The Magnificat: Loveliness and Dynamite

In the name of the father, Son and Holy Spirit, all men may be seated. You'll have to forgive my little scratchy throat. I'm not sick but here's what happened. I love eggnog like I'm obsessed with it. Right? So I put it in my coffee during this time. Actually. Bye week. One of them and I'm doing backstroke at the red mug. I put in my coffee and it always makes, you know, singers will tell you don't drink milk or egg. Nog before you speak. So it's just just my morning coffee, working itself out. But listen to Lucas summer a chaplain at Air Force, active duty military, chaplain station MacDill Air, Force Base, with Special Operations Command. It's our honors at Family Worship with you. I'm as often as we are able and in front of Mike was kind enough to invite me to the salt work this morning. So it's an honor to be with you, We all know of course that the theme and forth, final week of Advent, as we journey towards the mystery of the map is, of course, love as was shared this morning as we lit, the candles, the love of the father for his creation, the love of the father, to send his one and only son. Into the world, not empowered. Might as we might have expected, but incarnated in flashed, an infantile Frailty, humility and contingency.

That is a reality. I would argue that none of us should ever get too comfortable or familiar. Lest. We lose the sense of Scandal. And wonder that it truly is the astounding astounding love revealed in of all places a feeding trough.

In the hay blood and dirt that covered the Christ child. As he as God. In an animal pen in first-century Palestine.

Love is an interesting thing, right? It is not only affection provision sacrifice or however else we might Define it. Love is also perhaps less to our liking demonstrated in Revolutionary and prophetic judgment. And we need not look any further for an example for this harder love. Let's say then Mary song In Our Gospel, passage from Luke for prophetic Magnificat, which immediately follows mind her own demonstration of profound love, for God. When she humbly declared. Yes, yes, to the father behold. I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be into me, according to your word. And then in our passage beginning, in verse 39, Mary further declares God's love. That will soon have its own Voice through the cries and Coos of the infant Christ. Dear Mary speaks a prophetic word. That is nothing short of revolutionary up ending and in an Insurgent kind of love. There is loveliness in The Magnificat writes, one commentator, but in that loveliness, there is dynamite. Hence the title of this homily. And so it is the words of Mary from her dialogue with the angel. Gabriel to the one here was Elizabeth the truth in love behind them. Those words like dynamite. We should not be too comfortable with or unimpressed by for soon as we do that. Soon, as we do that, we risk losing the sense of wonder and awe contained in them. And we know, of course, that wonder and all are a prerequisite for worship.

You don't worship that what you fully comprehend or understand? So Wonder with me. And Ponder in your heart as Mary did. What these words mean? For you this morning on this feast of Our virgin mother.

The setting of a gospel. Passage, of course of Mary song. She sets out in haste. Presumably under the protection of Joseph. We were not told that she goes to an unnamed Judean town, where he is greeted, by her cousin Elizabeth. And one of those beautifully, I think feminine scenes in the Bible. It is so precious to glowing pregnant, women. Joyfully celebrating affirming and speaking life into one another. When by all accounts and social norms, the Elder, Elizabeth should have rejected her own kin for being pregnant, out of wedlock. So even right there that this theme of Revolution and upheaval that the entire passage will take from the varied reading roles and Norms are being reversed. So Elizabeth speaking in her own prophetic voice, being filled with the Holy Spirit verse 41. Because remember we're not told in the text, how she knew that Mary was pregnant, right? So they didn't have a postal service or Facebook to share news of or in the latter's case of mind-numbing amount of cat videos, but Mary arrives at the home and Elizabeth rather than condemning the teenager. Declares to a woman young enough to be your granddaughter bless there. Are you Among women. And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Barbie. Hold on the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb, leaped for joy.

So I can ponder it. Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit, new and prophesied. At least three things there. Mary's blessing this or Holiness, right? Or set apart in this if that's even a word from all other women? Okay, so there is indeed Something About Mary that too many Christians Overlook or downplay and a start denial of the biblical. Witness. Number one. Second prophetic word, the fact that she is with child. We don't know how this would do that. And thirdly the identification of that child as her Lord. Her master. It's really important that we don't gloss over this. Nor should the fact that John the Baptist in utero being a full human person, write a person's a person, no matter how small this is. Jesus was also a full human person in the womb. He leaped for Joy when he came near to his Lord. To bring tears to think of that. And the Greek word for leap there. It's skrtel. It suggests an S scatological recognition. That is a recognition between two babies in the tummies of the Salvation and coming for filming of God's promise to his people. The same Greek word used in the debrief translation of the Old Testament. In Genesis 25, when Esau and Jacob jostled inside Rebecca's womb for telling of their own Destinies in Israel, salvation store. It's just so profound is my Australian. Father would say it's so bloody profound in Precious. That works in a lot of ways. But, yeah, and it's revolutionary.

