Today's Scripture Readings
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 (NRSV)
Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent." Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you."
But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
Canticle 15 (BCP., p.91-92)
Romans 16:25-27 (NRSV)
Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith-- to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
Luke 1:26-38 (NRSV)
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
Blog Reflection
Jason and I have a wonderful new parish home. We have been attending St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota since All Saints Sunday. We are enjoying it immensely. The Liturgy, the music, the preaching and the community there are amazing.
On the Subject of preaching, we heard a wonderful sermon about Mary last weekend. The sermon which you can read here was given by The Rev. Barbara Mraz who is both a Deacon at St. John's and the Writer in Residence. Among the many things I learned from her sermon is that the Magnificat (Canticle 15), has been banned in many countries throughout the world. It was not uncommon in those countries, that the Magnificat was a direct challenge to oppressive power within the governments. The words: "He has cast the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly" was considered the same as beginning a public protest against the dictatorial power. It was not uncommon for protestors to write those words on posters and put them up all over the city.
I wonder if the police would respond to the words of the Magnificat put up in protest of racial discrimination with military style violence. Would they take out their tear gas or pepper spray? Would they put their police blockades up with shields, clubs and wear protective gear?
What kind of a response would church members get if they recited the words of the Magnificat in an effort to tell the leaders of our church to get their act together on a particular matter of social justice within the church?
On this Fourth Sunday of Advent we read in our Gospel and in the Magnificat, that God is changing things from the way they have been. In the past, great leaders came from a line of wealthy men. They were destined for immense power. In the account of the Annunciation from St. Luke's Gospel, the Angel Gabriel informs Mary, a 16 year old girl that she is full of grace and has been chosen to bear the Savior Jesus in her womb. Mary would not be with child from having sexual relations with any man, including her betrothed Joseph. Mary hears the Angel tell her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God." The hope of all humankind that would change the powers of this world, came through a woman by God's random act of grace.
Two things speak very profoundly.
1. Mary is a woman in a man's world. In choosing Mary to bear Jesus, God has disregarded the dominant power of her society. God clearly communicated through the Annunciation, that God wanted nothing to do with that. All that God did was call Mary to accept God's call on her life to do something that would change the history of the world forever. Not even the established law of Mary having relations before she would be married to Joseph was as important to God, as it was to call this young girl to her priestly vocation of and doing the very thing that the Holy Spirit was empowering her to do.
2. St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote:
"O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word" (Liturgy of the Hours: Volume I, Advent and Christmas Season., p.346).
God comes to and calls each of us to our particular vocation through God's random acts of grace. The choice we have is to respond in obedience or to say no. Perhaps we would say no because we are too self-centered. The vocation God is calling us to will change the powers of this world once again and make us very unpopular. It is likely that if we respond in obedience, we will be sacrificing our reputation, our popularity and even our whole lives to what God is calling us to. We will be met with resistance. We will face the prejudices of many who label us as second class citizens because of our race, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, immigration status, political party, religion, language and/or behavior. There will be those who want to throw stones at us, because we have broken with the common tradition of our time. We will be called to serve God and others because we are first and foremost daughters and sons of God; adopted by Jesus Christ. Those labels others use to define us, are not in God's database.
May all of us have the humility and strength that was in Mary to accept God's random act of grace on our lives. May we hear the Angel's words to Mary said to us, "Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God." May we all pray for one another and for ourselves, that as we journey from here to Bethlehem; we may welcome God's Incarnate Word born for us in humility and love. May all of us may know the depth and wonder of God's love for all of us. No exceptions.
Amen.
Prayers
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a
mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The Book of Common Prayer, p.212).
We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts, that
we who have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ,
announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross
and passion be brought unto the glory of his resurrection;
who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Traditional Collect, The Annuciation. The Book of Common Prayer, p.188).
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice. The Book of Common Prayer, p.823).
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