LUKE 1:39-56

[39] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

[40] and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

[41] And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

[42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

[43] And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44] For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

[45] And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

[46] And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

[47] and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

[48] for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

       For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

[49] for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

[50] And 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 heart;

[52] he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;              

[53] he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.                       

[54] He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

[55] as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

[56] And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.                                

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know. Where the tree tops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow.

People love that old Bing Crosby classic. That’s because it’s full of nostalgia and it makes you pine for the good old days. After all, things today are different, very different.  I was reminded of that recently when I came across a modern version of the 12 Days of Christmas.  It goes like this:

On the twelfth day of Christmas my intended soul mate for life gave to me:

TWELVE liberated males reclaiming their inner warrior through ritual drumming,
ELEVEN pipers in good standing with the Musicians Equity Union piping.
TEN testosterone-poisoned scions of the patriarchal ruling class system who are nevertheless comfortable wearing tights while leaping high in the air to express their love for each other.
NINE exploited female gender persons engaged in rhythmic self-expression,
EIGHT economically disadvantaged female persons stealing milk-products from enslaved bovine-Americans,
SEVEN endangered swans swimming on federally protected wetlands,
SIX feathered Americans trapped in totally inhumane cases while producing eggs for the economically enhanced,

FIVE golden symbols of culturally sanctioned enforced domestic incarceration. (Note: after members of an animal rights group threatened to throw red paint at my computer, the calling birds, French hens and partridge have been reintroduced to their native habitat leaving us with…)
FOUR hours of recorded whale songs,
THREE deconstructionist poets,
TWO Sierra Club calendars printed on recycled tree carcasses and…

ONE Spotted Owl activist who chained himself to an old-growth pear tree.

Ah the good old days!  Of course if you really think about the good old days they weren’t all that great.   After all back in the good old days blacks had to sit in the back of the bus.  Polio crippled thousands of children each year and people dumped and dropped their litter here and there without giving it a second though.  Do you remember Chief Iron Eyes Cody?  He was the Native American in that public service announcement for the campaign to Keep America Beautiful. It was on television back in the early 1970’s.  In the commercial someone from a passing car throws some trash out the window and it lands at the Chief Iron Eyes’ feet. He then turns toward the camera and you see a single tear rolling down his cheek.

Yes, the good old days weren’t as great as we’d like to think they were. Here’s another news flash for you.  Christmas isn’t about the good old days.  You can see that by looking at the Magnificat.  That’s the song that Mary sang when she went to see her cousin Elizabeth.  After the baby in Elizabeth’s womb hears Mary’s voice and does a little jig Mary rejoices and says,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

So far so good. Mary, however, then goes on to say something very provocative and radical. It makes me a little uncomfortable every time I hear it. How about you?  Mary says,

“…his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

  …he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their heart;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;              

he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”

If you think that sounds a little provocative and radical you’re right.  It’s so provocative and radical that back in the early 1940’s the Archbishop of Canterbury refused to allow English missionaries in India to read the Magnificat in public.  He was afraid that it might start a revolution.

The Magnificat makes it very clear.  The birth of the Christ child is all about shaking things up and if you think about it that’s what happens in many of those Christmas specials that you’ve been watching on television for years. For example, everyone laughs at Charlie Brown and makes his life miserable before their world gets shaken up a bit and they realize that he’s right.  They realize that Christmas is too commercial.  Then there’s the  Grinch. He hates Christmas and all the Who’s until he meets little Cindy Loo Who.  Her constant love for the mean old Mr. Grinch shakes his world up and he discovers the true meaning of Christmas.  And don’t forget Ebenezer Scrooge. He has a bah humbug attitude until those Christmas ghosts shake his world up.  At last Scrooge sees the light and changes his miserly ways.

The Christ child came to shake things up but that’s not what we want.  We like our familiar routines.  We like things to be predictable and comfortable.  When you shake things up it means things are going to change; things are going to be different and that isn’t what most people want.

A minster found that out when shortly after he arrived at a new church.   In a conversation with one of the deacons he said that he was convinced that God brought him there to help bring the church into the 20^th century.   “Excuse me,” the deacon said but don’t you mean the 21^st century?”  The pastor shook his head and said, “One century at a time man.  One century at a time.”

He scatters the proud in the thoughts of their imagination.  He brings down the mighty and exalts those of humble estate.  He fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty.

So, here’s a question for you as you make your way through Advent. Do you want a Christmas full of nostalgia?  A Christmas that brings you back to the good old days and the way things used to be?  Or do you want a Christmas that shakes your world up a little? 

I guess I’m greedy because I want both.  I want the inner joy that I feel when I sing the old familiar carols.  I want the excitement that I feel when the angel says, “Behold I bring you tidings of great joy for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”

I want that but I also want the Christ child who came to shake things up.  I want the Christ child who challenges my pride and prejudices and privileges that contribute to a world where people die of starvation and live with racism and discrimination. I saw that Christ child many years ago while watching the Grammy Awards on television.  Do you remember the singer Helen Reddy?  She received a Grammy for her song, “I Am Woman.”   At the end of her acceptance speech she said something that was provocative and radical. The last thing she said was, “And most of all I want to thank God because SHE makes everything possible.”  I was so angry I felt like throwing something at the television.  That was 1971.  Today it doesn’t bother me.  Today I know that God isn’t an old man with a long white beard.

So when was the last time the Christ child shook your world up a little?  If you’re lucky it wasn’t too long ago.  If you’re lucky you can remember a moment where your sense of reality was upended like it was for the woman who was out doing her Christmas shopping.  She was tired of fighting the crowds, tired of standing in lines, tired of walking from store to store looking for a gift that had sold out the day after Thanksgiving. So, she wasn’t too happy when she got to an elevate with her arms full of packages and discovered that it was packed with people.  People grudgingly squeezed in a little more so she could get in as well.  As soon as the doors closed the woman blurted out exactly how she was feeling. “Whoever is responsible for this whole Christmas thing ought to be arrested, strung up, and shot!” There was a moment of tense silence before a single voice in the back of the elevator said, “Don’t worry.  They already crucified him.” 

My friends I hope you have a Merry Christmas where “the tree tops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow.  But I also hope you have a Magnificat Christmas where the Christ child shakes your world up a little.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes                                                                            

December 9, 2012