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. 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 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, just as he promised our ancestors.” - Luke 1:46-55
We all need to feel we are part of something-some story-something larger. If we don't feel it, we will make one up or co-opt the story someone else is telling. For Mary, the first verses of her song reflect her realization that she was also a part of a story--God's story. I think there is always some point when we wonder whether the life we are living means anything-whether the troubles and triumphs of an human--one of the 36 billion humans who have ever lived and walked on planet Earth are significant or more than a breath destined to blow for a moment and then dissipate. After all, Scripture admonishes that we are mere fading flowers or withering grass.
That is why we struggle so hard to do something important. Mary could laugh at the "rulers" brought down and the rich "sent...away empty" because they missed it. But what was "it"? What then is the alternative? The alternative is to find our place within God's ongoing story--that God's story is our story too because we have joined him. That's what helped Mary, when she realized that the same story of Abraham and Israel she heard about in the synagogue Sabbath after Sabbath was also hers in a very real way.
I think we lack imagination. We can imaging aliens and fairies and improbable romance-triangles but we can't imagine how we are a part of God's plan right where we are today. I mean I have a wife and three kids and a job in tech and a house in the suburbs. How is that so significant? I mow my lawn, my neighbor mows their lawn. I'm no big deal. But because God is a big deal and I have hitched my wagon to Jesus, I'm a part of that big deal and every day is a chance to find out what that part means today.
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