Muskoka Lakes Ministry of Knox, Port Carling & Zion, Torrance
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
Message: The Magnificat of Mary
Reverend John Young
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Announcements
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* We extend thanks to Rev. John Young for supplying the pulpit the month of December.
* Lectio Divina, Thursday evenings, 8pm via Zoom
* Rev Faith will be on holidays for the month of December. Rev John Young will be conducting worship.
* If you have a pastoral need during my time away, please leave a message on the church office answering machine (It will be checked daily), or contact one of the elders (Knox: Alf MacMillian 705-764-1654 / Edie Bard 705-645-6748 / Scott Murley 647-220-0475 / Cathy Vine 705-764-0320 / Ken Shortt 705-769-3239) and (Zion: Garnet Schenk 705-684-8498 / Inez Laycock 705-762-2075 / Robin Keeler 416-540-4324)
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Call to Worship ~ Advent Candle Lighting
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On the first three Sundays of Advent, we lit the candles of Hope, Peace and
Joy.
Today we light the candle of Love. We first think about God’s love …
unconditional, selfless, forgiving, kind, challenging, patient. Our task, as
people of faith, is to intentionally accept God’s love and then to live it,
daily, with others. God’s love empowers us to be loving!
The candle of Love.
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Prayer of Adoration & Confession
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God of hope peace, joy and love … thank you for these days ahead of Christmas to reflect upon your incredible willingness to walk with us daily and your amazing desire to save us from our own folly. Thank you for the millions of acts of kindness and love performed daily in the world in your name. Thank you that there are many signs of your goodness in the midst of a world such as ours. We look around and see much that needs changing and redeeming, yet your grace is evident, and your blessings are obvious.
We freely acknowledge our complicity in the chaos, fear, and hostility which are so evident in the world. We regularly ignore opportunities to be kind and gracious to others; we consistently fail to challenge sexism and racism; we often want you to clean up the world, O God, rather than take responsibility ourselves, with your help, to make a difference.
Relying on your promises in Christ, to forgive us completely and provide us with a new start, we claim your pardon and commit ourselves to following the example of Christ. In his name we pray. AMEN

Words of Assurance
The Christmas story reminds us again that God has already taken the
initiative to enter our world and our lives in order to bring us light and life,
not judgment or condemnation. In our Saviour we find complete
forgiveness and a new beginning. Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
Amen.
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Scripture
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Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
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Message
“ The Magnificat of Mary ”
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Luke’s Gospel begins with the notion that an “orderly account” of certain events surrounding one Jesus of Nazareth is being presented so that anyone reading it might know the “truth concerning these things.” Historical narrative is used to reveal truth.
Interestingly, the account of events about Jesus of Nazareth begins well before his birth with an old couple, getting on in years, who have no children ... our spiritual memories tell us this is no problem for God as we recall the story of Abraham and Sarah, among others. We are thus introduced to Elizabeth and Zechariah.
Zechariah works for God – he’s a priest in the temple, in Jerusalem ... and one day, while carrying out his duties ... an angel of God appears. The truth of the story is that God appears in the carrying out of our duties.
“Your prayers have been heard,” says the angel ... “you and Elizabeth are going to have a son ... name him John ... oh right, don’t be afraid ... and another thing, John will turn many Israelites back to God.” Zechariah asks the angel, “How will I know that this is so?” The angel berates him for doubting and tells Zechariah he will be mute until the eighth day after John is born ... that’s the day when Zechariah will have to name the child, according to the Jewish tradition.
Well, Elizabeth conceives and celebrates God’s gift in seclusion ... it is a quiet, humble celebration. We’ve started the story ... 26 verses so far and nothing about Jesus. God has been working well before Jesus arrives ... and the implication is that God will continue to work in Jesus’ life ... and continue working after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The truth is that God’s work is long term.
The same angel arrives back on earth when the aging Elizabeth is six months pregnant and this time, the angel visits the town of Nazareth ... and more precisely a woman living there named Mary, who is engaged to a man named Joseph. But instead of announcing the news of a baby and a birth to a man, to Joseph ... the angel deals directly with Mary. That’s not the politically correct way to do it. Yet, the truth is, God is not concerned about being conventional.
Mary is going to have a child out of wedlock, shameful in that society, but
favoured by God, says Luke. It’s going to be a boy … He’s going to be a king of sorts/the Son of the Most High/ruling an everlasting kingdom … Mary is to name him Jesus / usually that is the father’s place … “but how is this all going to happen?” asks Mary, “I’m a virgin.” The angel replies with a familiar saying, “that is no problem for God.” Zechariah was struck mute for asking … Mary is simply reassured.
And while you are thinking about that, says the angel, your aged relative Elizabeth is going to have a son too … and that was no problem for God either.
With quiet, faithful determination, Mary replies, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord.” The angel departs … and I wonder if May might have whispered under her breath, “Wait til Joseph finds out about this.”
According to the story, Mary sets out to check in with Elizabeth and Zechariah … and as they are talking, the child Elizabeth is carrying, gives a huge kick … and Elizabeth is filled with God’s Spirit and speaks about Jesus as her Lord. Another truth, God is working through an old woman, past her prime … and working through a young woman before her prime to usher into existence the messenger who will introduce the world to its Saviour. God chooses the unlikely to work the incredible.
And now, just to shift gears, a bit Mary begins to sing. We are shifting from what we thought was historical narrative … to liturgical praise. Some scholars argue that this whole first section of Like’s Gospel is more like prose … a slow unfolding of truth.
And what a hymn Mary sings! The first and last verses have the solid feel of O Come all ye Faithful. Not too loud, not too fast, but solid praise.
Vs 1 My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
For he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on, all generations shall call me blessed;
For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is his name.

