"Mary's Mercy" - Sermon for Advent 4

Sermon:

Text: Luke 1:39-55

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who gives us mercy.

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

            Those are the words of Jesus’ first sermon after his baptism, the first major words he speaks in his ministry. And well, it sounds really close to the Song Mary sings upon arriving at Elizabeth's in our psalm for today. Good news for the poor, lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, coming to the aid of your servant Israel, remembering the promise of mercy.

            Professor Karoline Lewis of Luther Seminary says that this is for very good reason, that Jesus learned from his mother.

            “I have a feeling Mary often told this story to Jesus. “Jesus, I just have to tell you this story again, the story of how you were conceived, how you were born,” Mary would say. “Again?” Jesus responded. “Yes, again. And again,” said Mary. Or, maybe this is just how she talked and how she lived. How she helped Jesus see the world. How she helped Jesus see who he was and needed to be.”

            We learn a lot from our Mothers, I’m caring and kind, and a little stubborn because of my mother, (not to say my Dad is not caring and kind.) I know how to cook from her, and how to clean (not as well as she or Sarah would like). I have a green thumb when it comes to gardening. I think I get a lot of my empathy and emotional intuition from her, she always seems to know how a person is feeling and understands the power of keeping in touch and visiting with others.

            I am who I am because of who my mother is, and so, Jesus is who he is because of his mother, Mary.

            Jesus’ understanding of his purpose for his ministry restates his mother’s understanding of God’s working in her life. Jesus senses the essence of his ministry because he learned it from Mary. Jesus isn’t just making stuff up. He’s giving voice to how he grew up. He’s articulating what he’s been taught. It’s what his mother preached. It’s what his mother lived. It’s what his mother taught him to be. It’s how his mother interpreted Scripture. It’s what his mother shared about who she knew God to be. It’s what his life of faith embodied. Jesus can witness to the God he knows because he heard his mother give witness to the God she knew.

            Which is why it is so very important for us to look at this song of Mary’s, because it is pretty much the only words we have of Mary. And if it made such a difference in Jesus’ life, we should pay attention, because it can make such a difference in ours.

            I’m drawn to the second to last verse of Mary’s song. You have come to the aid of your servant Israel, to remember the promise of mercy.

            The promise of mercy. I think that is the verse that Mary declares most powerfully. She’s probably 15-16 at this point, just engaged to Joseph, not married, no adult relations with him. And here she finds out she’s pregnant with the Son of God. Now, that obviously doesn’t happen all that often, so Joseph probably isn’t going to take it all that well. And when Joseph finds out she’s pregnant with a child that’s not his, he would probably assume cheating, adultery, and on the light end, as the Gospel of Matthew says, Joseph plans to just dismiss her quietly, which would be rough, she would pretty much be alone for her whole life, but on the other end, he could certainly call for her to be stoned to death. But, God comes to Joseph through an angel just like an angel came to Mary, Matthew 1:20-21 “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

            What could have resulted in tragedy for Mary, results in grace, and for Mary, mercy. She should have been dismissed from her community, distrusted, disbelieved, and doubted. She should have been silenced, separated out as one not worthy of God’s love, let alone one trusted to testify to God’s love for the least in the world. 

She should have been seen as an outcast and outsider, but through the mercy of God, working in her, in Elizabeth, and in Joseph, she has been chosen as the mother of God.

            I don’t think we see all that much mercy around us anymore. We don’t look to forgiveness and grace when trials come up, we look for scapegoats and victims to blame. I was watching a true life mystery a few weeks ago about a husband and wife, where the husband was knocked out of their 20^th story apartment window and fell to his death. The wife claims it was all an accident from a playful shove which grew tragic when he lost balance and fell through the window, prosecutors claim that it was on purpose and a stronger shove than she says. And really, that doesn’t matter all that much here, the part that stuck out at me was from the mother of the husband who died. She said, “My son is dead, someone needs to be held responsible.” Something happened to me, someone else must suffer because of it.

            But, Mary shows that what matters really is the grace of God happening in the world. That we don’t need a scapegoat, we don’t need a victim, because Christ is coming. And through Christ true justice and mercy are found, and so we can trust that God is at work and will work to bring justice to the world. That God has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

            Those are things worthy to sing about, so go out this week before Christmas and tell the world that the one who brings true justice is soon to be born, and maybe listen to your mothers a little bit.

Amen.