Hail, Mary!
Sermon
THE GREENING OF THE GOSPEL
SERMONS FOR ADVENT, CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY SUNDAYS 1-8 IN ORDINARY TIME)
An angel visitation informed Mary that she would conceive and bear a son. She was also told that her cousin Elizabeth, already past child-bearing age, was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Both messages were received by Mary with surprise and wonder. She was suddenly possessed with an anxious desire to visit her cousin, though the journey to Judea from Nazareth was a great undertaking. Nonetheless, she was soon on her way to verify the report of the heavenly messenger. It is not always easy to document the exact chronology in Scripture, but it appears that Elizabeth, because of her age, was filled with apprehensions and had not shared the news of her conception with anyone.
Then the Lord spoke to Zacharias, a priest in the temple of the Lord, the husband of Elizabeth, informing him that his wife would soon bear a son. Zacharias could hardly believe the angel's message. Elizabeth had passed the time of child bearing, he reasoned. For his unbelief, he was struck dumb.
As Mary entered the dwelling place of Zacharias and Elizabeth, joyful words parted her lips as she embraced her cousin. Elizabeth was ecstatic. As Mary spoke, Elizabeth's baby leaped in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Ghost. Elizabeth then began to extol Mary, expressing her gratitude for her cousin's visit. The poetic rhythm of the dialogue between Elizabeth and Mary has become, in its expanded form, a Christian classic. Elizabeth speaks first:
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And whence is this to be,
That thou the Mother of my Lord
should come to me?
For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy
salutation sounded in my ears,
the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
In the ritual of the Roman Catholic church, this oft repeated phrase, is known and loved by all the faithful:
Hail Mary, full of grace;
The Lord is with thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour
of our death. Amen
The King James phrasing of Mary's response to the extolling words of her cousin Elizabeth are overwhelming:
My soul doth magnify the Lord
and my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my Savior
For he hath regarded the low estate
of his handmaiden
Behold, from whence forth
all generations call me blessed
For he that is mighty
hath done great things;
And holy is His name.
And his mercy is on them
that fear him
from generation to generation.
He hath shown strength with his arms;
He hath scattered the proud
in the imagination of their hearts
He hath put down
the mighty from their seats
and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry
with good things
And the rich he hath
sent away empty
He hath helped his servant Israel
in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers,
to Abraham, and unto his seed forever.
What we hear in these two utterances is the formation of a couplet of New Testament psalms, loaded with the theological content of ancient Judaism. The words of Mary have some resemblance, in form and structure, to the Song of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. (1 Samuel 2:1-10) Hannah was rejoicing because she, too, was blessed with her first child in her old age. Mary's declaration is also filled with prophetic content.
In Mary's "magnificat" her description reveals that God is not a detached, dispassionate, prime mover. God is righteous. God is powerful. God is the enemy of all those who are puffed up with pride. God is omnipotent. God is compassionate toward those who respect the divine presence with humble reverence. God wrestles with earthly adversaries and displaces them. God helps the poor get on their feet. God makes provision for the hungry to be fed. But the selfish rich are on their own. God's mercy is extended toward Abraham's seed forever.
While Christians celebrate Advent, the coming of Christ, the Jewish community is celebrating Hannakuk. It is in remembrance of the time (c. 165 B.C.) when the Maccabees precipitated rebellion and restored religious freedom to Israel. During Hannakuk, the Menorah candelabra, with seven candle sticks, highlights the season. The candles symbolize the word of God spoken by the prophet Zachariah five centuries before the coming of Christ: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord." (Zachariah 4:6)
Christianity and Judaism, rooted in the same faith experience outlined in the Old Testament, began at the same starting point. John the Baptizer and Elizabeth and Mary and Jesus formed the bridge linking the old with the new. Geographically, Bethlehem is not far from Jerusalem. Nor is the faith of the Jew and the Christian foreign to each other.
On a certain Sabbath in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, some years ago, I was speaking to a Jewish congregation in a synagogue. My subject was "A Righteous Nation." I began by tracing the history
of Hebrew religious conceptions and their effect on Jewish political, economic, and moral structures. Without changing gears, I moved directly into the teaching of the New Testament and especially the accent of Jesus. After a bit, I noticed a little congregational restlessness. I perceived that some of them no doubt thought I was on the verge of trying to convert them. Departing from my notes, I said: "I hope that you are not upset because I am talking about Jesus. After all, he is one of your boys." A ripple of affirming laughter began slowly, then grew in proportions until it covered the whole congregation. I went on with my message and they continued to listen.
After the service the rabbi said that he had invited many Christian speakers to his synagogue, but I was the first to mention the name of Jesus. Obviously, my wise predecessors did not want to offend. But the rabbi thanked me for sharing the Christian witness without trying to proselytize.
Christmas offers an opportunity for inter-faith communication between Jews, Christians and Muslims. We have a common heritage. Perhaps, in the fullness of time, the name that separates us may, by God's grace, unite us.
The remarkable interchange between Elizabeth and Mary, in this Lukan account, underlines the vital role of women in the unfolding history of our faith. These two women, one the wife of a temple priest and the other espoused to a carpenter of Nazareth, shared a revelation of God's grace that has cast a singular ray of light and hope across the centuries. Through the miracle of birth, both human and divine, they gave and groomed the men who opened the door to a new age of human expectations.
