Advent 4
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook, SERIES II
for use with Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
Comments on the Lessons
There is virtual consensus on the first reading which gives the promise of greatness to Bethlehem. There is consensus on the Hebrews reading. There is near consensus on the Lucan reading, with (C) including the Magnificat and (L) listing it as an additional reading.
Commentary
Micah 5:2-5a (C)
Micah 5:2-4 (L)
Micah 5:1-4 (RC)
This is a prophecy of the shepherd king who is to be the ruler of Israel, who will be born in lowly Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem. We are given a panoramic view in retrospect of the Hebrew monarchy. This is the only time a passage from Micah is used in the lectionary. Micah's prophetic ministry took place about 714 B.C., shortly before the Assyrian western campaign to Palestine in 711 B.C. Micah prophesied that Judah would be wiped out, but this did not happen, and so Micah seems to have been discredited. His closing words in these verses today are connected with the crisis of 701 B.C., when an Assyrian attack was materializing, and Sennacherib's armies seemed posed to destroy all of Judah. Most of Micah's public speaking was done immediately before 711 B.C. and 701 B.C., and his ministry was during 714-700 B.C.
Bethlehem is located five miles southwest of Jerusalem. Ephrathah refers to the specific region in which the village was located. This designation is used to distinguish Bethlehem from other towns of the same name, which means "house of bread." The average village at that time had a population of 1,000, and thus would be considered insignificant.
Micah is here incorporating the prophetic address (in the future tense) of God to Bethlehem during the period when David was being called to be king. Micah prophesied during the reigns of Ahaz and Hezekiah. Micah concentrated on denouncing Judah for its social evils, but did not speak much to Israel in the north. Micah's work was edited, and positive promises were added. This promise of the messianic king from Bethlehem is probably an addition by the editor. Micah seems to be speaking to conditions at the end of the Exile, when hopes ran high for the restoration of David's monarchy.
With the restoration of David's monarchy would come the return of the Jews who were scattered in exile among the nations. This would bring a unification of the Hebrew people.
In verse 4 we have a vivid image of the manner of the new king's rule. The late exilic expectation was that God himself was to rule as a good shepherd. But here God is expected to delegate his power to the coming king who would care for and feed his flock as God would do: "And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure ..." Strength and majesty would characterize this new monarchy. Instead of a theocracy in which God would rule directly, it would be a monarchy in which the divine right of the ruler would figure strongly.
"They shall dwell secure" (v. 4) indicates this rule will not come to a tragic end, but will continue through all time. The rule will extend to "the ends of the earth" and so the prophecy points to the dawning of one world in which all peoples would give allegiance to God's kingship.
Micah foretells peace (v. 5), which this coming king (man) would bring. Peace is "shalom" in Hebrew. Here it is the people who speak. The beginning of verse 5 could be translated "And this (one, the Messiah) shall be our salvation from Assyria." Peace or salvation means well-being, security from threat to the wholeness and prosperity of the nation. It is more than an absence of war and conflict, and is a positive condition of security and well-being. Isaiah associates peace with Messiah's reign when he refers to the prince of peace. (9:6) "Assyria" here is a code-name for whatever great power threatens Judah from the north, and the name continued to be used after the historical Assyrian empire fell. "Shepherd" is frequently used in its sense of "ruler" as it is here.
Christians have seen the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy in the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 2:6)
Hebrews 10:5-10
There is a quotation from Psalm 40:6-8 from the Septuagint which involves a mistranslation on which the writer of Hebrews builds his argument. The Psalm in the English translation from Hebrew reads: "Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire; but thou hast given me an open ear," (literally: "ears thou hast dug for me"). The Greek translation of the Hebrew substitutes the word "body" for "ears," and this is the pivot of the argument. The Psalmist says that God has given him ears to hear the divine instruction to do the will of God, instead of relying upon sacrifices. The author of Hebrews found "soma" in his Greek text and developed his argument that Jesus came with his body to do God's will, namely to die for the sins of all human beings. Although the Septuagint mis-translated the Hebrew text it did not alter its general sense. The Greek text meant almost what the original Hebrew had meant, namely that there was a sacrifice which answered to the will of God as no animal sacrifice possibly could. The writer of Hebrews takes the will of God as requiring some sacrifice.
