SERMONS

Luke 1:39-55

The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ

Church is a dangerous place. Bethany passes out worship bulletins and hugs, but perhaps, we should also be passing out hard hats with bright yellow signs of caution marked “Under Construction.” Church is a dangerous place for anything can happen.

Death, if the community plays it too safe.

Life, if the community knows who and what is at stake.

Church is a dangerous place. It is the only place recorded in Scripture where Jesus loses his temper and turns the tables of those who are cheating and leaving the poor out. Where did this Jewish carpenter of Nazareth get such a fierce passion for love, for God, for justice? From our instincts as women’s ways of knowing, it was from his mother, Mary, who knew who and what was at stake.

She sang.

Mary sang.

And because Mary sang at a time like this, she called others to sing. Mary gave others of faith the courage to sing.

I realize that it is almost Christmas, but how can Mary sing at a time like this?

Doesn’t she know our hearts are heavy by the economy?

Can she not tell that our souls want to magnify God, but they are burdened by the growing need we see in ourselves, in each other and in the world?

That our lives are overwhelmed by the pressures at home and at work.

That our uncertainty is still uncertain. How dare she sing at a time like this? How can she sing at a time like this? A peasant woman of Nazareth dares to sing and the world is still shocked by what she did. Pretending it did not happen. Hoping out of fear to be indifferent to her song. But you see Mary’s song is not simply about and for Mary.

When the slaves were liberated by the oppressive system under Pharaoh and they made a mass exodus to the wilderness in hopes of finding the Promised Land—Miriam, sister of Moses, their leader, dared to sing.

When the prophet Samuel was born and grew in faith in the temple, his mother Hannah dared to sing. When God called a shepherd boy named David to be king. The people, as recorded in the Psalms, sang. “Let us sing a new and joyful song!”

And when the kingdom of Judah and Israel fell and the people were sent into exile, the community dared to sing. Some asked, “How can we sing in a foreign land?”

And yet, the faithful, did sing. The people, even in exile, knew they had to sing, not their own song, but God’s song.

If not here—then where? If not now—then when? Tuesday of this week, on a cold and rainy day, in the middle of the busiest season of the year, I was invited as pastor of Bethany United Church of Christ to be the speaker at a gathering for Immigration Reform.

Congressman Luis Guttierez of Illinois had introduced a new comprehensive immigration reform bill that very morning. As one to two hundred people gathered at the Pike Place Market to respond, I was asked to arouse the community to awareness and to ask our Congressional delegates and the Senate to act and to act now. How could I say “Yes!” at a time like this?

How could I not. Could you speak and connect it to the Christians, the Jews and the Muslims as a faith leader, they asked, for those who could not be here?

I asked God, “What kind of song would that be?”

A song in which Jews, Christians and Muslims alike knew for their ancestors who held them together, brother Abraham and sisters Sarah and Hagar had to at one time emigrate to a new place—and hope the new country would be open and hospitable and receive them.

A nine years old boy who at first was too shy to speak, but whom we encouraged, reminded me why we have to sing and speak God’s song.

Fluent in both Spanish and English, the boy asked for Comprehensive Immigration Reform so he could see and be with his sisters and brothers, whom had been separated from him for nine years.

As Mary knew, our song cannot come from us out of nowhere.

Our song and our faith must come from the one who gives us a song to sing and a faith to grow, and that one is God in Jesus Christ.

Listen to Mary’s song: It is not written by Irving Berlin or Bing Cosby.

It was not safe but politically dangerous, if not subversive.

Authorities worried that the people’s song sung by Mary might incite the oppressed people to stand up. Mary’s song begins with words of gratitude and praise.

Then the song goes on, as recorded in Scripture, that God has brought down rulers from their thrones. Everyone at the time knew who the ruler was, King Herod, who also had been given the title “King of the Jews” by the Roman Empire.

“Herod knew how power worked. He connected with Julius Caesar until Caesar was killed, then convinced Mark Antony that he was on Antony’s side. When emperor Caesar Augustus overthrew Mark Antony, Herod said he had really

been on Caesar Augustus guy all along” “Many of Jesus’ stories were about people like his mother, Mary and her family who were peasants and every day workers whom Herod grew wealthy off their poverty.”

[from Living by the Word in the Christian Century].

