For
the Psalm: Canticle 3 (Magnificat); Micah
5: 2–5a; Luke 1: 39–55
This
is the homily given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker
on Sunday, December 23, 2018.
“KNOWING GOD’S NATURE BY OBSERVING GOD’S ACTS
(PART I)”
(Homily texts: Micah 5: 2–5a & Luke 1: 39-55)
One
of the axioms of theology is the understanding that what we are able to know
about God’s nature we come to know by observing the things that God does. We do
this same sort of thing with each other: By watching what others do, we can
glean some information about their character and personality.
This
morning, we have two very familiar Scriptures before us: Our Old Testament reading comes to us from
the prophet Micah, which predicts Bethlehem’s future role in fulfilling God’s
promises. Our Gospel reading is the Blessed Virgin Mary’s song, better known by
its Latin title, the Magnificat..
At
first reading, these two passages may not seem to be connected by any common
theme. But upon closer examination, we can see this thread connecting the two:
God chooses to work through the lowly,
the least and the powerless.
The
minor prophet Micah may not be very familiar to us, although the passage we
hear from chapter five this morning is perhaps the most familiar part of the
entire book. We hear it regularly during Advent, and – at times – also at
Christmas services. Micah, working and prophesying during the eighth century
BC, foretells a time of God’s judgment upon God’s people for their wayward
ways. (Micah is apparently writing at the same general time as Isaiah, Hosea
and Amos.) The setting in Micah is the looming invasion of the Holy Land by the
Assyrians, who sweep into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and conquer it in the
year 722 BC. Micah tells God’s people that divine judgment awaits them.
But
in the midst of Micah’s dire warnings, there is good news: Out of Bethlehem will come one who will rule
God’s people, and there will be a time of peace.
Micah
describes Bethlehem as being “too little to be among the clans of Judah” (the
English Standard Version), or – as it is variously translated -“little among
the thousands of Judah” (the Authorized Version – also known as the King James
Version), or “one of the little clans of Judah” (New Revised Standard Version).
The
inescapable conclusion arising from Micah’s description of Bethlehem is that it
is a pretty insignificant place.
But
out of this “backwater” community will come one who will rule God’s people, one
who will usher in a time of peace.
Now,
let’s turn our attention to Luke’s report of Mary’s visit to her cousin,
Elizabeth, and – in particular – to Mary’s Song, the Magnificat.
Both
Elizabeth and Mary are pregnant. Each one of them has conceived despite the
seemingly unlikely possibility that either one could be a mother: Elizabeth had never been able to conceive a
child, and now, she is of an advanced age. Nonetheless, God grants her the
blessing of motherhood, and – we would do well to remember – the baby she is
carrying in her womb is John the Baptist. Mary has no husband. Nevertheless,
God does the impossible and acts to bring His Son into the world through Mary’s
obedience.
Mary
confirms the fact that she is among the lowly: The traditional language version
of the Magnificat contains this
phrase: “For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.” A contemporary
translation states this truth this way: “he has looked on the humble estate of
his servant.” (English Standard Version)
Though
we don’t know for sure, many scholars believe that Mary was a young teenager at
the time of Gabriel’s visit. In the culture of the Holy Land in those days,
marriage often took place during the teen years. One reason for this is the
fact that life was short, incredibly short, by modern standards. It wasn’t
uncommon for people to die at age 40 or so. So early marriages were essential
if the children were to be brought to maturity before their parents died.
In
addition, Mary is from a backwater place, Nazareth. In John 1:45, Nathanael
describes his regard for Nazareth when Philip told him about Jesus by saying,
“can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
It’s
possible to conclude that Mary is quite young. She is from “the other side of
the tracks”, Nazareth. And, she is most likely a poor person, too, judging from
the fact that she and Joseph offer the sacrifice that the Law of Moses provided
for the poorer classes, two pigeons, when Jesus was presented in the Temple.
(See Luke 2:24)
God
seems to choose the least likely persons and circumstances to do His will.
The
Scriptures offer us other examples of just this sort of divine action: A few examples will illustrate this truth: Jacob is the
younger brother of Esau, his twin. But it is Jacob through whom God chooses to
work. Joseph is the next-to-the-youngest son, not the oldest, of Jacob, but it
is through Joseph that God preserves His people during their exile in Egypt.
David is the youngest son of Jesse, but it is through David that God intends to
work. Likewise, Solomon is the youngest son of David, and it is he who is
remembered for his wisdom.
Oftentimes,
we might think that God will use the prominent, the powerful and the strong to
accomplish His purposes. But that would reflect the customary wisdom of the
world. It wouldn’t reflect the way that God often goes about doing things.
If
God can use the least and the lowest to make His ways known, then perhaps –
just perhaps – He could use even you and me to do His work.
AMEN.
