The Promise of Hope

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Introduction

Unwed mothers are called many things, but even today, “blessed” is not usually one of them. In fact, Old Testament law goes so far as to say that an unmarried woman found to be pregnant should be brought to the entrance of her father’s home and stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:21). There are other laws with similar statements of condemnation toward unwed mothers, and none of them include the word “blessed.”

Traveling the distance to see not just a relative but one who is married to a priest would probably be a daunting task for an unwed mother like Mary. The news may have traveled that Elizabeth has conceived a child in her old age, but it’s also possible that Mary may be unaware. Like, the news may have traveled to Elizabeth that Mary is with child, but she might also be unaware. Since this is before a standard postal service or telephones, there is a likely possibility that neither knows about the other. Concern for what could happen may have crossed Mary’s mind, but she goes anyway, likely unsure of what the response will be.

But the response is not one of condemnation,or a call for a stoning—but of blessing. Blessings are poured out upon Mary as they reflect on the promise of God and the fulfillment that is unfolding even as they stand there together. They stand in hopeful expectation that the promises of old are being fulfilled in their midst. And in response, Mary sings.

Body

God fulfills His Promises to His People

a. This parallels in some ways the songs of Moses and Miriam after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 15). Miriam, from whom Mary’s very name likely came, was a worship leader for the children of Israel, and here again, Mary leads a song of worship that parallels songs she likely heard as a child.

A song of deliverance and God’s faithfulness. While Miriam was singing of deliverance from the Egyptians and the miracle of crossing the Red Sea, Mary is singing of deliver- ance from the oppression of the Roman Empire and the miracle of the Messiah coming.

Both songs refer to the mighty arm of God. There is a theme of strength and power; where people feel weak and vulnerable, God is powerful to save. The right hand/arm

Mary is blessed for the sake of the world

speaks of authority and strength. Despite the seeming authority of the world, the decla- ration is that God is ultimately the authority.

iii. Songs of resistance and prophecy about the downfall of an oppressive empire. The Egyp- tians were a mighty empire who kept the Israelites as slaves. The Romans also flourish at the expense of the Jewish people. These songs spoke words of resistance to these pow- erful regimes, that their days were numbered and the downtrodden would flourish.

While the people have been living in oppression, hunger, and poverty, Mary’s song speaks of a kingdom where the script is transformed and the hungry and poor will be fed and restored. This new kingdom is in complete opposition to the current kingdoms of the world.

Mary sings in present tense so that, while the promise is in the process of being fulfilled, she is declaring with her words a new reality that they can live into even in the midst of its unfolding.

She uses a powerful prophetic imagination to help others live into hope.

The kingdom of God that was being ushered in with Jesus was something to be grasped and lived into, even in the midst of its unfolding through Mary.

While Elizabeth speaks words of blessing over Mary, Mary speaks words of hope and blessing for those who are oppressed. She does not just receive the blessing but, in her song, declares blessing over all the people of Israel.

She declares the faithfulness of God in tearing down rulers of this world and meeting the needs of the poor. The Messiah is coming to bless everyone through the ushering in of a new kingdom.

She speaks of the mercy of God for all the children of Israel, not just for her. Mercy was not some- thing to be hoarded; rather, all people experience mercy through the coming of Christ.

We also have a song to sing

As people who know the end of the Advent story, who know of the faithfulness of God through Jesus, we can declare the hope and fulfillment of promise even as we wait for the not-yet of the kingdom of God to be fulfilled in our midst.

We know the hope to come even as we live at times in the shadow of death.

We declare resurrection hope and mercy, even in the midst of dead places as people of promise.

We too can sing songs of resistance that stand up to oppressive powers and declare mercy for the oppressed.

As we read through the words of Mary, we also reflect on the life of Christ, who cared for the oppressed, the poor, and the weak. We stand in solidarity and hope for the op- pressed of the world.

Songs can remind us of who we are and give us the strength to stand when we feel like we cannot. 1. Mary’s song has been passed down for centuries, like the song of Miriam before her.

These songs of worship serve to remind us that we belong to a different kingdom.

2. We remember hymns that were sung over us and to us that also stand against systems of oppression in our world. Hymns like “We Shall Overcome” and “Let us Break Bread Togeth- er” that declare a different way, a way of hope for those who feel like there is no hope.

c. As bearers of Christ to the world, we are blessed to bless others. The blessing is not one for us to hoard but to declare over others. We are to extend the blessings of hope, mercy, love, and grace to the world around us.

The Messiah came for all, and there is a universal nature to his call toward the world. We are called to reach out to all as well. Though some may not receive the blessings we extend, we are still called to extend them.

Much like Mary, we carry the image of Christ within us. While we do not physically carry Christ, we are the image of Christ to the world. Thus, we are to sing songs of hope to the world around us.

Conclusion

We have a hopeful song to sing as we move through these last days of Advent. It is a song that declares that, even in our darkest moments, we are not forgotten, and we declare that to the world around us. We remember the mighty arm of God and the ways that God has been faithful to God’s people, and we have a confident hope that God will be faithful again.

We prophetically live into the kingdom of God now, a kingdom that looks so different from the kingdoms of this world, even as we wait for the kingdom to be fulfilled at Christ’s return. We open our arms and extend our blessings to the world around us.

We sing this song again today, and in the days and weeks to come, remembering the song of Mary from so long ago—that our God is faithful, that the Messiah has come and is coming again, and that we are truly a people of hope.

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