(Part Three of Mary’s Magnificat and the Intersection of Faith and Social Justice)
As we wrap of the importance of social locations in the Christmas stories, this theme in Mary’s Magnificat is echoed in the words of the abolitionist Christmas hymn O, Holy Night:
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(Read this series from the beginning at Part 1 and Part 2.)
“Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.”
(Placide Cappeau, translator John S. Dwight)
What I love about the birth narratives of the Jesus story is that these stories aren’t about the birth of the hope that personal, private sins can be forgiven so that one day we can go to heaven. These stores are about the hope of change being born into our world here and now. It was about the possibility of change in how our present world functions, who it privileges, and who it harms. The central figures in these stories were from classes of people the world was not built to benefit, but they saw in the birth of this child hope for a restructuring of that world until it became a world where no one has too much of anything while others don’t have enough and where everyone has enough not simply to survive but also to thrive. These are stories, historical or not, where the efforts of those working for a more compassionate, just, and safe world for everyone in every generation, are being fanned and brought back to life like coals in a fire. These are stories intended to help us connect whatever faith we may have with engagement in the world around us to mitigate or even end harm being done to those less privileged and most vulnerable.
This year, with the events looming on our own social, political, and economic horizon, I’m pausing to allow these stories to encourage my own commitments to working for justice again. These stories whisper to me: God is with the marginalized and we are with God when we are with them.
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