Notice that the point of the writer's argument here is not to contrast between animal sacrifices and moral obedience to the will of God. Rather it is a contrast between the death of an animal, which cannot enter into the meaning of what is being done, and the death of Jesus, which means the free acceptance by Jesus of all that God demands for the expiation of sin. Thus, for the author, to do the will of God is a sacrificial action. For Jesus this involved his atoning death on the cross. This is the thought underlying the author's exposition and application of Psalm 40:6-8 in verses 8-10.
Note that in verse 8 "above" or higher up in the quotation refers to verse 6. The language and meaning are clear. In verse 9 the general meaning is that Jesus entered the world fully aware that the various sacrifices of the Law were ineffective as a means of atonement, and was willing and ready to offer himself as a sacrifice in order to carry out the redeeming work of God. God willed to bring his people into close relationship with himself: "For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering." (2:10) This called for a sacrifice, which the body of Christ could provide. The divine will has achieved in the single sacrifice of Christ what the Law could not do. By what Jesus suffered in his body, and not by sacrifices of animals, we have been sanctified. (v. 10) James Denny in his classic, The Death of Christ, has written: "Christ did not come into the world to be a good man: it was not for this that a body was prepared for him. He came to be a great High Priest, and the body was prepared for him, that by the offering of it he might put sinful men for ever into the perfect religious relation to God." (p. 234)
The whole life of Jesus was a life of commitment and dedication, and the cross is the climax and culmination of that life. His was a life totally dedicated to the will of God. Thus sacrifice is abolished in the sense that the scaffolding is taken down when the building is completed, or the temporary bridge is taken down when the permanent one is completed. Animal sacrifice had been useful, but it represented a misunderstanding. Now Jesus in his body has completed that which was only foreshadowed by animal sacrifice: atonement with God by the death of Jesus once for all.
Luke 1:39-55 (C)
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) (L)
Luke 1:39-45 (RC)
We have in 1:39-56 a transition between Episode I, containing annunciations of John and Jesus
(1:5-38), and Episode II, which contains the birth I early lives of John the Baptizer and Jesus.
(1:57--2:52) It consists of two hymns. (vv. 42-45 and vv. 46-55) In the first hymn Elizabeth eulogizes Mary as an ideal believer, while in the second hymn Mary clarifies the connection between what God has done for one individual and what he will do for the structures of society in general.
There is a narrative which introduces Elizabeth's hymn (vv. 39-41) and sets the stage for the events that follow. Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and Elizabeth's baby leaps in her womb. Genesis 25:21-23 is the account of the movement of Rebecca's children. The notion set forward is that the movement of the unborn baby foreshadows his future lot and that of Jesus. The story of John shows him as a prophet from before his birth, and as a witness or forerunner, already pointing to Jesus. The point is that the Gospel events began in the context of a great revival of prophetic inspiration.
Elizabeth refers to Mary as "the mother of my Lord" and as one blessed for her acceptance in faith of Jesus' promise. She is an inspired prophetess as she foresees the role of the unborn babe, Jesus, as Lord.
The hymn has a twofold congratulation in verse 42 and again in verse 45 and each is followed with the explanation for Mary's being blessed. Even while yet in the womb, John recognizes the messianic Lord. This witnesses to the fulfillment of Gabriel's prophecy to Mary in 1:31-33, 35.
Mary is congratulated because of her response to God's word as described in verse 45: "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." Note carefully that Luke is setting forth Mary as the model disciple: one who hears and believes God. This is Luke's distinctive understanding of Mary found throughout the narrative.
