As promised, here is the sermon for Advent 3...the same applies to last week's sermon, don't plagerise.
Manger and Mystery - Remembering the song
Reading: Luke 1:46-55
Introduction
The piece of Luke that we read is best known as the Magnificat. The Magnificat is also called “Mary’s Song.” For some people, when they hear the Magnificat or Mary’s Song, they fail to realise how radical and revolutionary the song really is. The words are so beautiful, so soft, so lovely. Often it is sung as a beautiful choral recital or as part of a worship service. When we hear the words read as part of the Christmas gospel, we are captured by its poetic loveliness. We don’t hear what is actually being sung or said. It is easy to be mesmerised by the music or tranquillised by the poetry. When this happens a person fails to perceive how radical and revolutionary the song of Mary actually is.
In preparation for this sermon, I read several commentaries on this Bible passage, and every single commentator used the word, “revolutionary,” to describe the Magnificat. These scholars concluded that the Magnificat is one of the most revolutionary documents available.
Listen to the meaning of the words, and the Magnificat may begin a revolution in your life and mine.
1. The Revolution of the World
This past week I have been thinking about the word, revolution. I have been asking the question: what does the word, “revolution,” mean? I thought: revolution means “total change.” I will give you an example.
Computers revolutionised the information industry. Computers totally changed it; that is, they revolutionised our information age. You now push a button and you have millions of pieces of information available. I don’t have to remember that information in my head any longer; it is on the computer. In fact I often wonder if I could preach without the use of my computer…I have never hand written a sermon in my life. The information industry was totally changed by the computer. What does the word, “revolution,” mean? It is a total change. That’s what the word means: totally changed. It revolutionized your life; it totally changed your life.
Also, you can use the phrase, “before the revolution” and “after the revolution.” You understand what I am talking about: before the revolution of the computer and after the revolution of the computer. Hang onto that concept: before the revolution and after the revolution.
The Magnificat is God’s revolution. The Magnificat is the charter, the document, the constitution of God’s revolution. The Magnificat is the basic, fundamental document. You don’t change the constitution. Just like the Freedom Charter is the fundamental document on which freedom is based in South Africa. So also, the Magnificat is God’s charter; it is God’s Freedom Charter. That document lays down the fundamental principles of the Christian revolution. Not even computers have had the world-wide effect that Mary’s song has had…because it reflects what Christ came to do
In the Magnificat, God totally changes the order of things. God takes that which is on the bottom; and God turn everything upside down, and puts the bottom on top and the top on the bottom. God revolutionises the way we think, the way we act, and the way we live.
The poor are put on the top; the rich are put on the bottom. It is a revolution; God’s revolution. The Magnificat clearly tells us of God’s compassion for the economically poor; and when God’s Spirit really gets inside of Christians, we too have a renewed compassion and action for the poor. Our hearts are turned upside down.
Listen carefully to the words of the Magnificat. Not the poetry of the words, the beauty of the words, the loveliness of the words. Listen to the five important verbs. In the Magnificat, God tells us that God 1. regards or respects the poor, 2. exalts the poor, 3. feeds the poor, 4. helps the poor, 5. remembers the poor.
In that same chapter in Luke, we hear the story that God chose a slave girl, Mary, to be the mother of Jesus. God didn’t choose the beauty queen; God didn’t choose a mother who was a millionaire; God didn’t chose a bride with brains. God chose a girl who could have been as young as 12 to be the mother of Jesus.
The KJV Bible calls Mary a handmaiden. The word, “handmaiden,” sounds so pretty. The Greek word is, “doulos,” which means slave or servant. Mary was a servant girl. God exalted a servant girl to be exalted and lifted up. And this servant girl sang her song and it is called the Song of Mary. The actual words of her song are revolutionary. The Song of Mary is a revolutionary bombshell because it turns the values of this world upside down.
In the Magnificat, God totally changes the values of life. We have agreed that this is what a revolution is: it totally changes things such as the computer. In Christian language, before the revolution, we were impressed with the rich. After God’s revolution, we are impressed with the poor. Before God’s revolution, we are impressed with bucks and beauty. After God’s revolution, we are impressed with poor people.
The Magnificat is also a prelude to the whole gospel, and the theme of the whole gospel is that God respects the poor, exalts the poor, cares for the poor, feeds the poor, remembers the poor, and helps the poor.
Jesus said in his first sermon in the gospel of Luke? A first sermon reveals what is important to the man. In his first sermon in Luke, Jesus said, “I have come to bring good news to poor people, release for prisoners of war, and freedom for those imprisoned.”
In Luke’s beatitudes Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor people because they know their need of God.” We all know the truth of that statement; that is, we know that rich people don’t need God very much, because rich people are usually busy living life to the fullest and don’t have time for God.
In the Magnificat, in Mary’s Revolutionary Song, God respects the poor, exalts the poor, cares for the poor, feeds the poor, remembers the poor, and helps the poor. Do you get the rhythm? Does your heart get the rhythm?
