Thoughts for the Day

And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour 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 for ever.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

During Advent we shall look at the people, places and symbols that invite us to prepare for the coming of the Christ-child at Christmas. They will not necessarily occur in the right order! Today we look at 'Mary's Hymn of Praise'.

Mary's Hymn of praise - the Magnificat - is etched into my brain as an Anglican. I sang it for the first time after my Confirmation, aged 11, when I joined the local Church Choir in Bordon in Hampshire. By the age of 15 we had moved a few times and I was singing in Climping Church choir, cycling back and forwards morning and night for Matins and Evensong on a Sunday. I always felt my spirit lift as I sang the opening two lines from the Book of Common Prayer: 'My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour'.

The sense of wonder and joy experienced by Mary at the news that she was to give birth to the Son of God, leads her into spontaneous praise and worship of God. Her reaction is infectious, and always filled me with a sense of peace and happiness. It took a while longer for the rest of her words really to permeate my brain, but they are absolutely revolutionary. The proud shall be dealt with; the rich and powerful shall be brought down; the lowly shall be lifted up; and the hungry shall be fed.

God's Kingdom is to be a revolutionary world that her son, Jesus, will seek to achieve. A world that He still seeks to achieve through His Church. As Christians we are all called to work for a more equitable society and to be peaceful revolutionaries.

Collect (Church of England)

Almighty and everlasting God,
who stooped to raise fallen humanity
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary:
grant that we, who have seen your glory
revealed in our human nature
and your love made perfect in our weakness,
may daily be renewed in your image
and conformed to the pattern of your Son
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.