Pastor T.C. Arnold
4th Sunday in Advent
Luke 1:39-56
December 20, 2009
It’s that time of year, if you haven’t done it already, to finish up the Christmas shopping. This past Monday Andrea and I were at the stores – but not really shopping. Instead, we were running errands. She went into one store and I decided to stay in the car. I flipped through the car radio channels to see if I could pick up a good Christmas tune when I came across a man preaching a sermon – a preacher preaching on the Gospel text that was just read – the Magnificat – the song of Mary. He made an interesting observation. He said something like – “Advent and Christmas are much more than the joy and happy songs that Mary and Elizabeth sing. They are more than just cheerful feelings, and fluffy festive songs. They are more than gushy words, happy times and presents.” And, if we are honest with ourselves, he is right.
You see, if we are going to have those “good times” and “pleasant adorations” we are going to need to realize that along with all that comes the bad times and the cries of distress as well. There is much that goes along with these words from Elizabeth and Mary. Not all of it is good. Some of the events that surround what we hear in this morning’s Gospel text have terrible results and even cries from faithful men in anger toward God.
For example, back in second Samuel chapter six the Ark of the Covenant was being brought into Jerusalem. Thirty thousand men of Israel went out to bring the Ark of the Covenant out of the house of Abinadab into the Holy City. Now Abinadab’s house was on a hill. They had a new cart for the Ark of the Covenant. Two men, Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab were driving the new cart forward. Then, something tragic happened. When the cart entered onto a new floor, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled. Then, Uzzah, with every good intention in mind, touched the Ark of the Covenant to stabilize it. After this the text says, “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and God struck him down there because of his error; and he died there beside the Ark of God.”
That doesn’t seem fair. He had every good intention in mind. But he still disobeyed the Lord and he touched the Ark when he was commanded not to. We don’t like that rule – not if you have good intentions in mind. Guess what, King David didn’t either. It says in the text that David was angry because the Lord had burst forth against Uzzah. It seems like for good reason. Tragedy hit the house of Abinadab and it’s hard to understand why. From that day on for the next three months, David was afraid of the Lord. The Ark did not go into the Holy City of Jerusalem and instead went into the house of Obed-Edom. David, in terror at the untouchable holiness of the Ark, cried out: “How shall the Ark of the Lord come to me?” He was in “awe” over what had happened – both fear and anger. Likewise, Elizabeth, in awe before the mother of her Lord, says, “why should this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’ Maybe there was a bit of fear in her words as well.
You see -- the Lord and His presence causes a reaction – and sometimes we aren’t sure how to react. The Lord came before David in the Ark of God. The Lord came before Elizabeth as an unborn child in the womb of Mary. She was the vessel carrying the Lord. Both fear and joy come. And they both come in their own way – for their own reason – to establish the presence of the Lord in the man Jesus the Savior.
We see how the Old Testament joys and tragedies are pulled together into the New Testament. They all belong together – they are connected. The way the Lord is carried into our presence – by the Ark – by a child in His mother’s womb – cannot be completely comprehended. Neither can the reaction of Elizabeth or the death of Uzzah. The Lord makes good on His promises and He is brought before His people by humble means – carried by a “new cart” and pulled by oxen – a humble virgin before her relative, Elizabeth.
As you can tell a lot has happened with the presence of the Lord in times gone past and in times today. A lot has happened and there have been a lot of different reactions. There has been fear, anger, joy and sometimes confusion. It’s not always songs that magnify the Lord. But all of them tie together today to tell a great story – a lasting story of the way our Lord would present Himself to His people. Mary would “magnify” the Lord. She would do it through her special song. As the first Christian, Mary is struck with a desire to sing a hymn of praise because she believes these things will happen despite the lowliness of her condition. These things will happen despite her fears or her excitement.
We have been singing the magnificat during our Midweek Advent Services in Evening prayer. But there are many hymns that have been written over the years to help us sing out to the Lord over the great and mighty things that have been done. One such hymn is hymn 934. I would like for you to turn to that hymn right now, if you would… The first two verses of this hymn make up the first part of Mary’s song. Let’s sing the first two verses together. Listen how Mary rejoices over the great and mighty works of the Lord.
Sing hymn (vv. 1-2)
The next two verses make up the second part of Mary’s song. This second part of the Magnificat is sometimes called “the Great Reversal” (Just, pg.84). The reason, because the lowly are made strong and given nourishment, He scatters the proud, He feeds the hungry and the wealthy are left with empty hands. What Mary refers to in the second part of the Magnificat is mercy. It’s the same kind of mercy that Isaiah referred to last weak and that we hear from John the Baptizer. It refers to a God – our Savior – who will make the mountains low and the valleys raised up – out of mercy for us. Mary sees God in action for those who need God. Let’s hear these words again as we sing now verses three and four of the hymn 934.
Sing hymn (vv. 3-4)
The Lord has a way of tying it all together – from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The Lord brings it together from Genesis to Revelation. For example – perhaps you remember that in Genesis chapter twenty-five Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, the son of Abraham, asked the Lord why there was so much of a struggle within her. The Lord answered Rebekah and said, “Two nations are in your womb…the one shall be stronger than the other and the older shall serve the younger.” The Lord would be talking about how Jacob, the younger, would be set above Esau, his older brother.
Such words are prophetic because that is exactly what would happen with the children of Elizabeth and Mary. John was the older, but yet served the younger Jesus. Jesus was younger but yet stronger than John. The Word of God works together from beginning to end. We need it all – for the whole story.
We need it all – even the stories that share with us tragedy – like Uzzah who touched the Ark to simply steady it – yet he was stricken dead by the Lord. We need it all, even the anger and the fears of a man like David. We need it all – because we live it all. And if a man like David can be angry, can be scared – then so can you.
We need it all – an Elizabeth who might have been a bit frightened and very joyful. We need Mary who probably felt great joy but yet great concern because how could she possibly live up to what is expected of her – the mother of the Lord? We need it all – you need it all. You need to know that through trepidation and misery comes fulfillment and promise. Sound like your life? It should – it describes us all. And like Mary, we too sing the Magnifact that, from beginning to end, runs the whole gamut of joy, concern, praise – and a marvelous “turn-around” that Jesus only can accomplish. And He did it for you! Amen
The peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.