Song of the heart, hope of the humble
26. December 2007 by BruceSmith.
Luke 1:46-55 reads,
And Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.”
I hit the pause button here, already, to highlight the foundation of Mary’s words which follow. Her song of praise to the Lord finds its strength in this opening line which focuses upon God’s mindfulness toward the humble. In humility, our being brought low, our recognition of our lowliness; we become ready for the entrance of God’s love and miraculous working in our lives. Without this humility in place we can have no hope to find God. He extends His power, grace, and wonder to those who admit need and who are open to underserved favor. This is, after all, what Christmas is about-the extending of underserved favor toward humanity.
The text continues,
“From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down the rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers.”
As we move past the Christmas season and look toward the New Year celebrations, I would like to call our attention to the need for a humble perspective, and a perspective of hope. Now that the buying and gift getting are out of the way, it is easy to run back to life as it was before the holiday. But if we do this we have missed the entire meaning of the season.
Fundamentally, Christmas is our call to recognize what Mary saw in the miracle of Christ’s birth—the wonder of God moving on our behalf. What we must see above all else about the Christmas celebration is that God is for us and desires to bring His love into our lives. He longs to make an entrance into our lives. We need only own up to our need of Him and our lack of ability to make this life what it ought to be.
What Mary’s Advent song reminds us of is the foundational issue of all life—it begins and ends with the Giver of life. We cannot, by our own effort or riches, make life what it is meant to be. When we attempt to find life beyond The Source of life itself, we arrogantly deceive ourselves and we come up wanting. However, in seeing the truth as Mary viewed it, we find that in our humility God lifts us up and provides a way for us to experience life to the full.
As we move forward to begin a New Year, let us be joyfully mindful that our help in the year ahead must come from God alone. If you are in need of a miracle on any level (spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, financially, medically…), bring your need to God. You cannot buy or power your way out of the need if you hope to experience the wondrous reality of the life of God. As Mary has reminded us, the arrogant He sends away, but the humble He raises up. He is able to perform mighty deeds and He longs to perform them in your life. Prepare your heart for the entrance of God. Don’t rely on your money, persuasion, power, privilege, manipulation, talent, good looks, intelligence, or fame. Rely upon the unmerited favor of a God who has acted, in Christ, on your behalf. He is the hope of the heart. He is the One thing for which we all ultimately long. He alone fills the void that persists. Don’t lose sight of the significance of Christmas in the year ahead. His love and active involvement in our lives brings the true holiday of the soul. This is a celebration that ought not end.
Merry Christmas, God’s favor in the New Year,
Bruce Smith
Optimuslife.org