Crossing the mind of almost everyone around this time of year is the fantasy of the perfect Christmas. This fantasy appears in many versions, but a standard one goes something like this.
Merry Christmas! We all say it. But do we really know what it means? Or has it become an innocuous, seasonal version of: Have a nice day? Let’s take a closer look. The “Merry” part is easy.
The history of Israel is filled with long periods of slavery--Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman. Their glory days under David and Solomon were a brief moment of glory. Little wonder their hope lay in the promise of a Savior from on high, who would set them free, once and for all
It wasn't so much that Jesus and his gang weren't washing their hands correctly. It was that, with the breaking of the rules they threw the carefully constructed boundaries of Jewish life in Galilee into chaos. Without the rules . . . how would they know who they were?
Historically Advent was a time of meditation, worship and penitence. But for us Advent has become busy, overwhelming and frantic. Although we are preparing for the arrival of the “Prince of Peace,” the days of Advent are anything but peaceful.
A woman severely crippled by cerebral palsy said, "Pastor, why do we hear so much about duty and loyalty in the Christian religion? Why don't we hear more about the joy of being a Christian? In spite of her disability, that woman knew the joy of following the Lord.
Notice what Mary does not say. She does not say, "I am not worthy." Nor does she say, "I am worthy." Worthiness is not the point. Somehow this young girl understands: It's not all about her; it's all about God.
Nowhere is there more singing than in Luke’s Gospel. Zechariah becomes a father in his old age– he sings. Mary hears that she is going to be a mother – she sings. The angels sing. When the shepherds saw the child in the manger - they sing. Old Simeon sings as he holds the child in his arms. Even Mary is singing.
Today's Gospel tells us of a pregnant woman who sings a song -- a song about her child, who he is, and who he will become. Mary's song is her response to her cousin Elizabeth's spirited greeting, but it is more than that. It comes from deep inside her.
Perhaps some of you have plaques on the wall that say, "God bless this mess." Our text for today tells us that God blessed Mary in a messy time of her life, and yet she might well have called it "this magnificent mess."