"From the Pulpit" - Reflections on the Weekly Texts, from Pastor Greg at Living Lord Lutheran Church
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” [
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;
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.
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.”
Merry Christmas, Dear Church!
I've been away the past few Saturday's - men's breakfast, VB Christmas Parade (wow!), ran a 10k last Saturday - 14th in WPB (well, I guess you could call it running...), and other holiday season stuff, so I haven't posted in a while. This Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Advent, and with the last three Sundays having heard John the Baptist talk about examination, preparedness, repentance, and more, it's good to get back to the good news of a blessed birth. Not that John's message wasn't important - after all, he was pointing the way to Jesus, literally from the womb, as we'll hear in this week's gospel from Luke 1. Thanks be to God.
But this Sunday, we hear this amazing encounter between Elisabeth, and Mary. Elisabeth, who was well beyond child bearing years, and Mary, on the other end of the spectrum, a young teen, pregnant, and not married. Mary had walked some distance to visit Elisabeth (we don't know exactly why, but perhaps to get counsel, to see how she - Elisabeth was doing, more...) But it was the Holy Spirit that inspired her to pay this tribute to Mary, the mother of God. And young Mary responds with perhaps the most famous song of all time - what we know as Mary's Magnificat. Just look at those words above in the 2nd part of this text for Sunday. The world is about to be turned on its head - good news for some, bad news for others. God has shown favor to this young, inconsequential Jewish girl, who will be bearing God's son. Just imagine the emotions she must have been feeling. Joy, fright, anxiety, shame at being pregnant and unwed, and who knows what else, right?
Isn't it interesting that in Luke's gospel, at the two most consequential moments in Jesus' life - his birth announcement and his resurrection, it was the women who were on the scene. I think of Mary's joy at the announcement of Jesus in her womb, but as we know, she was going to be subject to much heartache - Jesus' leaving his parents on their way to Jerusalem to preach in the temple, his trial, and his execution. Parents, you know what these emotions are like as you see your children grow up.
But even as the attention is focused on these two women in this Advent 4 gospel text, I'm reminded of what Martin Luther wrote about this touching story. See it below. He reminds us that even in this emotional scene between Elisabeth and Mary, it is still God who is to be worshiped and revered. It is God who alone is due worship and praise. It is God whose hand is ultimately in charge. And this is true today, in our own lives, isn't it? See the quote from his Luther's Works here...
Now, we described above at length how lowly was the estate of this tender Virgin and how unexpectedly this honor came to her, that God should regard her in such abundant grace. Hence she does not glory in her worthiness nor yet in her unworthiness, but solely in the divine regard, which is so exceedingly good and gracious that he deigned to look upon such a lowly maiden, and to look upon her in so glorious and honorable a fashion...For not her humility but God’s regard is to be praised. When a prince takes a poor beggar by the hand, it is not the beggar’s lowliness but the prince’s grace and goodness that is to be commended. (Luther Works Vol. 21, p. 314)
Speaking of humility, it is with great humility and regard that I thank you for being the church that you are, dear church. A church that is faithful in its calling to be Christ in the world. A church that answers when there is a need. A church that worships faithfully. Yes, we don't always get it exactly right, but that's what being church is about. With God as our shield and guide, we follow our dear Jesus.
Thank you for allowing me to be your shepherd. Thank you on behalf of Adria Ryan, and now Kristen Aurand, our new Director of Outreach and Evangelism, for allowing us to serve you and the church. We do it everyday with joy, and a real sense of awe at this thing we call the church in the world. The world, which so badly needs to hear good news. A world lost in self-absorption and consumption. A world in which even words like worship, sacrifice, forgiveness, mission, generosity seem almost old-fashioned and quaint. But the gospel message is counter-cultural. It sees the world through the eyes of a servant. It turns the other cheek. It serves, rather than asking to be served.
So may this season be one of blessing, even in the midst of whatever you may be going through in your own lives. May this season be one of renewal, hope, and love for God and one another. And may 2025 (wow...who'da thought!) be filled with joy, health, happiness, and service to your community. I've included a message from my desk with this post, along with some other goodies.
In Christ,
Pastor Greg
Also, I've included a Christmas message from our Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton.
Check it out - Presiding Bishop's Christmas Message
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