My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord. Amen
 |
| Shrine of the Annunciation - Nazareth |
Goals like busy,
successful, prosperous, and independent (and by independent I mean
self-sufficient). It’s all the things that Dickens convinces us to hate in the
character Scrooge, but that we overlook when we see the same things in the
mirror or in our mentor, the one we hope to become.
There are many
challenges to our faith in modern life. When we feel independent, we are
deluded into believing that we can do it alone. There are many who say that we
don’t need our neighbors and we certainly don’t need God. We are too busy to take
time away to worship or to pray or even to find solitude. With success, we expect
to be able to buy goodness in a box. Many are convinced that faith is
inconvenient. And it is. I mean faith actually expects us to continue to seek
and make transitions and of course transition means change. Good faith
development forces us to get out of the comfort zone to find a place where
something deeper might take root.
Advent is a time of
transition and it is filled with examples of people who demonstrate or speak passionately
about finding places of growth. There are the Old Testament prophets who railed
against the status quo of their time, which also seems to be status quo of our
time. It seems that society’s problems are more similar than we would like to
admit. I mean, we have progressed several thousands of years, we should have
improved ourselves just a little. We have central air, sliced bread, and the
iPad, but we for some reason are still enamored with power, money, prestige,
and, of course, good looks.
That is why the
prophetic word continues to push people of faith to rethink our true motive.
Why do we do the things we do? Maybe we should reorient ourselves?
In addition to the Old
Testament Prophets, Advent also is a time to hear about Jesus’ hippie cousin
John. He wore rags, lived off the land, ate locusts, and, no doubt, smelled
really bad. Our kids have been learning about him during these weeks of Advent.
I want to assure you that we have not been advocating his style of dress or his
eating habits. Instead, we remember John the Baptist for his teaching. He, like
the prophets, pointed out ways to change. He pointed people away from their
inward slide to a ministry of community. He made radical choices that put
himself at risk, but also helped prepare the way for Jesus’ radical message of
love (We hear a lot about those teaching throughout the other seasons of the
year).
The other major
character of the Advent is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Our picture of her is
that of the blessed, holy, and extra special Madonna (not the modern day
singer). She was so lucky to have had God’s son, to be visited by angels, and
shepherds, and wise men, and to marry Joseph, to have traveled to beautiful
Bethlehem while 9 months pregnant, on a donkey, through a desert region over
mountains, and then when there was no place for them in the inn, that she was
extra specially blessed to be offered the environs of a stable along with the
unsanitary animals so that when her son was born, she could lay him in a manger
(in other words a trough) in bands of cloth (rags) while the star shone
brightly, above. Then, her perfect life continued as a newlywed with a newborn
who fled to Egypt to avoid her son being killed before settling back in her
native Nazareth (I’m sure it was two bedroom/two bath split level in a
neighborhood on the right side of the tracks.)
We are so used to seeing
the story of Jesus’ birth portrayed in pageant with our young people living out
these roles and set to music by some of the most gifted composers that have
ever lived that we have nearly forgotten what Jesus’ birth meant to a woman
like Mary.
Mary was not a woman of
power and influence. She was a commoner, a young commoner at that. She was
engaged to be married, but wasn’t yet married. She lived in a small cave dug
out of the stone. Last year, I visited the place where the annunciation
legendarily took place in a church and shrine maintained by the Roman Church in
Nazareth. Whether this was the exact place or not, imagine what this short
story, the one we heard today, is trying to convey about Mary’s choice. She was
in the same position that Noah found himself when he was asked to build an Ark
in the middle of a desert, or when Abram was told to abandon all of his things
and travel across the world following God’s direction, or when Samuel heard the
voice of God while sleeping in the home of Eli, the priest. Each was called to
do something that others would hold against them.
Mary, as we heard today,
was visited by the Angel Gabriel who announced to her that she would bear a son
whom she was to call Jesus. We look at it as good news, but the reality was
scandalous. Mary, no matter how holy, understood what would happen to her
reputation (she wasn’t yet married), and what that would mean to her life in
the community. She questioned how this was possible. Gabriel responded that
with God anything is possible.
With that, just like
Noah, Abram, and Samuel, Mary steps into her new role with these words as
reported by Luke, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me
according to your word."
Mary embodies our inner
work of reflection and preparation during this season of Advent as we prepare
for the gift of Christ that fills our soul on Christmas and every day. It is
preparation that forces us to look beyond our selfish needs; it calls us to
leave what makes us comfortable and to take a step forward in faith to serve
our community and world.
If we can step away from
the rhetoric of our society, from the dynamic tension that exists in
conversations about faith in a modern world, and see that faith can change the
way we are. How it changes the way we orient our lives and through that change,
makes the world a better place. If we can prepare the way, if we are ready to
respond, “Here I am,” then we are ready for the great gift of Christ.
Advent is about
transition and by slowing down, reflecting, and considering our next steps; we
can learn to embrace the transition that will make our life full. That is why
we make this a part of our spiritual path every year. If we learn how to change
who we are, we can come more fully to God and be more complete in ourselves.
We also heard today the
words that Mary used when she spoke to her cousin Elizabeth (the Magnificat).
“My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
She said this in
response to the great gift of Christ in her, the great gift that would change
her life (most likely not in the positive). It was a challenge and risk. And
she chose to proclaim he greatness of the lord. She chose to rejoice in that
change. Advent is a time for us to rejoice as we change our own life, as we
prepare for the gift of Christ. [Amen]
The Rev. Dr. Kurt
Gerhard (kurt@stpatrickschurchdc.org)
St. Patrick’s Episcopal
Church (www.stpatrickschurchdc.org)
December 18, 2011
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