Augustine said that Mary who was full of faith conceived Christ first in her heart and then in her womb. Mary's belief in God's promises led to an absolute surrender to the divine purpose. Mary is pictured by Luke as the prototype of the Christian believer. She hears God's word, holding it fast with a sincere heart: "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." (2:19) Mary's response to the angel Gabriel's announcement is again the ideal response to God's word: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (1:38) This is not self-knowledge or insight, both prized by the Gnostics, but self-surrender and abandonment to God's will which make up true discipleship.
Mary's hymn in verses 46-55 is called "The Magnificat," from the first Latin word in the hymn, which means "magnifies." While some old Latin manuscripts claim it was the song of Elizabeth, the overwhelming textual evidence cites Mary as the singer. It contains two stanzas which praise God for his mercy: verses 46-50, and verses 51-55. Note that verses 49-50 and verses 54-55 speak of God's mercy and signal the end of their stanzas.
The hymn as a whole looks back to Hannah's song (1 Samuel 2:1-10), and has other Old Testament references. Verse 48b recalls Genesis 30:13, and verse 50 recalls Psalm 10:4 of the Psalms of Solomon. An important aspect of the hymn is found in verse 55, which links the fulfillment of the Messianic hope to God's covenant made with Abraham and his posterity.
The first stanza speaks of God's mighty act for one woman only. The emphasis is on the gracious initiative of God. Notice that the virgin sings only of her low estate (v. 48) and the grace of God which came upon her in a way beyond any meriting on her own part. (v. 45) The thrust of the first stanza is thus God's grace for Mary, a grace to which she responded in faith.
The second stanza (verses 51-55) goes beyond the God/Mary relationship to speak of God's social revolution through eschatological reversal. God's regard for the lowly estate of one woman, Mary, becomes the sign of God's eschatological act for the whole world. The greater event is hidden in the small event! Notice however, that Luke's conception of God's social revolution is not the perfection of human beings by their own striving. Rather it is the result of divine activity. God breaks into human history on the Last Day. Mary's song reflects her confidence in God's final victory over evil and the reversal of human values. One clue to get at the meaning of verses 51-55 is that Mary follows prophetic precedence and uses verbs in the past tense ("he has shown strength," "he has scattered," "he has put down," "he has filled," "he has helped," etc.) to describe future acts of God.
The fact that God has already acted for Mary in the present gives such an assurance that he will act in the future that the future can be spoken of as it has already occurred. Paul does a similar thing in Romans 8:28-30 when he speaks of predestination and justification in the past, but also of the Christian's glorification, which is an event yet in the future, because he is so certain of its reality.
In order to read the Magnificat in the thought pattern of Luke, we must see in it an individual's (Mary's) experience of God's ultimate grace as a prototype of the manner in which God will ultimately work in the world in general.
The social and political implications of the Magnificat for today's world are borne out by the decree of the Argentine government, a few years ago, which outlawed the reading of the Magnificat in public! Mary's song is not just a sweet poem, but social and political dynamite! The preacher would do well to show its implications for the injustices of the world in which we live, and in which God is at work to bring in his kingdom. But it must be understood that according to Luke only God can achieve a just society at the Last Day.
A contemporary ethicist, Stanley Hauerwas, has commented with keen insight on this issue: "The church therefore does not fulfill her social responsibility, by attacking directly the social structures of society, but by being itself it indirectly has a tremendous significance for the ethical form of society." (p. 212, Vision and Virtue, Notre Dame: Fides Publishers, 1974) As we will see in future chapters of Luke, Jesus and the disciples fulfill their ministry by being an example, a creative minority, a witness to God's saving grace, not by being another power block among others.
Theological Reflections
Micah gives a prophecy of a coming shepherd king from Bethlehem whom Christians see fulfilled in Jesus. This prophecy ties in with the Lucan passage in which Mary visits Elizabeth and Mary speaks the Magnificat, foretelling the mighty work of God in fulfilling his covenant made with Abraham. God shows mercy to Mary in her lowly estate, and speaks of the future revolution by God as if it had already occurred. Hebrews centers on the saving work of Christ in his body, offered as a sacrifice for sin, once for all. By his sacrifice Christ fulfilled what the Law could not. Jesus' death on the cross broke the power of evil and inaugurated the coming revolution, which Mary describes in past tense (but which will come at the End). Then Christ will reign in power and glory as the messianic king foretold by Micah.
