A Mary Christmas
Today I’m going to reflect on a message about humbling the proud, undermining the powerful in favor of the lowly, and taking food from the rich and giving it to those who are hungry. It doesn’t come from one of the ancient Hebrew prophets, nor from a modern socialist. No, these words were pronounced by a young Jewish woman living under oppressive foreign occupation who defiantly exclaimed that there is a power higher than any this world can produce.
You’ve probably figured out by now that I’m speaking about the mother of Jesus. While we’re on the topic, to Clay Aiken and the others who perform the popular song, Mary did know, and she wishes you would stop asking. Scripture *tells* us she knew. The angel Gabriel filled her in, and today’s passage makes it clear she had some grasp on the enormity of her being chosen by God.
Mary is often portrayed as meek, mild, and with a tendency toward baby blue attire, but that doesn’t fit with what we read today. In this passage, which is sometimes called the Magnificat, she anticipates the enormity of her role. It’s so significant, she believes “all generations” will call her blessed.
Not only that, but in the shadow and under the occupation of the Roman Empire, she points to the strength and eternal nature of her God. She says the proud will be scattered, the rich will be sent away empty, and the powerful will be brought down from their thrones.
You almost want to say, “Keep it down, Mary! What if a centurion hears?” Mary’s words of bringing down the powerful, if uttered today, would be frowned upon in most polite company, might get her added to the NSA watch list, would prove too extreme to earn her a victory in a general election, and would end with her incarceration in some places.
So where do we get the idea that she was quiet and submissive? Sure, she was taken aback when Gabriel arrived with the news she was pregnant. That’s to be expected, though. Our culture’s depiction of angels differs significantly from what you find in scripture. The winged babies you might find in manger scenes are radically different from Biblical angels, just as the pretty white Marys you find in some manger scenes don’t resemble the woman God chose to bear our savior.
Was Mary obedient? Yes, certainly to her creator. But the same can be said of such bold figures as Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Joan of Arc.
Mary is certainly not the first bold woman to appear in scripture. The stories of Miriam, Deborah, Esther, and Judith demonstrate leadership, faith, and bravery. But today’s passage has striking similarities to another, recorded centuries earlier. It is the Song of Hannah.
Hannah had not been successful in becoming pregnant, whereas her husband’s wife Peninnah had. This caused her great distress, especially since Peninnah often tormented her. Nonetheless, Hannah remained faithful and, eventually, became pregnant. Her gratitude was such that she dedicated her son Samuel to God’s service.
Here is her song:
“My heart exults in the LORD;
my strength is exalted in my God.
…
“There is no Holy One like the LORD,
no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
…
The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,
and on them he has set the world.
“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
for not by might does one prevail. …”
You can hear echoes of Hannah’s song in Mary’s Magnificat, both in word and in message.
It’s no coincidence that Mary’s song sounds like Hannah’s, even though they lived 1,000 years apart. The idea of the Kin-dom of God did not originate with Mary or the gospels; it could be witnessed throughout Hebrew scripture, from the history of God’s people to the words of the prophets. As Alan Culpepper writes, “these words echo the promises to Israel through the generations and declare their fulfillment.” (Culpepper, 42)
Not to discount the influence of the Holy Spirit, but I’d suggest that Mary’s words did not just occur to her at the spur of the moment. If she was a devout Jew, and the similarity of her Magnificat to the Song of Hannah suggests she was, Mary not only *wanted* the things she spoke of to happen, she *expected* them to happen. She’d had some time to think about Gabriel’s pronouncements, and the counsel of Elizabeth helped confirm what she suspected. Her pregnancy was part of God’s continuing story, a story that had been revealed over centuries.
The more I read scripture, the more I think it’s time to stop infantilizing and domesticating the mother of God. What do we know about Mary from scripture aside from today’s passage? We know she traveled a long distance while on the cusp of delivering her first child. She delivered that child under less-than-ideal circumstances. She hosted astrologers from afar. She became an immigrant when her child was young due to the actions of a paranoid tyrant. She chewed out the Son of God when he stayed behind in the temple rather than leaving Jerusalem with his family. She convinced him to help out the hosts of a wedding banquet, where he turned water into wine. She was the mother of James, who perhaps authored the book of the same name, which itself makes bold pronouncements. And she was present when her oldest son died a public, painful execution after most of his other followers abandoned him.
When you put all of that together, it’s hard to see the Biblical Mary in the Precious Moments figurines that are sold to monetize the Christmas story. On the contrary, I’d suggest that Mary is not White, quiet, submissive, or safe.
I’d also point out that “Mary’s praise of God as Savior should not escape notice.” (Culpepper, 43) Her Magnificat points out that the powers and principalities of her world were not in accordance with God’s plan. Echoing the words of Hannah and the prophets, Mary understood that the powerful were to be relieved of their thrones, and the lowly lifted up.
Knowing that, what does a “Mary (M-A-R-Y) Christmas” look like? Were those who exercised power unjustly only problematic in the first century?
Unfortunately, power continues to corrupt, and as a result we still have suffering that results from immoral systems, including preventable illness, starvation, extinction, mass shootings, war, climate catastrophe, brutality, economic injustice, gender inequity, bigotry, substance abuse, and homelessness.
So Mary’s Magnificat still offers much to us today. It reminds us that God’s promise outlasts all of the world’s nations and corporations. That truth is not owned by the highest bidder, or the most skilled deceivers. That we have reason for hope, even amidst our darkest days. That recurring themes of scripture, including love, justice, and covenant, are timeless and relevant.
And most of all, that the birth of Christ — the Incarnation — reminds us that God is with us. Through the experience of Jesus, God identifies with us in our suffering, mourns with us in our grief, and flips tables with us in our pursuit of justice.
If the world had held a contest to determine who was best suited to be the mother of the Son of God, Mary would probably not have been a candidate. But the ways of humans are not the way of God. As Paul writes, [God] has chosen things without rank or standing in the world . . . to overthrow the existing order.
So if you have neither rank nor standing, you’re in good company. History and scripture are full of folks like you who changed the world. As we approach our celebration of the birth of Jesus, we celebrate with it the knowledge that God’s plan elevates those the world does not value. The humble, marginalized, and unprivileged voices among us offer more value than the overproduced, monetized commercial messages and their empty, hollow promises.
Don’t take it from me, though. Hear again the voice of Jesus’ badass mom: The lowly will receive God’s favor. The powers of this world are not to be feared. The proud will be scattered. The powerful will be dethroned. The lowly will be lifted up. The hungry will be filled. The rich will be sent away empty. God’s promise continues.
Yes, Mary knew. And we know as well. The Incarnation — God moving into our neighborhood through the birth of Jesus — continued God’s inevitable plan. So even amidst the present day’s conflict and frustration, we can dare to hope for a better tomorrow.
Thanks be to God, and thanks be to Mary.
Amen.
Works Referenced
Birch, Bruce C. “1 & 2 Samuel.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume II. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
Culpepper, R. Alan. “Luke.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VIII. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
