Suggested Readings: Micah 5:2-5a; Psalm 80:1-7; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-56
Dreaming God-Sized Dreams
The circumstances were not ideal. The Israelites were suffering oppression, and the turmoil had led to a yearning for deliverance as well as fear and despair that it might not come to pass. Into this political context the young Israelite, Mary of Nazareth, received a message from God through the angel Gabriel that she was going to have a child. Mary was both fearful and inquisitive when she heard this news, in part because she was still a virgin.
But the angel reassures Mary and tells her not to be afraid, for she will deliver a son who will be called the Son of the Most High and whose Kingdom will never end. Then Mary’s relative Elizabeth, who is also pregnant, assures Mary that the Lord’s promises will be fulfilled through Mary.
Mary then sings a song of extraordinary vision, a truly God-sized dream. Known as Mary’s “Magnificat,” the song points to reversals of fortune, the deliverance of those who are suffering from oppression, and the fulfillment of promises made to Abraham and his descendants.
Mary begins by saying, “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary is fully aligned with God’s will, despite the difficult circumstances in which she finds herself. She sees God’s mercy at work in her and her people, and she foretells that through the birth of her son, God’s promises to Israel will be fulfilled.
And what an extraordinary vision it is, filled with reversals of the expectations of ordinary life and politics: “The Lord has brought down rulers from their thrones/but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things/but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:52-53).
Mary expresses, from beginning to end, trust in the Lord and confidence that the Lord’s mercy, justice and love will triumph through her son. Her dream is both God-sized and in perfect alignment with God’s vision.
How do we hear Mary’s magnificent song today? What kind of affect does it have on us? Even in difficult personal and social and political circumstances, do we expect God to act with mercy and justice and love? Do we seek to have our souls glorify the Lord, rejoicing in God our Savior? Do we dream God-sized dreams that are aligned to the promises of God foretold, revealed, and embodied in the Story of God in Jesus Christ?
As we prepare for Christmas, the world-transforming event of God’s love entering our world through Mary’s infant son, Jesus, what song will we be singing?
Susan Pendleton Jones & Greg Jones
Senior Fellow of Christ-Centered Visioning and First Lady of Belmont University | University President
Susan Pendleton Jones