Homiletical Moves
Micah 5:2-5a (C)
Micah 5:2-4 (L)
Micah 5:1-4 (RC)
The Shepherd King Jesus
1. From Bethlehem came the ruler in Israel, Jesus
2. Jesus stood and fed his flock in the strength of the Lord
3. Those who enter Jesus' kingdom by faith shall dwell securely
4. He shall bring peace and he shall be great to the ends of the earth
5. Let the Shepherd King be born in your heart today!
Hebrews 10:5-10
We Have Been Sanctified by the Offering of Christ's Body
1. God has not taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings under the Law
2. Jesus came to do the will of his Father
3. In doing the will of God, Jesus gave his body as a sacrifice for the sins of the world
4. Put your trust in this Living Christ who made a sacrifice once for all to sanctify us
Luke 1:39-55 (C)
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) (L)
Luke 1:39-45 (RC)
Mary, the Model Disciple
1. God gave his grace to Mary while in a lowly estate
2. God gave Mary a great task as a disciple
3. Mary responded in faithful obedience
4. Follow the example of Mary in surrendering your life to God and holding fast God's Word in your heart
Hymn for Advent 4: O Little Town of Bethlehem
Prayer
O God, who has promised a ruler of Israel who will feed his flock like a shepherd, we thank you for fulfilling your promise in Jesus, the Good Shepherd who feeds us with spiritual food. Thank you for his offering his body as a sacrifice once for all for the sins of the world. We trust in his death for our sanctification. Teach us to be faithful, obedient disciples after the example of Mary who heard and humbly obeyed your word. May we rejoice in you who has seen our low estate and been merciful to us. We look to the coming End of the age when you will scatter the proud and put down the mighty while exalting those of low status. May we be found faithfully doing your will when Christ returns at the End of the age. Amen
There is virtual consensus on the first reading which gives the promise of greatness to Bethlehem. There is consensus on the Hebrews reading. There is near consensus on the Lucan reading, with (C) including the Magnificat and (L) listing it as an additional reading.
Commentary
Micah 5:2-5a (C)
Micah 5:2-4 (L)
Micah 5:1-4 (RC)
This is a prophecy of the shepherd king who is to be the ruler of Israel, who will be born in lowly Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem. We are given a panoramic view in retrospect of the Hebrew monarchy. This is the only time a passage from Micah is used in the lectionary. Micah's prophetic ministry took place about 714 B.C., shortly before the Assyrian western campaign to Palestine in 711 B.C. Micah prophesied that Judah would be wiped out, but this did not happen, and so Micah seems to have been discredited. His closing words in these verses today are connected with the crisis of 701 B.C., when an Assyrian attack was materializing, and Sennacherib's armies seemed posed to destroy all of Judah. Most of Micah's public speaking was done immediately before 711 B.C. and 701 B.C., and his ministry was during 714-700 B.C.
Bethlehem is located five miles southwest of Jerusalem. Ephrathah refers to the specific region in which the village was located. This designation is used to distinguish Bethlehem from other towns of the same name, which means "house of bread." The average village at that time had a population of 1,000, and thus would be considered insignificant.
Micah is here incorporating the prophetic address (in the future tense) of God to Bethlehem during the period when David was being called to be king. Micah prophesied during the reigns of Ahaz and Hezekiah. Micah concentrated on denouncing Judah for its social evils, but did not speak much to Israel in the north. Micah's work was edited, and positive promises were added. This promise of the messianic king from Bethlehem is probably an addition by the editor. Micah seems to be speaking to conditions at the end of the Exile, when hopes ran high for the restoration of David's monarchy.
With the restoration of David's monarchy would come the return of the Jews who were scattered in exile among the nations. This would bring a unification of the Hebrew people.