The words of Isaiah are appropriate here:
The people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
(Isaiah 9:2)
That is what the coming of Christ means. Light! Without light beauty is incomprehensible. The miracle of color is hidden in the darkness. A road, no matter how well constructed, is worthless without light. Without light the world is blind.
The message of Christmas is an invitation to all of the people of God to walk in the light.
Then the Lord spoke to Zacharias, a priest in the temple of the Lord, the husband of Elizabeth, informing him that his wife would soon bear a son. Zacharias could hardly believe the angel's message. Elizabeth had passed the time of child bearing, he reasoned. For his unbelief, he was struck dumb.
As Mary entered the dwelling place of Zacharias and Elizabeth, joyful words parted her lips as she embraced her cousin. Elizabeth was ecstatic. As Mary spoke, Elizabeth's baby leaped in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Ghost. Elizabeth then began to extol Mary, expressing her gratitude for her cousin's visit. The poetic rhythm of the dialogue between Elizabeth and Mary has become, in its expanded form, a Christian classic. Elizabeth speaks first:
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
And whence is this to be,
That thou the Mother of my Lord
should come to me?
For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy
salutation sounded in my ears,
the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
In the ritual of the Roman Catholic church, this oft repeated phrase, is known and loved by all the faithful:
Hail Mary, full of grace;
The Lord is with thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour
of our death. Amen
The King James phrasing of Mary's response to the extolling words of her cousin Elizabeth are overwhelming:
My soul doth magnify the Lord
and my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my Savior
For he hath regarded the low estate
of his handmaiden
Behold, from whence forth
all generations call me blessed
For he that is mighty
hath done great things;
And holy is His name.
And his mercy is on them
that fear him
from generation to generation.
He hath shown strength with his arms;
He hath scattered the proud
in the imagination of their hearts
He hath put down
the mighty from their seats
and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry
with good things
And the rich he hath
sent away empty
He hath helped his servant Israel
in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers,
to Abraham, and unto his seed forever.
What we hear in these two utterances is the formation of a couplet of New Testament psalms, loaded with the theological content of ancient Judaism. The words of Mary have some resemblance, in form and structure, to the Song of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. (1 Samuel 2:1-10) Hannah was rejoicing because she, too, was blessed with her first child in her old age. Mary's declaration is also filled with prophetic content.
In Mary's "magnificat" her description reveals that God is not a detached, dispassionate, prime mover. God is righteous. God is powerful. God is the enemy of all those who are puffed up with pride. God is omnipotent. God is compassionate toward those who respect the divine presence with humble reverence. God wrestles with earthly adversaries and displaces them. God helps the poor get on their feet. God makes provision for the hungry to be fed. But the selfish rich are on their own. God's mercy is extended toward Abraham's seed forever.
While Christians celebrate Advent, the coming of Christ, the Jewish community is celebrating Hannakuk. It is in remembrance of the time (c. 165 B.C.) when the Maccabees precipitated rebellion and restored religious freedom to Israel. During Hannakuk, the Menorah candelabra, with seven candle sticks, highlights the season. The candles symbolize the word of God spoken by the prophet Zachariah five centuries before the coming of Christ: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord." (Zachariah 4:6)
Christianity and Judaism, rooted in the same faith experience outlined in the Old Testament, began at the same starting point. John the Baptizer and Elizabeth and Mary and Jesus formed the bridge linking the old with the new. Geographically, Bethlehem is not far from Jerusalem. Nor is the faith of the Jew and the Christian foreign to each other.
On a certain Sabbath in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, some years ago, I was speaking to a Jewish congregation in a synagogue. My subject was "A Righteous Nation." I began by tracing the history
of Hebrew religious conceptions and their effect on Jewish political, economic, and moral structures. Without changing gears, I moved directly into the teaching of the New Testament and especially the accent of Jesus. After a bit, I noticed a little congregational restlessness. I perceived that some of them no doubt thought I was on the verge of trying to convert them. Departing from my notes, I said: "I hope that you are not upset because I am talking about Jesus. After all, he is one of your boys." A ripple of affirming laughter began slowly, then grew in proportions until it covered the whole congregation. I went on with my message and they continued to listen.
After the service the rabbi said that he had invited many Christian speakers to his synagogue, but I was the first to mention the name of Jesus. Obviously, my wise predecessors did not want to offend. But the rabbi thanked me for sharing the Christian witness without trying to proselytize.
Christmas offers an opportunity for inter-faith communication between Jews, Christians and Muslims. We have a common heritage. Perhaps, in the fullness of time, the name that separates us may, by God's grace, unite us.
The remarkable interchange between Elizabeth and Mary, in this Lukan account, underlines the vital role of women in the unfolding history of our faith. These two women, one the wife of a temple priest and the other espoused to a carpenter of Nazareth, shared a revelation of God's grace that has cast a singular ray of light and hope across the centuries. Through the miracle of birth, both human and divine, they gave and groomed the men who opened the door to a new age of human expectations.
The words of Isaiah are appropriate here:
The people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
(Isaiah 9:2)
That is what the coming of Christ means. Light! Without light beauty is incomprehensible. The miracle of color is hidden in the darkness. A road, no matter how well constructed, is worthless without light. Without light the world is blind.
The message of Christmas is an invitation to all of the people of God to walk in the light.