God’s mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

Vs 3 God has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
According the promise he made to our ancestors,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.

Pretty nice ... solid mainstream theology ... God is gracious according to his
promises of old.

Now listen to verse 2
God 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.

All of a sudden praise becomes political ... the proud are scattered, the powerful are humbled, the rich are sent to the back of the line ... while the lowly are lifted up and the hungry are led to a banquet.
Some have called this the up-side-down part of the Gospel. God seems to side with the humble, the poor, and the hungry while the proud, the well-to-do, and the satisfied are removed from their pedestals. Fast forward to Jesus’ ministry ... his words of comfort are for those feel unworthy and his words of challenge are for those who thought they were worthy. Yet his grace is for everyone.

The salvation which God brings is scandalous, challenging, outrageous, shocking ... through an unmarried woman ... a child born in a barn ... who grows up to shower God’s grace upon the undeserving and who pronounces God’s judgment upon the obviously religious ... this Jesus is killed as a criminal ... and yet the claim is that he is risen and is also mysteriously Divine ... And there’s no proof, no pictures, no signed depositions, no writing in the sky … just a bunch of things called churches where millions find strength, faith, blessings … and through those churches millions are then sent to continue Jesus’ work of comforting the unworthy and feeding the hungry, challenging the powerful, and being gracious to everyone.
The Gospel declares that none are condemned, instead everyone is challenged and invited to be part of a revolution where everyone can attend the party and where the vulnerable and needy have the seats of honour, nearest to the food, and closest to the Host of the banquet. As we ready for this truth? AMEN
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Prayers of the People ~ Lord’s Prayer (sins)
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Thank you God for the excitement of this season … advent calendars to open, days to count down, presents to wrap, cards to send, decorations to put up, cookies to bake. Thank for the various ways we celebrate your love, and thank you for the ones we love, and those who love us. Help us spread hope and peace to others as we are able.
Thank you God for the ordinariness of this season … work to be done, snow to be shovelled, bills to be paid. Thank you that we may find your extraordinary love and blessings in ordinary, everyday things. And thank you God that the incredible gift of your loving presence still manages to find us in the ordinary moments of life. Help us to spread joy and love to others in these days.
Thank you God that in the sadness and difficulty of this season, you are present and holding us close to you. Loved ones are missed, covid19 restrictions require many people to change Christmas plans, joblessness affects so many, stressed out people suffer burnout. O God, we affirm that your silence is not to be mistaken for absence, that your subtlety is not to
be mistaken for lack of care. Reveal your quiet strength, bestow courage, grant a measure of peace to any who need it, and send us in to this day filled with your Spirit.
As a sign of our faith, and of our resolve to be a people of loving kindness, we now pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. AMEN
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Benediction
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In the midst of whatever life may be bringing to you, may you see God’s light, may
you experience God’s peace, may you know God’s joy … and may we all find
opportunities to spread God’s gifts around.
May the grace, mercy, and peace of Christ rest upon you, this day and always. AMEN
Merry Christmas!