Participants in a New Kingdom
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| How will you participate in the new kingdom this year? |
Scripture:
Luke 1:46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He 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.”
Observation:
Mary’s song is one of four that we find in Luke’s gospel. The pattern of this song is similar to the one that Hannah sang so long ago. In Hannah’s song she questions the “established powers and calls for a return to biblical justice for the oppressed” (Neale, NBBC). Mary preaches a new kingdom in her song, one in which there is “a call to engagement in social action to right the wrongs brought on by pride and oppression, to right the wrongs visited on the downtrodden” (Neale, NBBC). This song is a foreshadowing of the confrontations that her child will have with those who have power and authority within the religious realm.
One of the early church fathers, Origen, uses this passage to illustrate one’s growth in grace. If we, like mirrors are in a face to face relationship with God, then we reflect the image of God. Mary’s soul magnified the Lord — the reflection of the Lord filled her mirror and this explained her relationship with God. She had a deeply intimate and innate understanding of the kingdom of God, and this was expressed in her song.
Application:
Because of the arrival of the Messiah, we are all invited into a relationship where we will magnify the Lord. This is what it looks like to become participants in the Kingdom of God. Our actions and words become those that magnify Jesus Christ, and this is life in the new kingdom.
God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary work. That is the beauty of life in the kingdom. Mary was just a young girl, and yet God saw her and used her to bring his son into the world. God is still looking for ordinary people from humble beginnings to have an impact in this world. We need to be careful so that we are not looking in the wrong places for the work of God. There are plenty of “religious leaders” who have exalted themselves through the use of media, but is that really what God would intend for all of us? Interestingly, within the holiness tradition you rarely find someone who has a large presence in the media, and sometimes we lament this because the message is so important for our world to hear. At the same time, I believe this is true because of our theology. We believe that God is the one who does the raising up, and that he chooses the humble through who to do his work. That’s why we may need to try and intentionally look for those in the little towns and villages, of humble birth, who are magnifying the Lord, and see where their lives may lead us.
As participants in the new kingdom we are to be a people who lift up the lowly. The powerful may be able to manipulate systems and try to rule over and dominate the people of the world, but what they have is temporal. God works among the lowly, the ordinary, and lifts them up for his use. We participate in lifting up the lowly. Always be willing to speak to those among you who are considered the lowliest. Give them your time and your attention.
We are to be stewards of all that God has given us. Give generously this advent season - fill the hungry with good things. There are more hungry this year than we have probably faced in decades. This pandemic has created havoc with economic systems and left many unemployed and struggling. The Salvation Army is in desperate need of donations this year as they anticipate an increase in need of up to 30%, but a significant decrease in giving. You can find a link to give here: Salvation Army. Of course, there are other ways to participate in feeding the hungry, but this sister holiness denomination needs our help and support. Through my own tribe there is help to be given through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. These are both incredibly successful at meeting the needs of those who need help the most.
God remembered Israel, and today God remembers the church. As the bride of Christ, the church is to be a sign of the in-breaking of the new kingdom into this world. Through the infilling power of the Holy Spirit, the church fulfills her mission to participate in the new kingdom.
Mary’s song didn’t reflect the world, but magnified the nature and character of God. This is the invitation for us this advent season — to participate in new kingdom in real and tangible ways. This year has provided us with unique opportunities in which to participate in the new kingdom — so let’s take advantage and help others!
Prayer:
Lord, my desire is that my life will magnify you, every day! Amen.
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