Reflections for my sermon on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2024.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. Amen.
The Gospels tell us surprisingly little about Mary. (And in point of fact, tells us even less about Joseph.) We have, of course, a vast number of traditions about Mary that developed well after the Gospels were written, many even in the last 200 years, but the Gospels themselves are focused upon Jesus and so we have very few glimpses of his family.
What the Gospels Luke and Matthew do tell us about Mary is that she was a young woman, perhaps as young as 14 or 15, who was engaged or promised to Joseph (who was from the house of David, likely as was Mary), but they had not yet consummated their relationship. While Matthew and Luke emphasize that she was a virgin when she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, they do not at any point suggest that she remained a virgin after bearing Jesus (so-called “perpetual virginity”). In fact, they assume that she had regular relations with Joseph since we are told that they had no marital relations “until she had borne a son, and [Joseph] named him Jesus [Joshua]” (Matt. 1.25) and Jesus’ brothers and sisters are mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels.
She was not, as some have stated, a “single mother.” Mary was a part of her parent’s and then Joseph’s household and, in fact, the Gospels emphasize the fact that Joseph supported her despite the socially awkward situation – that little matter of her pregnancy – although it did take an angelic utterance to get him to stick around! Unlike so many single mothers today, Mary was blessed with a support structure. None of this, however, should diminish our appreciation of Mary and her vital role in Jesus’ life.
Without turning this sermon into a lecture, it is worth knowing that, in ancient Jewish homes the mothers were responsible for rearing their children, boys included, until they were old enough to help with the heavier labor of life. For Jesus that would have meant until he was perhaps 9 or so, until he could help his father in his carpentry work. No doubt Joseph had little Josh around to pick up and carry small things for him, but Mary would have had the most formative impact on Jesus. She would have taught him the prayers of everyday life, blessing the meals, the shema that was to be recited twice daily (Deut. 6.4-9), and other basic traditions and elements of Judaism. The greatest example we have from Mary, however, is her faith and obedience. We have recited together this morning Mary’s glorious statement, but to put it in context, allow me to remind us of the passage in Luke, just prior to our reading today.
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 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.
34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you… 36 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. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
Imagine the situation. You are all of 14 or 15 years old, your engaged to a local lad, but you have kept it all G-rated. Then this strange man appears to you and says, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” No wonder she was perplexed! That alone would get me starting to think about therapy! And then the angel tells you that you are pregnant. It seems ridiculous to us. The truth is, it seemed ridiculous at the time. Luke acknowledges that in his account. “How can this be…?” She understood basic biology… All reasonable questions, so Gabriel reminded Mary of her cousin Elizabeth, who was so old and yet was pregnant with a boy.
You may recall that we discussed the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah on the Second Sunday of Advent. Elizabeth was old, had been unable to have children. Her husband, Zechariah, was a priest and the Gospel of Luke opens with their story as Zechariah entered the innermost part of the Temple to offer incense. The angel Gabriel appears to Zachariah as he would later to Mary but notice Zach’s response.
Luke 1:13 [T]he angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. … 18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”
Remember, this is how Luke’s Gospel opens. We are told that once again, like in the story of Hannah we heard last month, God has heard a woman’s prayer for a child; it took many years, but now an angel had come to declare the good news. Zachariah did not believe that this could happen and he showed his skepticism by asking “How will I know that this is so?” When confronted with the angelic messenger all Zachariah can do is question and as a result Gabriel declares that he will remain mute until the child is born. Ultimately, like Mary, he will offer praise to God who has remembered his promises to Israel, but his lack of faith and insistence on his own certainty comes with consequence.
This story of Elizabeth and Zechariah is quickly followed by Gabriel’s appearance to Mary and allows us to clearly see Mary’s obedience, in stark contrast with Zach’s hesitancy.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had been married for many years and had been fervently praying for a child. Mary, on the other hand, was barely more than a child herself and only recently betrothed. Each finds out that “they” are pregnant and what are their reactions? The man who had been praying for a child, the man would not suffer any trauma or risk death in carrying and delivering a child, is disbelieving. The young maid for whom there was no greater potential for disgrace than untimely pregnancy responds in faith.