It is in this context that Mary, a powerless, penniless, Jewish peasant girl sings God’s song. To Mary, the coming of Jesus was the foundation of desperate hope. To Herod, the coming of this Jesus was a sure catastrophe to be avoided at all costs and including genocide. And so, Mary sings: God has brought down the ruler, but lifted up the humble;

God has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

Scattered those who are proud in themselves, and yet, aware and present to the situation of God’s servant. That’s some amazing song! And yet, even though Mary dared to sing—Even though she found the faith, courage and strength to sing—There would be those who would not know what to do with God’s amazing song.

Did not know what to do with Mary! You ever feel that way? Yes, I have even had people in power come up to me, ever since junior high school and say, “We don’t know what to do with you?”

Mary sings but there is no place in the courtyards for her song, except out in the stable. She sings but her heart will be pierced, as Simeon and Anna foretell, as she and her son, Jesus, bring God’s vision to her people.

Mary sings even when her own son grows into a teenager—remember that one—and doesn’t tell her where he is when he chooses to remain in Jerusalem in the temple, listening and asking questions.

She sings even when her other children and she go to Jesus and he says to the community,”Who are my mother, my sisters, my brothers? Anyone who does what God wills is my brother, my sister and my mother. ”

Mary, mother of Jesus has to explain to her betrothed Joseph what God is doing. She gets on a donkey, travels miles upon miles away to be a good citizen, goes into labor in the middle of the night and gives birth in a stable and her son says, “Anyone who does what God wills is my mother!”

How can Mary still sing at a time like this?

Eventually, Mary realizes that saying Yes to God can bring on joyful havoc!

Amen!

There is no straight-forward, follow the dots, path here when it comes to a God who through Jesus Christ is reversing everything! Who is in. Who is out. Who the winners are; who the losers are.

As one writer states, “Mary seems to charge the world with having gotten things pretty much exactly wrong!” She will dare to sing and continue to sing all the way to the cross.

And unlike Peter, James and John and the rest of the twelve disciples—Mary does not abandon, withdraw, leave or run away.

She is there—watching, witnessing, wondering why—at the foot of the cross.

Because when the community eventually sings “Were You There”—she will sing and say, “Yes, I was here!”

Here in faith and community when it made a difference.

Here, even when times were hard—real hard for her people.

Here, when almost all hope was gone and we are desperate and in need of God to do something. Here, because as she sang this first song of praise and gratitude—when she dared to say Yes to God—when many would have said “No, thank you”—Mary will sing and it will be remembered, and written in the Scriptures as gospel. Her song will be passed on so that Jesus and all the people, you and I included, will know that with human beings it is impossible, but for God all things are possible. As the Bethany comes to Christmas and works towards God’s vision for Bethany in 2010. Remember, saying Yes to God can bring all kinds of havoc!

And yet, Bethany dared to sing when we opened our doors to the people in December of 2000. Bethany dared to sing when we had no Sunday school and God sowed the seeds for the congregation as five women here pregnant at the same time.

Bethany dared to sing when we did not own our own property in hopes that that day would soon come. So, how can we sing at a time like this?

Because we have sung and know God’s song.

Will we sing God’s song as Mary did?—where:

God has brought down the ruler, but lifted up the humble;

God has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

Scattered those who are proud in themselves, and yet, aware and present to the situation of God’s servant. Will we sing knowing 600 families need to be fed this week of Christmas by our Food Bank makes Christmas baskets for each?

Will we sing knowing there are refugees and immigrants and members in this community who need the Bethany Benevolent Fund to get through each week.

Will we sing as we have a vision for our core ministries and yet are aware that we will need money to support it.

For as the Rev. Alan Storey shares, “Jesus knew that money has the power to relocate our hearts – from a trust in God “to where our treasure is.” For Mary to sing and Jesus to speak of money matters was in fact another way of speaking about heart matters.”

Too many people right now and right here in this community and in the world depend on God’s song to be sung every day.

Will we come together and sing God’s song?

If Bethany cannot sing God’s song now, when can we?

If Bethany cannot sing God’s song here, where can we?

Mary, the mother of Jesus dared to sing. And because she sang God’s song at a time like this, she gives this community the courage to sing.

And who knows, by the grace of God, together in faith and community, God will make the impossible possible.