In verse 4 we have a vivid image of the manner of the new king's rule. The late exilic expectation was that God himself was to rule as a good shepherd. But here God is expected to delegate his power to the coming king who would care for and feed his flock as God would do: "And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure ..." Strength and majesty would characterize this new monarchy. Instead of a theocracy in which God would rule directly, it would be a monarchy in which the divine right of the ruler would figure strongly.
"They shall dwell secure" (v. 4) indicates this rule will not come to a tragic end, but will continue through all time. The rule will extend to "the ends of the earth" and so the prophecy points to the dawning of one world in which all peoples would give allegiance to God's kingship.
Micah foretells peace (v. 5), which this coming king (man) would bring. Peace is "shalom" in Hebrew. Here it is the people who speak. The beginning of verse 5 could be translated "And this (one, the Messiah) shall be our salvation from Assyria." Peace or salvation means well-being, security from threat to the wholeness and prosperity of the nation. It is more than an absence of war and conflict, and is a positive condition of security and well-being. Isaiah associates peace with Messiah's reign when he refers to the prince of peace. (9:6) "Assyria" here is a code-name for whatever great power threatens Judah from the north, and the name continued to be used after the historical Assyrian empire fell. "Shepherd" is frequently used in its sense of "ruler" as it is here.
Christians have seen the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy in the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 2:6)
Hebrews 10:5-10
There is a quotation from Psalm 40:6-8 from the Septuagint which involves a mistranslation on which the writer of Hebrews builds his argument. The Psalm in the English translation from Hebrew reads: "Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire; but thou hast given me an open ear," (literally: "ears thou hast dug for me"). The Greek translation of the Hebrew substitutes the word "body" for "ears," and this is the pivot of the argument. The Psalmist says that God has given him ears to hear the divine instruction to do the will of God, instead of relying upon sacrifices. The author of Hebrews found "soma" in his Greek text and developed his argument that Jesus came with his body to do God's will, namely to die for the sins of all human beings. Although the Septuagint mis-translated the Hebrew text it did not alter its general sense. The Greek text meant almost what the original Hebrew had meant, namely that there was a sacrifice which answered to the will of God as no animal sacrifice possibly could. The writer of Hebrews takes the will of God as requiring some sacrifice.
Notice that the point of the writer's argument here is not to contrast between animal sacrifices and moral obedience to the will of God. Rather it is a contrast between the death of an animal, which cannot enter into the meaning of what is being done, and the death of Jesus, which means the free acceptance by Jesus of all that God demands for the expiation of sin. Thus, for the author, to do the will of God is a sacrificial action. For Jesus this involved his atoning death on the cross. This is the thought underlying the author's exposition and application of Psalm 40:6-8 in verses 8-10.
Note that in verse 8 "above" or higher up in the quotation refers to verse 6. The language and meaning are clear. In verse 9 the general meaning is that Jesus entered the world fully aware that the various sacrifices of the Law were ineffective as a means of atonement, and was willing and ready to offer himself as a sacrifice in order to carry out the redeeming work of God. God willed to bring his people into close relationship with himself: "For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering." (2:10) This called for a sacrifice, which the body of Christ could provide. The divine will has achieved in the single sacrifice of Christ what the Law could not do. By what Jesus suffered in his body, and not by sacrifices of animals, we have been sanctified. (v. 10) James Denny in his classic, The Death of Christ, has written: "Christ did not come into the world to be a good man: it was not for this that a body was prepared for him. He came to be a great High Priest, and the body was prepared for him, that by the offering of it he might put sinful men for ever into the perfect religious relation to God." (p. 234)
The whole life of Jesus was a life of commitment and dedication, and the cross is the climax and culmination of that life. His was a life totally dedicated to the will of God. Thus sacrifice is abolished in the sense that the scaffolding is taken down when the building is completed, or the temporary bridge is taken down when the permanent one is completed. Animal sacrifice had been useful, but it represented a misunderstanding. Now Jesus in his body has completed that which was only foreshadowed by animal sacrifice: atonement with God by the death of Jesus once for all.
