The Magnificat
December 13, 2020
Anne Koerber
One of the lectionaries for today is the Magnificat from Luke:
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
~Luke 1:46-55
I chose to write about the Magnificat because it reminds me of one of the songs we sang in choir, back when we could sing together in church. Since I was raised a Unitarian, Jesus didn't mean much to me as a child (and I still struggle with understanding him as an adult). I was taught to think of the virgin birth as a "myth." But singing those words is always moving to me. Singing makes Mary's conception and pregnancy soul expanding (magnifying!) for me. The music allows even me, raised as I was, to hope for the coming Redeemer. It is so much harder to feel as if my soul could magnify the Lord, when I'm sitting voiceless in my living room! I imagine that each of us has some particular loss occurring because we can't safely meet in our building, nor safely practice our rituals.
Prayer: Holy One, I pray that during this time of Advent, we each find a way to feel closer to you, in spite of our losses, so that Your music may fill our souls with love.
