Goldest
James Cathcart
December 18, 2017
Add to Favourites
Luke 1: 46-53
46 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me 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.
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.
The reading for today is Mary’s song of praise after finding out from the Angel Gabriel that she is going to give birth to the Son of God. Her song is a tremendous act of humility and courage from a woman in a precarious position - becoming pregnant in a judgemental society - she has a lot to lose but she decides to trust God’s plans, to trust in things bigger than herself. She was in a vulnerable position and yet she responded with an open heart.
What if the news had been broken to a ‘big cheese’ that had felt his power was threatened by the Messiah? It would have been a very different song, sung by an arrogant but weak man, in a vaunted position, unsure if there even were things bigger and more important than himself. Perhaps this is what it would have sounded like:
“The media magnifies me,
and God is lucky to have me, so lucky, the luckiest BIG TIME
He knows I’m the best, BAR NONE
God has done great things for me, the greatest, it’s beautiful
His mercy folks on those who fear me, like CROOKED ANGELS
I’ll show my strength with my arms, we have so many arms, more arms than anybody
He has put me on the most powerful throne,
it’s GOLD, we’re changing the decor around here believe me, big changes, gold chair, GOLDEST
he has lifted the burden of taxes on the rich
he has filled the hungry with resentment
and the privileged are invited to the table.”
Dear God,
Sadly when news breaks today, we more often hear the songs of the pompous and the privileged, than the humble and humane.
Help us to listen more closely, and more often, to the vulnerable, the marginalised, the underdogs,
to those living on the fringes
who have to be resourceful and resilient,
who find creativity and dignity in unexpected places, in unimaginable circumstances.
Help us to listen to their song,
so we can gain a new appreciation of courage, trust, and humility.
Amen.
Login to comment.