Worship - 22 December 2024

Summary of this week's theme

During the four Sundays of Advent in Menorca, our themes - Listen, Speak, Persevere, Trust - invite us to reflect upon Mary, whose story in Luke’s Gospel embodies all of them. Mary listens attentively to the angel's astonishing message, speaks boldly in the Magnificat, perseveres through ridicule and danger, and trusts God even through the agony of the cross. Her spiritual journey, marked by uncertainty and faith, began with a precarious pregnancy.

As Mary set out to visit Elizabeth, she likely carried a swirl of emotions—fear, wonder, and hope. Elizabeth’s warm greeting, calling her “blessed,” affirmed Mary’s role in God’s plan. Elizabeth herself was living her own miraculous story, carrying a child in her later years. Their meeting provided mutual encouragement and reassurance, a testament to the power of community and affirmation.

Mary’s Magnificat is a song of protest and liberation, celebrating God’s justice for the oppressed. Its radical vision of upending power structures has inspired generations and even provoked suppression, as in colonial India. Like a psalm, the Magnificat connects Mary’s personal story with the broader promises to Abraham’s descendants, embracing the struggles and hopes of her community.

Mary’s story reminds us of the need to live out these Advent themes:

1. Listen to God through prayer, Scripture, and others, prioritizing understanding over reaction.
2. Speak with love, honesty, and boldness for justice and faith.
3. Persevere through trials with Christ as our model.
4. Trust in God’s plan, even amidst uncertainty, building trust within our communities through integrity and respect.

Mary did not exalt herself above her community but recognized and embraced it, seeing her role as part of God’s larger work. Similarly, we are called to weave Listen, Speak, Persevere, Trust into our community life, transforming relationships in alignment with Christ’s teachings.

Micah and Mary remind us that God often works through the lowly and unlikely—Mary, the young, unmarried woman, and Bethlehem, the “runt of the litter.” Christ’s coming challenges us to set aside ego, focus on building community, and embrace one another in compassion and justice. Mary’s radical song anticipates this vision, serving as a manifesto for Christ’s ministry and the church’s mission to be his body in the world.