2. Revolution of the heart
So the important question for us this morning is this. Has God’s revolution occurred in your life, in my life? Is God’s revolution occurring in your life? When Jesus gets a hold of us, Jesus revolutionises our lives; he turns everything upside down and we look at the world differently.
As an analogy, I am going to use the five verbs in the Magnificat. Before God’s revolution in my life, I regarded myself. Before God’s revolution in me, I exalted only my ego. Before God’s revolution in my values, I fed only my family. Before God’s revolution in my heart, I helped only my friends. Before God’s revolution within, I remembered only my relatives.
But after God’s revolution in your heart, you regarded the also poor people and their needs. After God’s revolution in you, you exalted also the energy of the poor. After God’s revolution within, you feed also the hungry and starving. After God’s revolution in your values, you helped also the handicapped. After God’s revolution to your heart, you also remembered the real needs of people. Life can be summarised by what life was like before the revolution and after the revolution.
Now let me say this…it is possible to be a citizen of the land and not be part of its revolution. It is possible to go to the festivities of the revolution and not be part of the revolution itself. Again I use the analogy, it is possible to be part of the church and not be part of God’s revolution inside of us. It is possible to celebrate the festivals of the church, Advent and Christmas and still not have God’s revolution occur inside of you. When God really gets inside of you, God changes everything.
The most disturbing things that The Magnificat says is that God send away the rich empty handed. What does that mean…who are the rich. Well being rich is really relative i.e. to a person with bread; a person with sugar is rich, to a millionaire a billionaire is rich…get my drift. The important thing here is to realise that each of us could regard ourselves as rich.
I do know that there is the statistic that says that if you own a house and a car you are among the 5% richest people in the world (I heard this, I don’t have a source for it). That is not my point. I am not trying to downplay the extent of poverty in South Africa (which as a matter of interest is only second to Brazil as far as income inequality is concerned).
What I am trying to get at is that at some point each of us is richer that someone else. And Mary says God sends the rich away empty handed. What does that mean? I choose to focus on the word send rather than empty. I truly believe that God wants us to be a part of the revolution. He sends the rich he does not chase the rich away. The Greek word here is also the root of the word Apostle (one who is sent). So it is a dispatch to do something, to be a part of the revolution.
Conclusion
So the big question for your life and mine this morning is: has God’s revolution occurred in your life? Have things been turned upside down where your life now is dedicated to exalting the poor, regarding the poor, feeding the poor, helping the poor, remembering the poor. Has this revolution occurred in your life and mine?
Amen.
Reading: Luke 1:46-55
Introduction
The piece of Luke that we read is best known as the Magnificat. The Magnificat is also called “Mary’s Song.” For some people, when they hear the Magnificat or Mary’s Song, they fail to realise how radical and revolutionary the song really is. The words are so beautiful, so soft, so lovely. Often it is sung as a beautiful choral recital or as part of a worship service. When we hear the words read as part of the Christmas gospel, we are captured by its poetic loveliness. We don’t hear what is actually being sung or said. It is easy to be mesmerised by the music or tranquillised by the poetry. When this happens a person fails to perceive how radical and revolutionary the song of Mary actually is.
In preparation for this sermon, I read several commentaries on this Bible passage, and every single commentator used the word, “revolutionary,” to describe the Magnificat. These scholars concluded that the Magnificat is one of the most revolutionary documents available.
Listen to the meaning of the words, and the Magnificat may begin a revolution in your life and mine.
1. The Revolution of the World
This past week I have been thinking about the word, revolution. I have been asking the question: what does the word, “revolution,” mean? I thought: revolution means “total change.” I will give you an example.
Computers revolutionised the information industry. Computers totally changed it; that is, they revolutionised our information age. You now push a button and you have millions of pieces of information available. I don’t have to remember that information in my head any longer; it is on the computer. In fact I often wonder if I could preach without the use of my computer…I have never hand written a sermon in my life. The information industry was totally changed by the computer. What does the word, “revolution,” mean? It is a total change. That’s what the word means: totally changed. It revolutionized your life; it totally changed your life.
Also, you can use the phrase, “before the revolution” and “after the revolution.” You understand what I am talking about: before the revolution of the computer and after the revolution of the computer. Hang onto that concept: before the revolution and after the revolution.
The Magnificat is God’s revolution. The Magnificat is the charter, the document, the constitution of God’s revolution. The Magnificat is the basic, fundamental document. You don’t change the constitution. Just like the Freedom Charter is the fundamental document on which freedom is based in South Africa. So also, the Magnificat is God’s charter; it is God’s Freedom Charter. That document lays down the fundamental principles of the Christian revolution. Not even computers have had the world-wide effect that Mary’s song has had…because it reflects what Christ came to do
In the Magnificat, God totally changes the order of things. God takes that which is on the bottom; and God turn everything upside down, and puts the bottom on top and the top on the bottom. God revolutionises the way we think, the way we act, and the way we live.
