baby and the birth of his son John, Zechariah recognized that there was something bigger going on. That his role in this was very small…As he sang, he prophesized about the coming Messiah. Now, Jesus was not yet born, but Mary was pregnant. And Zechariah sang of this coming Messiah. The horn of salvation from the house of David…The one who would save us from our enemies…The one who will execute mercy…The one who will remember the covenant of Abraham…The coming Messiah was a huge deal for God’s people.
The Jewish people were in exile once again as the Roman authorities had seized control over all of the world that they knew. They were waiting for the Messiah to come and overthrow this government and restore them to the power they thought they should have as God’s chosen people. What they had forgotten was that they had not lived as God’s chosen people…They were blessed to be a blessing…Instead they lived the blessing without sharing it with anyone else…When Zechariah sings about the covenant of Abraham—God had lived up to God’s end of the covenant, it was God’s people who fell short and didn’t live up to the covenant. So the Messiah that was coming was going to fix everything…
Zechariah’s song makes those promises again—that the Messiah was the one that they were waiting for…And as we knew Jesus came as the Messiah in ways that the world wasn’t expecting and in a lot of ways, the Messiah that the world didn’t want. So, Jesus is coming as the unexpected Messiah and John will be the prophet who will share the good news of Jesus’ coming.
When Zechariah dedicated his son as a prophet of the Most High, the one who will go before the face of the Lord, he knew the risks that this meant…Prophets were not well accepted and often met a terrible death…Not only was John being dedicated as a prophet, but as a prophet for the coming Messiah…Although most people wanted the Messiah, there were some who didn’t—mainly the people who were in political power and authority. And John will be the one to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.
Zechariah sang this song of joy knowing all the risks involved and he still sang to the glory of God. The decision that he was upset about at first, he knew had a bigger meaning than himself…It really wasn’t about him, but about God’s plan of salvation.
We have a lot to learn from Zechariah and his story seems so short…Just a few verses in the Gospel of Luke…We hear Zechariah’s selfish and angry disbelief and his move from that into understanding that there’s more than himself and what he wants.
Which is what the spirit of Christmas is about…Christmas is not about what we get and what we want, but Christmas is about that baby—the Messiah…It’s not about our desires, but it’s what God’s desires…And that spirit doesn’t last as long as Christmas, but that’s what the church is about. The church is not about our own desires, but about fulfilling the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We are blessed to be a blessing! How are we being a blessing to the world? How are we living like Zechariah and putting away our own selfish desires in order to live God’s desires? Do we fight for what we want or for what God wants? Are we working harder at keeping ourselves comfortable or are we willing to be uncomfortable in order for someone to understand the love of God? That’s what Zechariah did—he put aside himself in order for God’s plan for salvation to be made known…It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t comfortable, but it’s what God calls…We are blessed to be a blessing.
This Advent & Christmas seasons are great times to reconnect with that idea…Christmas is not about what you want, but it’s about Jesus…Christmas is not your birthday, it’s Jesus’ birthday…Church is not about what we want, but what God wants…And what God wants is for all people to know about God’s love…For all people to know about God’s mighty acts of salvation…That God’s love is free and available for all people…That Jesus Christ was born for the world…That’s the message that we should be sharing as we make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
My friends the good news of the gospel is shared in Zechariah’s song…that God has raised up a horn of salvation from the house of David …The one who would save us from our enemies…The one who will execute mercy…The one who will remember the covenant of Abraham…The one who has blessed us to be a blessing for others.