On Magnifying the Divine
December 15, 2024
Traceymay Kalvaitis
Micah 5:2-5
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth, and he shall be the one of peace.
Luke 1:39-55
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state 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; indeed, 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 imagination 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 come to the aid his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
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Today’s sermon is titled On Magnifying the Divine.
There is a time, in this season of Advent, when I allow myself to be swept away in the sweet tenderness of the ancient story. It usually happens during the Christmas Eve service when the candlelight is being passed from one person to the next while we sing Silent Night. “…Son of God, love’s pure light; radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace..” The light from so many candles combine to ever so slowly fill the sanctuary with a radiance like no other and the lyrics of the familiar carol bring to life, again, the time when the infinite love of God came to humanity in a form we could instantly recognize as part of us; the infinite love of God came to us as a newborn baby, completely and unabashedly dependent on humanity for care, concern, and protection. That need for care, concern and protection did not begin at birth, Friends, that need began not long after Mary conceived.
Before we can get lost in the beauty and wonder of Jesus’s birth, we must first imagine the harsh reality of the circumstances that were shaping the lives of those closest to him. Before we can get lost in the beauty and wonder of Jesus’s birth, we must first confront the fact that it was a miracle that Mary survived to carry the baby to term. According to the ancient law, an unmarried woman found to be with child could be stoned to death by any group of men who determined her deserving of such a penalty. And before you think to yourself how barbaric that is, note that here we are, nearly 2000 years later, and legislators have effectively limited medical care for women suffering from miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies. The limits on medical care is resulting in a growing list of unnecessary deaths in this country, despite our advanced medical care system.
Mary survived her pregnancy due, in part, to the benevolence of Joseph who did not call for a public shaming, and also the faith of her family who rallied around her, including her aunt Elizabeth. The passage we are offered today, from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, is an intimate exchange between Mary and Elizabeth that sheds copious light on the strength of these two women. Both of them are in pregnancies unexpected, incredulous, shocking and divine. Elizabeth, we read, is in seclusion and I am not sure what to make of this information. Does she fear judgment and ridicule? I’m afraid she does. Does Mary fear judgment and ridicule, as well? Is this why she stays with Elizabeth until Elizabeth’s baby is born? Could it be that Mary felt unsafe to be in her own village?
This tendril of stress and shame is not mentioned at all in the scriptures, but Friends…let’s remember who authored and these manuscripts. And so let’s read them with a deeper understanding that the miraculous events surrounding both of these pregnancies also came with social consequences that were, for Elizabeth, potentially harmful and, for Mary, potentially life-threatening.
By holding the difficulties and challenges, we can then more deeply appreciate that these two women persevered and overcame all manner of social prejudice to bring two children into the world that would forever change humankind. We can more deeply appreciate that these two women found their voice to advocate for themselves and for their unborn children. These two women were moved by the Holy Spirit of God to say yes, over and over again, and against all odds.
Elizabeth did not stay in seclusion forever. After the birth of John, she re-entered her community. Elizabeth found her voice and spoke up about the unusual name for her child. “His name is John,” she said. And Mary returned to her home to face her family and Joseph. I imagine Mary had weeks and perhaps months of defending herself, defending her innocence, telling and retelling the visitation from the angel Gabriel and facing all manner of doubt and disbelief. Still, she persevered. According to the scriptures, Mary was moved to a place of gratefulness and considered herself “blessed.”
This gracious response of Mary’s has been lifted out of the scriptures and put to music in every major language. The ten verses are known as The Magnificat and it begins with the words “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Those are the beginning words for a litany of praise and thanksgiving even in the midst of what was, at all counts, a very difficult situation. So therein lies the lesson for us, Friends. It is a lesson articulated beautifully in the following passage from the book of Philippians, chapter 4: 4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Those words were written from a prison cell in Rome, by the hand of Paul who was imprisoned for preaching the teachings of Jesus. Surprisingly, those words were written a dozen years before The Magnificat was transcribed.
So, Friends, let’s not take these famous words of The Magnificat as a direct quote from Mary; that would go against scholastic standards. Rather, I suggest that the beautiful devotion and praise we find in the words of The Magnificat describes perfectly how Mary faced the circumstances of her life… with trust, faith and courage that is worthy of our reverence.
Those first few words of The Magnificat, “My soul magnifies my Lord,” could be translated as magnifies meaning glorifies. That is one possibility. We know that magnifies also means “to enlarge” as with a lens. The other possibility, and one I find even more interesting, is using yet another definition of magnify: to increase the effect. This, for me, captures Mary’s role in altering the trajectory of humankind. Through her, the very Source of infinite love we call God came into humanity in a form that we could instantly recognize as a part of us. Friends, I believe with all my heart that eventually that recognition of God within us will guide us to a kinder and more compassionate way of being in the world. Our work in bringing about the world we dream of, is magnifying the Divine, or increasing the effect of the Divine, in all aspects of our lives. Magnificat anima nostra Dominum. May our souls magnify God. So be it. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Infinite Love we call God, I pray your guidance within us through the challenges of our lives. We have been told that nothing can separate us from your everlasting love; help us to be open and trusting enough to experience that as truth, and as grace. When we struggle and when we soar, remind us to look beyond ourselves and expand our awareness that we may begin to fathom the workings of the Divine, even in the most mundane aspects of our lives. Help us to choose the paths that lead us closer to the place within where your love resides. Grant us the wisdom and the courage it takes to slow down and listen for your still, small voice, Lord. Guide us to know when to act in a way that allows for healing, hope and possibility. All this I ask in Jesus’s name. Amen.
Benediction
I leave you with these words from the book of Philipians, chapter 4: “May God supply your every need according to his riches in Christ Jesus.”