The poor are put on the top; the rich are put on the bottom. It is a revolution; God’s revolution. The Magnificat clearly tells us of God’s compassion for the economically poor; and when God’s Spirit really gets inside of Christians, we too have a renewed compassion and action for the poor. Our hearts are turned upside down.
Listen carefully to the words of the Magnificat. Not the poetry of the words, the beauty of the words, the loveliness of the words. Listen to the five important verbs. In the Magnificat, God tells us that God 1. regards or respects the poor, 2. exalts the poor, 3. feeds the poor, 4. helps the poor, 5. remembers the poor.
In that same chapter in Luke, we hear the story that God chose a slave girl, Mary, to be the mother of Jesus. God didn’t choose the beauty queen; God didn’t choose a mother who was a millionaire; God didn’t chose a bride with brains. God chose a girl who could have been as young as 12 to be the mother of Jesus.
The KJV Bible calls Mary a handmaiden. The word, “handmaiden,” sounds so pretty. The Greek word is, “doulos,” which means slave or servant. Mary was a servant girl. God exalted a servant girl to be exalted and lifted up. And this servant girl sang her song and it is called the Song of Mary. The actual words of her song are revolutionary. The Song of Mary is a revolutionary bombshell because it turns the values of this world upside down.
In the Magnificat, God totally changes the values of life. We have agreed that this is what a revolution is: it totally changes things such as the computer. In Christian language, before the revolution, we were impressed with the rich. After God’s revolution, we are impressed with the poor. Before God’s revolution, we are impressed with bucks and beauty. After God’s revolution, we are impressed with poor people.
The Magnificat is also a prelude to the whole gospel, and the theme of the whole gospel is that God respects the poor, exalts the poor, cares for the poor, feeds the poor, remembers the poor, and helps the poor.
Jesus said in his first sermon in the gospel of Luke? A first sermon reveals what is important to the man. In his first sermon in Luke, Jesus said, “I have come to bring good news to poor people, release for prisoners of war, and freedom for those imprisoned.”
In Luke’s beatitudes Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor people because they know their need of God.” We all know the truth of that statement; that is, we know that rich people don’t need God very much, because rich people are usually busy living life to the fullest and don’t have time for God.
In the Magnificat, in Mary’s Revolutionary Song, God respects the poor, exalts the poor, cares for the poor, feeds the poor, remembers the poor, and helps the poor. Do you get the rhythm? Does your heart get the rhythm?
2. Revolution of the heart
So the important question for us this morning is this. Has God’s revolution occurred in your life, in my life? Is God’s revolution occurring in your life? When Jesus gets a hold of us, Jesus revolutionises our lives; he turns everything upside down and we look at the world differently.
As an analogy, I am going to use the five verbs in the Magnificat. Before God’s revolution in my life, I regarded myself. Before God’s revolution in me, I exalted only my ego. Before God’s revolution in my values, I fed only my family. Before God’s revolution in my heart, I helped only my friends. Before God’s revolution within, I remembered only my relatives.
But after God’s revolution in your heart, you regarded the also poor people and their needs. After God’s revolution in you, you exalted also the energy of the poor. After God’s revolution within, you feed also the hungry and starving. After God’s revolution in your values, you helped also the handicapped. After God’s revolution to your heart, you also remembered the real needs of people. Life can be summarised by what life was like before the revolution and after the revolution.
Now let me say this…it is possible to be a citizen of the land and not be part of its revolution. It is possible to go to the festivities of the revolution and not be part of the revolution itself. Again I use the analogy, it is possible to be part of the church and not be part of God’s revolution inside of us. It is possible to celebrate the festivals of the church, Advent and Christmas and still not have God’s revolution occur inside of you. When God really gets inside of you, God changes everything.
The most disturbing things that The Magnificat says is that God send away the rich empty handed. What does that mean…who are the rich. Well being rich is really relative i.e. to a person with bread; a person with sugar is rich, to a millionaire a billionaire is rich…get my drift. The important thing here is to realise that each of us could regard ourselves as rich.
I do know that there is the statistic that says that if you own a house and a car you are among the 5% richest people in the world (I heard this, I don’t have a source for it). That is not my point. I am not trying to downplay the extent of poverty in South Africa (which as a matter of interest is only second to Brazil as far as income inequality is concerned).
What I am trying to get at is that at some point each of us is richer that someone else. And Mary says God sends the rich away empty handed. What does that mean? I choose to focus on the word send rather than empty. I truly believe that God wants us to be a part of the revolution. He sends the rich he does not chase the rich away. The Greek word here is also the root of the word Apostle (one who is sent). So it is a dispatch to do something, to be a part of the revolution.
Conclusion
So the big question for your life and mine this morning is: has God’s revolution occurred in your life? Have things been turned upside down where your life now is dedicated to exalting the poor, regarding the poor, feeding the poor, helping the poor, remembering the poor. Has this revolution occurred in your life and mine?
Amen.
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