A Moment Aside for December 31, 2020

 

A Moment Aside --- 31 December 2020

 

   I know life is hard. I know that things go wrong. I know many of us are in pain, lonely, exhausted, and angry. I know all of these things… from personal experience, believe it or not.

   Wouldn’t it be nice to change that? Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up one morning and see the sun shine? See the plants sway in a gentle breeze? To see a truly new day?

   Maybe we can’t. Maybe it isn’t possible.

Maybe it is… for just one day.

   After all one day is all we really have. The past has slipped from our grasp and the future remains out of reach, except for the one second we experience every second.

   Maybe, just maybe, in that second, the world is new. The day is new. And as we count time, the year is new.

   May tomorrow be really new to us all.

I am about to do a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.                                                   (Isaiah 43:19)

 

And the one who was seated on the throne said, 

“See, I am making all things new.”

                                                                                            (Revelation 21:5)

 

Happy New Year everyone!

 

A Moment Aside for December 29, 2020

 A Moment Aside – 29 December 2020

(I’m writing this at the risk of sounding all “Polly-Anna” and saccharine. But I’m going to risk it.)

   A number of years ago, I lived in a place with a grotto that was home to quite a few birds. When evening came, the birds sang so much you couldn’t help but hear them. I used to think that they were praying “Vespers”, the church’s evening prayer. Although I didn’t and still don’t know the biological reason for the singing, I still enjoyed it.

    This had been a tough year and maybe we should sing at dawn and at dusk with all the rest of creation. As hard and as lonely and as obtuse has 2020 has been, creation continues and a lot of it is beautiful. Squirrels run along my backyard fence and up and down my next-door neighbor’s roof. Snow can be beautiful as it falls – peaceful and lovely (provided of course that you are inside to watch it.)

   Despite the horror of what this year has become, we can still be grateful for what we continue to have and in the case of things we’ve lost, that we ever had them at all. It’s hard, no doubt, but it can be done.

   Nature and creation might never cease to amaze us. It is how we can encounter God at certain times, even in watching snow fall with a cup of tea in hand. Nature and our own existence is God’s continuing gifts to all of us.

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and you give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendour!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

-         From The Canticle of the Sun by Francis of Assisi (1224)

Word & Worship for the First Sunday of Christmas -- 27 December 2020

 

Service of Word and Prayer for the 1st Sunday of Christmas

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

Psalm 148 (today’s Responsorial Psalm) 1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens;     praise him in the heights! 2 Praise him, all his angels;     praise him, all his host! 3 Praise him, sun and moon;     praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens,     and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,     for he commanded and they were created. 6 He established them forever and ever;     he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.[a] 7 Praise the Lord from the earth,     you sea monsters and all deeps, 8 fire and hail, snow and frost,     stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9 Mountains and all hills,     fruit trees and all cedars! 10 Wild animals and all cattle,     creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,     princes and all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and women alike,     old and young together! 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,     for his name alone is exalted;     his glory is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people,     praise for all his faithful,     for the people of Israel who are close to him. Hallelujah!

Oration for the First Sunday after Christmas

Almighty God, you wonderfully created the dignity of human nature and yet more wonderfully restored it. In your mercy, let us share the divine life of the one who came to share in our humanity, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen.

Gospel: Reading: Luke 2:22-40

²² When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, {Joseph and Mary} brought {Jesus} up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

²⁹ “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
    according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles
    and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³ And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵ so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

³⁶ There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷ then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹ When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Sermon (added at the end of the document)

Thanks and Offertory

The Prayers of the Church:  (from the Celebrate)

·        For continued progress on vaccines and therapeutics for the virus. Hear us, O God.

·        For our bishops, Susan and Michael and all in authority in   the church. Hear us, O God.
·        For the congregation of St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zurich and their pastor, Pr. Nadine Schroeder-Kranz. Hear us, O God.

·        For all the needs and prayers we hold in our hearts…

     (a time of silent prayer)… Hear us, O God.

The Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray as Jesus taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

    hallowed be thy name,

    thy kingdom come,

    thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

    and forgive us our trespasses,

      as we forgive those who trespass against us;

    and lead us not into temptation,

       but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power,

         and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 4:4-7 (today’s second reading)

⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. ⁶ And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Benediction and Sending

The Lord bless us and keep us.

The Lord make his face shine on us and be gracious to us.

The Lord look upon us with favor and give us peace.

                            Amen.

Go in peace. Share the Good News.    Thanks be to God

Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;  for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,  a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” ·        If these words sound familiar, they should! They are quoted at the closing of almost every service of Holy Communion in our church. They are also used at the close of the church’s daily Night Prayer (called Compline.) Today we hear it as part of the Scriptures for the time of Christmas. ·        Luke tells us that Simeon was a man righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It was revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. Upon meeting the family in the Temple, Simeon thanked God for fulfilling his word and then spoke to Mary and Joseph about the child and the upset that would surround him as well as the pain that would be Mary’s. (…and a sword will pierce your own soul too.) ·        Simeon’s words are words of praise and of gratitude. He is thankful for what God has done for him in permitting him to see the Messiah in the flesh. He is also thankful for what God is doing for his people; here Simeon stands as a representative of the people of God and, in this case, their voice. ·        He speaks as one who has received and still clings to      the promise of God’s steadfast and faithful love. This promise is what had kept him going his whole life long. ·        When we hear the words of Simeon, we can rejoice in that same promise, because it is given to us as well. We can pray his words and in praying them, make them our own. It may seem odd but when we pray the Psalms and the canticles found in the Scriptures, we can make them our own. Maybe not the first time, but soon those words will be ours as well as the person encountered in the Scriptural narrative. ·        In simple terms, when we sing his song, praying through his words, we become Simeon. After all, the same promise given to him is given to us. The same revelation given to him is given to us, although not in the same way. We are given the same peace given to Simeon. In word and in sacrament and in the community of the faithful, we too have seen the Lord in no less a real way as Simeon did in holding the Christ child in his arms, just not as much of a sensory way. ·        The presence of Christ among us in no less real then when the old prophet held the long-awaited child in his arms. Our praise is no less real as well. God’s promise and salvation are no less real either. We can pray the word of Simeon and make them our own. Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;  for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,  a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.

(The first reading is included for the sake of being complete.)

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-11

¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
    my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to spring up before all the nations.

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
    and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
    and her salvation like a burning torch.
² The nations shall see your vindication,
    and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³ You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

 

Invitation to Word & Worship for the First Sunday of Christmas -- December 27

 You are invited to join me for a YouTube service of Word & Prayer for the First Sunday of Christmas this Sunday.

Here is the link to that service:  Word & Worship for the First Sunday of Christmas

This will be held on Sunday, December 27 at 11:00am.

God be with you all.

Pastor John

Our Advent Calendar --- Christmas Day --- the Nativity of our Lord

 Dec 25 – Christmas Day

All-powerful and unseen God,

the coming of your light into our world has brightened weary hearts with peace.

Call us out of darkness, and empower us to proclaim the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ,

our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,

now and forever. Amen.

       

John 1: 1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

 

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

                               ~ Charles Dickens

 

Christmas Eve Worship at St. John's, Aylmer

 Good morning!

The Christmas Eve Service of Holy Communion at St. John's in Aylmer, ON was pre-recorded because of health concerns as well as the coming lock-down in the Province. This is what we can do for now.

The link: Christmas Eve Holy Communion at St. John's, Aylmer

If you wish, I invite you to join in the service in a particular way. Prepare a morsel of bread and a small cup of wine (or grape juice) and take a sort of "distant" Communion. Since we are separated by distance and other concerns, this may be the best we can do for a while.

Until we can meet again, I'll continue to do Sunday Word & Prayer worship via YouTube.

God be with you all. Merry Christmas!

