First Lutheran Church
December 20, 2020
Luke 1:26-38; 46-55
“Mary, Anything but Meek and Mild”
This year, on this last Sunday in Advent, the liturgical calendar turns to the incredible Advent story of Mary. Mary, young and insignificant from lowly Nazareth, is God’s choice to give birth to Christmas. Despite having no credentials, no wealth or power, and no social status status; she is the chosen one. She is the one who is able to hear the word of God and discern the advent of the kingdom. She boldly and courageously responds in faith, "Let it be to me according to your word." And just as the prophets promised, she gives birth to the Christ child. It is - in with and through – Mary, as unlikely as it might seem, that God comes into the world.
We don’t really know too much about Mary. We know that she was young, scholars guess that she was maybe 13-15 years old, and that she was engaged to be married to Joseph. They were of the lineage of David, connected to the city of Bethlehem, but they lived in the oft maligned and disparaged town of Nazareth. (In the Gospel of John, Nathaniel will remark upon first hearing of Jesus, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”) We also know that Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.
Tradition tells us that Mary was “meek and mild;” in art and music she is often portrayed as gentle, sweet, and demure, a sensitive princess, someone who quietly and reverently ponders life. In every picture, statue, or stain-glass window she embodies all these “saintly” qualities. Yet I can’t help but wonder if “that” was the real Mary? Once you begin to unpack her story, once you get a sense of what it must have been like for Mary, I can’t help but believe that she was anything but “meek and mild?” In fact, I suspect she was probably the exact opposite! Mary must have been incredibly strong, unusually confident, perhaps sassy, even street-wise. And most likely someone you probably didn’t want to mess with! Theologian Kathleen Norris exclaims, “Mary is almost always presented as a teenage beauty queen, forever eighteen years old, and perfectly manicured - when in fact she was more likely an olive-skinned, muscular Judean Hill Country woman with calloused hands and feet.” Mary was anything but meek and mild!
Mary’s Advent Story begins with the incredible news that she is somehow - pregnant! And that Joseph, her fiancé, is not the father. This is not a circumstance that any young woman wants to be in, especially 2,000 years ago, when and where, “adultery” was a capital offense. And all Mary has to defend herself in this situation is an implausible “story” about an angel and a wispy “promise” from God. She has no tangible proof regarding her condition, no credible witnesses, nothing to be back up her story; and undoubtedly, she must know that nobody is going to believe her. Yet somehow, she “hears” the angel say, “Do not be afraid,” and from a deep and faithful, strong and confident place, she is able to set fear aside and respond, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” With great courage Mary opens up herself and boldly steps into the story of God’s advent into the world. She will endure the perceived shame of her situation, she will remain faithful amidst certain accusations of infidelity, and with nothing but the dream of God’s Kingdom she will hold fast to the promises of Advent. And let us not forget, Mary will make the journey from the manger - all the way to the cross. Mary was anything but meek and mild!
And then there’s the song that Mary sings, “The Magnificat,” a powerful song about the coming of God’s kingdom, the coming of peace and justice, and the power of God’s love. And no matter how much we might want to domesticate this song, no matter how much we might want to make God’s advent into our world - just a spiritual thing with no social political consequences, no matter how uncomfortable we are with her song; it can only be understood as revolutionary! It is song that calls for the world to be turned upside down! Mary was anything but meek and mild!
In 1976 a military junta took power in Argentina. Thousands of men, husbands and sons, who opposed the coup were kidnapped and never seen again. In non-violent protest, the spouses and mothers of these missing men would gather every day in the Plaza de Mayo to march and to dance with portraits of the missing men- and to sing Mary’s song. So powerful was their protest, so powerful was their dance and song, that the military generals imposed a “ban” on the words of “The Magnificat.” They made the words spoken by a young first century peasant woman - illegal! A military junta, powerful enough to overthrow a nation and cause thousands of dissidents to disappear, was shaken to the core by the Song of Mary – the promise of a compassionate and just God breaking into human history and leveling the playing field for the poor and disenfranchised of the world. Mary was anything but meek and mild!
Lutheran Theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who would eventually be executed by the Nazis in World War II, also recognized the revolutionary nature of Mary’s song. In an Advent sermon he wrote, “The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings.…This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind.”
Once again, Mary was anything but meek and mild! She was indeed, “revolutionary!” Her strength, confidence, and sure and certain hope in God was sung aloud for all to hear, emancipating all who felt crushed, defeated, and powerless. Mary was anything but meek and mild!
So where might your Advent story connect or intersect with Mary’s Advent story? Where do you feel compelled by God to sing out about injustice? Where do you feel called to align yourself with those who suffer, those who are hungry, those who are marginalized; those who dance when they hear Mary’s song? Where do you find yourself walking in the shoes of Mary, hoping to lift up the lowly, sharing your gifts, talents, and resources with those in need? How might your story be a reflection of Mary’s story, calling for and causing a disruption in “the way things are,” “preparing a way” for a kingdom in which all things might become new, - a kingdom of hope, peace, joy, and love?
What if we had just a little portion of the faith and courage of Mary? What might we give birth to if we were able to set aside our fears? How might God come into the world in, with, and through us, if we could only begin to believe and trust in God’s great dream for the world, the Kingdom of God.
Hear this good news, I see Mary’s Advent Story unfolding almost every day here at First Lutheran. Every time we open our doors to live out our mission statement, “Called to be the Heart of Christ feeding our neighbors with Grace, Mercy, Justice and Love,” the song of Mary is heard, and hearts dance with hope and joy. The kingdom comes in unexpected and humble ways, and so it is that comes through you and me, and our work together here in this place.
The scriptures tell us that Mary “pondered all these things in her heart,” that she had a dream for the way her life would intersect with the Kingdom of God, that she had a passion that literally wanted to come out and make a difference. What do you dream about? In the words of Frederick Buechner, “Where does your deep gladness meet the world’s deep need?” Where does your joy and passion, your unique gifts and talents, come together in a way that makes a difference in the world around you?
What’s that “something” that you’ve always wanted to do, wanted to try, wanted to give birth to; that one special thing you feel like God is calling you to do? No matter how old, or how young you are, what is it that you want to do with your one precious life? God is the one that planted that seed within you, God has nourished that seed in love, and God is the one calling out to you – now is the time! It’s the season of Advent! Now is not the time to be “meek and mild” but rather “wild and free!”
As this Advent season continues, as we await the coming of Christ at Christmas, let us hear the words spoken by the Angel Gabriel, “Do not be afraid,” and let us remember Mary, anything but “meek and mild,” a woman of great faith and even greater courage. And in doing so, may we be able to humbly and confidently join in her response, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Amen.