Luke 1:39-55 (C)
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) (L)
Luke 1:39-45 (RC)
We have in 1:39-56 a transition between Episode I, containing annunciations of John and Jesus
(1:5-38), and Episode II, which contains the birth I early lives of John the Baptizer and Jesus.
(1:57--2:52) It consists of two hymns. (vv. 42-45 and vv. 46-55) In the first hymn Elizabeth eulogizes Mary as an ideal believer, while in the second hymn Mary clarifies the connection between what God has done for one individual and what he will do for the structures of society in general.
There is a narrative which introduces Elizabeth's hymn (vv. 39-41) and sets the stage for the events that follow. Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth and Elizabeth's baby leaps in her womb. Genesis 25:21-23 is the account of the movement of Rebecca's children. The notion set forward is that the movement of the unborn baby foreshadows his future lot and that of Jesus. The story of John shows him as a prophet from before his birth, and as a witness or forerunner, already pointing to Jesus. The point is that the Gospel events began in the context of a great revival of prophetic inspiration.
Elizabeth refers to Mary as "the mother of my Lord" and as one blessed for her acceptance in faith of Jesus' promise. She is an inspired prophetess as she foresees the role of the unborn babe, Jesus, as Lord.
The hymn has a twofold congratulation in verse 42 and again in verse 45 and each is followed with the explanation for Mary's being blessed. Even while yet in the womb, John recognizes the messianic Lord. This witnesses to the fulfillment of Gabriel's prophecy to Mary in 1:31-33, 35.
Mary is congratulated because of her response to God's word as described in verse 45: "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." Note carefully that Luke is setting forth Mary as the model disciple: one who hears and believes God. This is Luke's distinctive understanding of Mary found throughout the narrative.
Augustine said that Mary who was full of faith conceived Christ first in her heart and then in her womb. Mary's belief in God's promises led to an absolute surrender to the divine purpose. Mary is pictured by Luke as the prototype of the Christian believer. She hears God's word, holding it fast with a sincere heart: "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." (2:19) Mary's response to the angel Gabriel's announcement is again the ideal response to God's word: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (1:38) This is not self-knowledge or insight, both prized by the Gnostics, but self-surrender and abandonment to God's will which make up true discipleship.
Mary's hymn in verses 46-55 is called "The Magnificat," from the first Latin word in the hymn, which means "magnifies." While some old Latin manuscripts claim it was the song of Elizabeth, the overwhelming textual evidence cites Mary as the singer. It contains two stanzas which praise God for his mercy: verses 46-50, and verses 51-55. Note that verses 49-50 and verses 54-55 speak of God's mercy and signal the end of their stanzas.
The hymn as a whole looks back to Hannah's song (1 Samuel 2:1-10), and has other Old Testament references. Verse 48b recalls Genesis 30:13, and verse 50 recalls Psalm 10:4 of the Psalms of Solomon. An important aspect of the hymn is found in verse 55, which links the fulfillment of the Messianic hope to God's covenant made with Abraham and his posterity.
The first stanza speaks of God's mighty act for one woman only. The emphasis is on the gracious initiative of God. Notice that the virgin sings only of her low estate (v. 48) and the grace of God which came upon her in a way beyond any meriting on her own part. (v. 45) The thrust of the first stanza is thus God's grace for Mary, a grace to which she responded in faith.
The second stanza (verses 51-55) goes beyond the God/Mary relationship to speak of God's social revolution through eschatological reversal. God's regard for the lowly estate of one woman, Mary, becomes the sign of God's eschatological act for the whole world. The greater event is hidden in the small event! Notice however, that Luke's conception of God's social revolution is not the perfection of human beings by their own striving. Rather it is the result of divine activity. God breaks into human history on the Last Day. Mary's song reflects her confidence in God's final victory over evil and the reversal of human values. One clue to get at the meaning of verses 51-55 is that Mary follows prophetic precedence and uses verbs in the past tense ("he has shown strength," "he has scattered," "he has put down," "he has filled," "he has helped," etc.) to describe future acts of God.