Pastor John Goldsworthy 

Our Advent Calendar --- 24 December

 Dec 24 – Christmas Eve

 

 Almighty God,

You made this holy night shine with the brightness of the true Light.

Grant that here on earth we may walk in the light of Jesus true presence

and in the last day wake to the brightness of his glory;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who live and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

 

Matthew 2: 8-14

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

“Politicians compete for the highest offices. Business tycoons scramble for a bigger and bigger piece of the pie. Armies march and scientists study and philosophers philosophise and preachers preach and labourers sweat. But in that silent baby, lying in that humble manger, there pulses more potential power and wisdom and grace and aliveness than all the rest of us can imagine.”
              ― Brian D. McLaren

A Christmas Colouring Book

 Merry Christmas!

I received this from the Anglican Diocese of Huron today and I thought it might be of some use for children or grandchildren... or just for you.

A Christmas Colouring Book, vol. 1

Enjoy it! Merry Christmas!

Pr. John

Our Advent Calendar --- 23 December

 Dec 23 – Wednesday

O come, O come, Emmanuel… and ransom captive Israel.

 

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:

come to save us, Lord our God!

 

1 Samuel 2:1-10

² Hannah prayed and said,

    “My heart exults in the Lord;
    my strength is exalted in my God.
    My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory.

² “There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you;
    there is no Rock like our God.
³ 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.
⁴ The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.
⁵ 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.
⁶ The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts.
⁸ 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.

⁹ “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.
¹⁰ The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven.
   The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;

   he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.”

 

“It is now, at Advent, that I am given the chance to suspend all expectation...and instead to revel in the mystery.”
― Jerusalem Jackson Greer, A Homemade Year: The Blessings of Cooking, Crafting, and Coming Together

Our Advent Calendar ---- 22 December

 Dec 22 – Tuesday

O Come, O King of nations, come.

 

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:

come and save your people, whom you formed from the dust!

 Hebrews 8: 1-6

^8:1 Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. ⁴ Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. ⁵ They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one; for Moses, when he was about to erect the tent, was warned, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” ⁶ But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises. 

  

“Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present.”
                                                           - Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac

Christmas Eve Service at St. John's will be cancelled.

 With sadness, I must pass along the message that the Christmas Eve Service at St. John's is cancelled this year. The congregational council and I made the tough decision to cancel the in-person Service because of health concerns for the people who might attend.

The Province of Ontario is going to a general lock-down as of December 26 and we decided to begin this lock-down a bit early.

Just so you know... no one on the council likes this decision, but we all felt that it had to be done for the sake of heading off further infections of the COVID-19 virus. We hope you understand.

In the meantime, I want to share with you the Christmas message from our bishop, the Rev. Michael Pryse:     Bishop Michael's Christmas Greeting

There will be a recorded service posted on YouTube on Christmas Day and another virtual service for the Sunday after Christmas as well.

Until we see each other again, God be with us all. Stay healthy!

Pr. John

Our Advent Calendar --- 21 December

 

Dec 21 – Monday

O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer…

 

O Radiant Dawn,

Splendor of eternal light,

sun of justice:

come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death!

 Hebrews 9:11-14

¹¹ But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), ¹² he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

 “Here’s an Advent illustration for kids — and those of us who used to be kids and remember what it was like. Suppose you and your mom get separated in the grocery store, and you start to get scared and panic and don’t know which way to go, and you run to the end of an aisle, and just before you start to cry, you see a shadow on the floor at the end of the aisle that looks just like your mom. It makes you really happy and you feel hope. But which is better? The happiness of seeing the shadow, or having your mom step around the corner and it’s really her?

That’s the way it is when Jesus comes to be our High Priest. That’s what Christmas is. Christmas is the replacement of shadows with the real thing.”
                                                                                       ― John Piper

Word & Worship for 20 December -- the Fourth Sunday of Advent

 

Oration for the Fourth Sunday of Pentecost

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that would obstruct your mercy, that willingly we may bear your redeeming love to all the world, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen.