Notice too that they both ask “How.” Mary asks “How can this be?” Gabriel offers her an answer, explaining that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit. Zachariah’s “How” is of a different nature. He asks, “How will I know?” Zechariah wants signs and proof and Gabriel punishes him for his disbelief. He does not yet believe. Mary already believes and her question grows out of that trust. “OK. So I am going to be pregnant, but how will it occur since I am still a virgin?”
Perhaps it is the naiveté of a young girl and the jaundiced view of a professional priest, but Mary (rather than Zechariah) is clearly our example of faith. You will remember the Letter to the Hebrews, in the chapter following today’s reading, says “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11.1). Mary was literally willing to give up her entire life for God for things that were yet to come. Everything was about to change for her.
It has probably been a while since the angel Gabriel last appeared to you. I know I have never met him! But we all find times in our lives when we are about to embark on life-changing events and adventures. New jobs, marriage, having children (whether or not they were “planned”), or the loss of a job or friends or family members. There are various stages in our lives when we find ourselves on the edge, and we get nervous and scared. We want to know that it is all going to be all right. And while we don’t always have the benefit of the appearance of an angel to reassure us, if we go into these moments in faith and prayer, in conversation with God, then we will know within us if we are making the right decisions.
But prayer isn’t simply talking to the sky. It is itself and act of faith. Let us look again at Mary’s immortal words to her cousin Elizabeth, her faithful prayer of praise to God.
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
As I asked last week, on Gaudete Sunday, why does she rejoice? Because of what God has done. It is not an action of Mary that is praised. He has “looked with favor” upon the lowliness of his servant. What the RSV translates “low estate” and the NRSV as “lowliness” is in fact “humiliation.” God had looked upon the humiliated state, not just of Mary, but of all his people Israel.
Mary represents all of God’s faithful servants and she speaks for all of us in this prayer. That is why we can recite it with her as our own prayer. God has chosen to grace us with the gift of his son Jesus. Mary is, as Elizabeth declared, blessed among women because the fruit of her womb is blessed.
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
You may recall the various readings of this advent season and remember how many of them dealt with the coming day of the Lord. We read these passages now because we, like Mary, look around our world and see pain and suffering and we need to be reminded that God will bring justice, even into this world. He will have mercy on those who are faithful to him.
In the concluding refrain Mary invokes what we scholars of the Hebrew Bible refer to as the “prophetic perfect [past tense].” She speaks in the past tense, not simply because God has “scattered the proud” in the past, but because she is so certain that he will do it again in the future, so she speaks as if it were already accomplished.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
At the moment when Mary utters these words in Luke’s gospel the fate of the Jews under Roman occupation, much less that of the teenage girl growing ever larger with child, would appear far from certain. Yet she speaks with firm conviction that what God has promised to his people he would deliver. We need to follow the example of Mary and bring such a simple and audacious conviction to our prayers and faith.
The path will never be easy, that is not for us in this world. Consider again Mary’s life. She was pregnant before their marriage had been consummated and had to endure derision. No doubt Jesus did as well since few would have believed the story of Gabriel’s appearance and Jesus’ virgin birth. (That is not a modern scholarly “discovery.”) Mary knew that her son was special and that he was the Messiah, but she also knew that the world would never accept him, and she had heard what the Romans did to the other “messiahs.” Even other Jews were unlikely to accept his teachings and identity. All Mary could do was wait and watch. The pain must have been excruciating. She even stood at the foot of the cross and heard him use some of his last words to ensure that she was cared for by one of his disciples.
How did Mary make it? How was she able to press on through those difficult times? Because she had faith, she believed and knew that what the angel had said was true. “He will reign over the house of David and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Let us, like Mary, store these truths in our hearts and say with her “my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
Amen.