The fact that God has already acted for Mary in the present gives such an assurance that he will act in the future that the future can be spoken of as it has already occurred. Paul does a similar thing in Romans 8:28-30 when he speaks of predestination and justification in the past, but also of the Christian's glorification, which is an event yet in the future, because he is so certain of its reality.
In order to read the Magnificat in the thought pattern of Luke, we must see in it an individual's (Mary's) experience of God's ultimate grace as a prototype of the manner in which God will ultimately work in the world in general.
The social and political implications of the Magnificat for today's world are borne out by the decree of the Argentine government, a few years ago, which outlawed the reading of the Magnificat in public! Mary's song is not just a sweet poem, but social and political dynamite! The preacher would do well to show its implications for the injustices of the world in which we live, and in which God is at work to bring in his kingdom. But it must be understood that according to Luke only God can achieve a just society at the Last Day.
A contemporary ethicist, Stanley Hauerwas, has commented with keen insight on this issue: "The church therefore does not fulfill her social responsibility, by attacking directly the social structures of society, but by being itself it indirectly has a tremendous significance for the ethical form of society." (p. 212, Vision and Virtue, Notre Dame: Fides Publishers, 1974) As we will see in future chapters of Luke, Jesus and the disciples fulfill their ministry by being an example, a creative minority, a witness to God's saving grace, not by being another power block among others.
Theological Reflections
Micah gives a prophecy of a coming shepherd king from Bethlehem whom Christians see fulfilled in Jesus. This prophecy ties in with the Lucan passage in which Mary visits Elizabeth and Mary speaks the Magnificat, foretelling the mighty work of God in fulfilling his covenant made with Abraham. God shows mercy to Mary in her lowly estate, and speaks of the future revolution by God as if it had already occurred. Hebrews centers on the saving work of Christ in his body, offered as a sacrifice for sin, once for all. By his sacrifice Christ fulfilled what the Law could not. Jesus' death on the cross broke the power of evil and inaugurated the coming revolution, which Mary describes in past tense (but which will come at the End). Then Christ will reign in power and glory as the messianic king foretold by Micah.
Homiletical Moves
Micah 5:2-5a (C)
Micah 5:2-4 (L)
Micah 5:1-4 (RC)
The Shepherd King Jesus
1. From Bethlehem came the ruler in Israel, Jesus
2. Jesus stood and fed his flock in the strength of the Lord
3. Those who enter Jesus' kingdom by faith shall dwell securely
4. He shall bring peace and he shall be great to the ends of the earth
5. Let the Shepherd King be born in your heart today!
Hebrews 10:5-10
We Have Been Sanctified by the Offering of Christ's Body
1. God has not taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings under the Law
2. Jesus came to do the will of his Father
3. In doing the will of God, Jesus gave his body as a sacrifice for the sins of the world
4. Put your trust in this Living Christ who made a sacrifice once for all to sanctify us
Luke 1:39-55 (C)
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) (L)
Luke 1:39-45 (RC)
Mary, the Model Disciple
1. God gave his grace to Mary while in a lowly estate
2. God gave Mary a great task as a disciple
3. Mary responded in faithful obedience
4. Follow the example of Mary in surrendering your life to God and holding fast God's Word in your heart
Hymn for Advent 4: O Little Town of Bethlehem
Prayer
O God, who has promised a ruler of Israel who will feed his flock like a shepherd, we thank you for fulfilling your promise in Jesus, the Good Shepherd who feeds us with spiritual food. Thank you for his offering his body as a sacrifice once for all for the sins of the world. We trust in his death for our sanctification. Teach us to be faithful, obedient disciples after the example of Mary who heard and humbly obeyed your word. May we rejoice in you who has seen our low estate and been merciful to us. We look to the coming End of the age when you will scatter the proud and put down the mighty while exalting those of low status. May we be found faithfully doing your will when Christ returns at the End of the age. Amen
