Luke 1:39-55[1]
I think it’s safe to
say that we all know what it’s like to feel “lowly” at times. In our culture, we’ve
been taught to view ourselves as unique, one-of-a-kind, and special. And that’s
true. God created only one of you, and he did so for a purpose. We all have
something important to do in this life. Unfortunately, we may never know just
what that is! The “daily grind” of our lives can easily overshadow all of that
and leave us feeling very “ordinary.” Some of us may even wrestle with feeling
like we’re worthless. Life has a way of obscuring just how important each and
every one of us is to God and to one another. We can all feel pretty “lowly” at
times.
Many of us begin life
with “big dreams” about what we will do and be in this world. One of the tasks
life confronts all of us with sooner or later is accepting that we may never
see all of those dreams realized. We have to come to terms with the hard truth
that at some point it is in our best interest to let go those youthful dreams.
That doesn’t mean that we have to “settle” for a life that is “less than.” It
means accepting the life we have, in all of it’s apparent “commonness,” while
at the same time recognizing that we remain uniquely important. Although our
lives may feel very ordinary to us, we can embrace the routine and commonplace
in the assurance that God did indeed create each of us uniquely, and that we
all have something important to do in this life.
Our Gospel lesson for
today reminds me of this challenge. Mary, who was a peasant girl from a small
backwater town in the middle of nowhere, finds herself in the position of being
chosen by God to do something I think we would all agree was important: she
would give birth to the boy who would grow up to be the man who would fulfill
God’s promises to her people, along with all the peoples of the world! More
than that, Mary’s pregnancy put her in a dangerous situation. She could have
easily been suspected of doing something that the people of her village would
have considered offensive enough to have her stoned to death!
And so it is that Mary
calls herself God’s “lowly servant girl” (Lk 1:48, NLT). I’m sure she
knew what it was to feel “lowly” simply because of her status in life: she was
a young woman in a world where women had no rights. She was one of the common
people, with no power or position in Jewish society. Even at a young age, I
have to think she may have questioned what the meaning of her life might be.
She had good reason to be “confused” and even afraid when the angel Gabriel
told her about the special task God had chosen her to carry out. Despite her
fear and confusion, she had the faith in response to Gabriel’s assurance that
“no word from God will ever fail,” to answer “I am the Lord’s servant; May your
word to me be fulfilled” (Lk 1:37-38, NIV).
And so when Mary
visited Elizabeth, she blessed Mary because of her faith “that the Lord would
do what he said” (Lk 1:45, NLT). Elizabeth had a much different position
in Jewish society as the wife of the priest Zechariah. But as a woman who had
passed the age of childbearing without having any children, she lived with a
unique kind of shame herself. Although it was unfair, the “blame” for not
bearing children was heaped on the women of that day. And yet, there she was,
filled with joy over her own child, and not only recognizing Mary’s great
faith, but blessing her for it. I think Elizabeth’s affirmation was probably
just what Mary needed!
And so Luke tells us
that Mary burst into a song of praise to God. She praised God for being
merciful “from generation to generation,” in other words, always and forever
(Lk 1:50). She praised God for “lifting up the lowly” and “filling the hungry
with good things” (Lk 1:52-53). She was not only thinking about the wonderful
thing God was doing through her, but also the joy that had surprised Elizabeth
as well. There they were, two women whom many in that day would have looked
down on as “unworthy,” celebrating the goodness and mercy that God had shown
them.
But more than that,
Mary had the faith and insight to recognize that what was happening through her
was meant to benefit her people, and also all the peoples of the world. She said
that what was happening was a matter of God keeping the promise he made to
Abraham. You may recall that promise: God would give to Abraham and Sarah so
many descendants that they would become a great nation (Gen 12:2). And the
purpose of all of that would be that “in you all the families of the earth will
be blessed” (Gen 12:3). St. Paul saw that as a promise of salvation for all
people (Gal 3:6-9). And Mary’s song celebrated the faith that God was doing
just as he promised in and through her.
I think our Gospel
lesson is a good reminder that God delights in accomplishing his work through
the most unlikely people. It’s hard to imagine anyone being more “lowly” than
Mary was. She had no rights, she had no power or position or privilege. But God
had chosen her to bear a son who would bring salvation to all people, just as
he promised. I think there’s a lesson in this story for all of us. No matter
how “lowly” or “ordinary” we may feel, God has put each one of us in this life
for a reason. As one Presbyterian pastor put it, “God has something he wants to
do through you, right where you are.”[2] When we feel “ordinary”
and wonder what our lives are worth, we can remember that God does his best
work through “ordinary” people like us. And he will use each and every one of
us complete the work of bringing salvation to the world, just as he promised
[1] ©
2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 12/19/2021
for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
[2] Adapted from Rev. Richard Halverson’s benediction.