The Prayers of the Church:

·         For continued progress on vaccines and therapeutics for the virus…

·      For our bishops, Susan and Michael and the local deans, Let us pray…		·
·      For the congregation of St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brodhagen and their pastor, Pr. Laura Sauder, let us pray…	·

·         For all the needs and prayers we hold in our hearts…

     (a time of silent prayer)… let us pray…

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-11

7 Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ² 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.” ³ Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵ Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? ⁶ 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.  ⁷ 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?” ⁸ 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; ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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, ¹¹ 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.

 

Responsorial: Luke 1:46b-55

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

 

Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27

²⁵ 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 ²⁶ 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— ²⁷ to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

Gospel Verse:

Alleluia.

   What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the human heart conceived,

    what God has prepared for those who love him” Alleluia..

Reading: Luke 1:26-38

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. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 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, 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. 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.” Then the angel departed from her.

he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

·         The opening hymn of praise – which is really the responsorial for today – is called the Magnificat or Mary’s Canticle, a poem which Luke places in the mouth of Mary, the mother of Jesus when she meets her cousin, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptizer.

·         Both Elizabeth and the child in her womb recognized that Mary was carrying the Messiah and Elizabeth praises her as “Blessed are you among women.” Mary responds with this beautiful hymn of praise.

·         Yet it is more than a hymn of praise; it is prophecy. Prophecy is not predicting the future; it is proclaiming the will of God in the present. Mary gives praise to God for what God has done for her and for what God is doing for the world. Actually what God is doing for the entire created order. The One she carries within her is the One who will change everything and eventually bring the new creation. (Hint: that’s why Jesus rose on the first day of the week, the eighth day of creation, as we know from the Genesis story.)

·         Yes, Mary is grateful for what God has done for her: he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me

·         She goes on, offering praise to God: and holy is his name. As Mary goes further, the tone changes a bit. The canticle tells of how God in Jesus will reverse so much and turn things entirely on their head. No doubt some people will have problems with what is really being said.

·         It sounds political and it might be since it takes the present status quo to task as un-godly. Anything that challenges the way things are is presumed to be political. However, there is a difference between political and partisan. To be partisan often means being part of the power of rulers or of those who would be the rulers.

·         Mary’s canticle of praise includes prophecy of what is to come through the life and preaching of the One she bears.

·         That One will be opposed and eventually killed because of what he taught.

·         To this day, some people have problems with what he taught. Now as then, the powerful often wish to retain power, even at the expense of others.

·         The so-called rich wish to maintain their riches, often through the toil and perspiration of others.

·         Those on the thrones wish to remain on the thrones, often at the cost of someone else’s blood, sweat, and tears.

·         The “proud” don’t wish to be questioned and surely don’t wish to be scattered.

·         In the years in which this was written, the powerful, rich, proud, and enthroned often got their positions and maintained them through oppression and injustice and even say it as the will of God. The ideas of what these words mean have changed a number of times over the years. Still, there are those who see themselves in the same way as the “proud” and “rich” of the past.

·         What this canticle speaks of is a cosmic reversal in all things. Power and riches will have new meanings. The lowly will be lifted up while those enthroned – even if only on a throne in their own mind – will be toppled.

·         This is not a mere change in regime or a replacement of one dynasty with another; the world has seen plenty of that. What is spoken of is a full change as promised from the earliest time and as Mary stated according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. All this will be done because of God’s promise and for God’s own reasons.

·         Even though the canticle speaks in rather universal terms, it is possible to apply all this to the self, for we set up our own little kingdoms under King Self and that tyrant will be toppled and laid low while a more just rule will be brought in and applied.

·         The Kingdom coming will be the Kingdom of God, the rule promised even to our earliest ancestors in faith and ushered in with the presence of Emmanuel, God-with-us. That alone is an even greater thing since the Kingdom includes not only the rule of God, but the presence of God. As always, it is a matter of grace and the power of God.

·         Someday Mary’s canticle will be ours, and we’ll all say My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.