TWITTER<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h6>\nOne of the lectionary texts for today (as well as both yesterday and tomorrow) is the Magnificat, Mary\u2019s song of praise to God as she carries Jesus in her womb.\u00a0 The Magnificat is a familiar prayer in many different traditions of the church, and has been arranged to music in various ways throughout church history (consider the two very different renditions above).\u00a0 Beautiful and familiar as this prayer may be, its power lies in the story it tells, the story of God\u2019s transforming a rebellious creation, the story to which Mary had submitted herself and to which we also submit ourselves.<\/p>\n
The good news of God is that this kingdom that will subsume all creation is birthed by lowly servants like Mary and ourselves; it comes not from the palaces of Imperial Rome, but through the humble Israelite people. The proud are scattered, the powerful brought down, the lowly are lifted up, the hungry are filled with good things, the rich go away empty.<\/p>\n
Whether we hear the Magnificat as good news depends, of course, on our aspirations.\u00a0 If we are aspiring to riches and power, then Mary\u2019s prayer probably does not sound so much like good news to us.\u00a0 But if we are aspiring to be part of God\u2019s faithful people, then indeed this will be good news to us.\u00a0 The Magnificat could be the theme song of Slow Church: the story it tells is the way of Mary, the way of Jesus, the way to which we are called.\u00a0 The kingdom of God is not going to come by taking over the seats of power, the thrones of empire, the Oval Office or the seats of Congress.\u00a0 It is not a \u201ctrickle down\u201d Gospel, but rather a grassroots one that is located in the people of God, people who have submitted themselves to the story of God\u2019s reconciling all creation, and whose main purpose is to abide in that story.\u00a0 It is good news, of life and even abundant life, but we only hear the good news of God\u2019s kingdom to the extent that we \u2013 like Mary \u2013 have denied ourselves and submitted ourselves to God\u2019s reign.\u00a0 To the extent that we have aspirations to wealth, power and comfort \u2013 and I imagine that if we are honest with ourselves, most of us do \u2013 we will resist the coming of God\u2019s kingdom.\u00a0 A person cannot serve two masters, Jesus said; will we be able to sing the Magnificat with Mary in this Advent season?\u00a0 It is not just a beautiful song, it is our hope in the present and for the ages to come!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Theme Song of Slow Church? Daily Advent Reflection. Chris Smith. Luke 1:46b-55. Tuesday, December 20, 2011 The Magnificat \u2013 Arvo P\u00e4rt Listen:\u00a0 [ YouTube ] [ Spotify ] Magnificat \u2013 The Psalters Listen: [ YouTube ] \u00a0 \u00a0 These daily Slow Church Advent Reflections are based on the Daily Readings of the Revised Common […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,12],"tags":[25968,144,143,142],"class_list":["post-394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advent","category-meditations","tag-advent","tag-kingdom-of-god","tag-magnificat","tag-mary"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>The Theme Song of Slow Church?<\/strong>