Again, there is loveliness in The Magnificat. But in that loveliness, there is dynamite.

So Elizabeth prophesize, these things to which Mary responds in her own prophetic voice. And not only with the holy spirit that have come upon her but having. Incarnate contained in a very womb. She proclaims. The kind of divine love. That is not only. Uplifting and comforting, but radical and revolutionary. The proclamation by the way, that is considered by many theologians and not just the staunch Catholic ones to be the most revolutionary words ever spoken apart from Christ himself. That's a statement.

And I would agree you really want to get into this, some kind of Be A Nerd about it. Study. The parallels between Mary's words here and Hannah's song of praise and 1st Samuel chapter 2, pretty cool. And really when you consider Mary's language the word, she uses and the Divine actions that she she prophesize about Luke Timothy Johnson. A well-known scholar is correct when he concludes that. Quote, Mary here is made the representative if not personification of Israel itself.

Fly, please. My soul, magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior for he has looked on the humble estate of a servant. Numbers, 50 and falling in his Mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, just scatter, the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He is brought down the mighty from their phone and exalted. Those of humble estate. He has filled the Hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.

So, even in these four versus alone, we clearly see the Salvation story of Israeli men. It's all there. His Mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation is not just intended for Elizabeth and anyone else who was in earshot, but for all of God's chosen people past present and future, and, including you. And I here today, he has shown the strength of his arm brought down the mighty from their Thrones. We call to mind here the times. Rescued. Israel from its oppressors, every time you did it.

You have also, in this prophetic, utterance, three specific revolutions that God is directing. You have never won a moral Revolution, or the taxi is scattered. Those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. You have a social Revolution. He has brought down the rulers from their Thrones, but it lifted up the humble and you have an economic Revolution. He is still the Hungry with good things, but sent the rich away and it really is an astounding progression. If you look at it from lifting up, To Bringing Down the various powers that Israel. Enter people confronted and it is absolutely intended to grab the here and readers attention.

Namely the Gods. Ferocious love. Speaks about truth to power and lift up the humble to those of low estate. God's love, not only pours out Mercy. It scatters Pride brings down phone and not only the Gilded phones out there. But the ones in our hearts as well. And my heart. The ones that we have built up and seated ourselves on.

And that's really the points of challenge your application in Mary's Song, for the life of the church today. And for each of us as members of the body. If God is the same yesterday today and forever, would she is Then he is still in business. A reformation and revolution.

Yet, the fact remains. That most people are skeptical of revolutions that they don't start themselves.

I know I am. We'll take the Kinder gentler John Lennon revolutions, right? Doing great, things showing Mercy, filling up the hungry. But if you're like me when God start doing the Jeremiah type stuff.

Uprooting and tearing down destroying and overflowing in my heart, in my pride and my ego.

When he starts confronting, not just the principalities and powers out there. But as I said the phones and Idols that I built myself.

That's when faith is tested. That's where obedience is refine. Both compassion and upheaval. Have their place in the all-consuming. Love of God.

so, if Advent Province about preparing the way of the Lord. about God's arrival, May It Be I had be that we would join in Mary song, and welcome is cheated with obedience. Joy and humility. All the mercies and revolutions. Weather lovely or Dynamite. Not just in the story of Israel and for the life of the church, but also and those he has in store for us.

They're born of his love and they should be received as Mary Mary did behold. I am a servant of the Lord. Let it be unto me according to your word. Is that is that is the perfect posture of any Christian isn't? Arms Wide Open. As I imagine, she did.

Surrendering saying yes to the father. Whatever you want with me, Lord Do It?

Is why Mary? More than any other figure in the Bible is my hero in the face. And Luke, 1:38 is my life's first. Say yes to the father and all that he wants to do in your life. And for his glory. So what is God I ask what is God renewing and building up in you the seven seas in or what? Is he? Perhaps casting out and sending away in this season of preparation.

The pain or that in your heart is Mary did. To listen for the spirit to reveal the all-consuming. Love of God will be an advent. Well, spent. The name of the father, Son, and Holy Spirit.