Variety: Luke 1:46-55

46 And Mary said:

‘My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me –
    holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants for ever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.’

In the Gospel of Luke, the Magnificat are the words that Mary sings when she is with her cousin Elizabeth, and they are celebrating the surprise of new life in their wombs. Apart from the expected course either of their lives would take, still they said “yes” to that movement of the Holy Spirit within each of them. 
This song that then flowed out of Mary’s faithful heart flipped the script of power in society. She, a lowly young girl, pregnant and unmarried, easily dismissed or decried by most of society, becomes the most blessed. Like the work of the Holy Spirit, her very being disrupted the status quo, and to this day, her words call us into the renewing spirit of mercy and justice…. 
Mary is telling us that when Christ comes into this world, when compassion becomes enfleshed, we gain a new paradigm. We are offered a new way of life, a new set of values to live by. And who brings this good news? It isn’t the kings or priests; it is two ordinary women, who through their encounter in friendship sing the vision into our tradition. These two pregnant women show us how to bring and embrace new life, and it is not revealed to us from a church or temple, but rather from the sanctuary of a home, in the intimacy of their relationship, and in their very bodies.

Here is where I find hope. In the voice of an outsider who gave birth to this radical vision of a changing and evolving world. In the counter-cultural, revolutionary message at the heart of the faith. In a song of praise that invites us to flip the paradigms of power, not just in church, but in society, too…. 
When we sing that the hungry will be fed, I think of all the mutual aid efforts, soup kitchens, and neighbours who feed one another, not out of obligation but out of love and care. 
When we sing that the humble will be upheld, I think of the dignity of immigrants and refugees, who amid the unjust and illegal deportations, are finding strength in their communities as people are protecting and fighting for one another day after day after day. 
And finally, when we sing of the promise made to our ancestors, to Sarah and to Abraham, I try to remember far enough back to feel the covenantal belonging, this lineage of love that stretches before I was here and far beyond my own time. I’m reminded of my small part in this larger and longer story, of saying “yes” like Mary whenever I can, to bringing new and renewing life into our world, here and now. 

Katie Gordon