Revolutionary
His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
Luke 1:51-53
Mary’s song is nothing less than revolutionary. She recognised that God isn’t in the business of merely rearranging society but turning it upside down. The world, dominated by power and self-interest, isn’t in need of a few tweaks or some fine tuning. It needs to be fundamentally reordered. That was clearly true of Mary’s society, dominated by the highly organised and ruthless Roman Empire, but is no less true today.
Within just a few lines, this beautiful song takes us to the heart of Jesus’ ministry. It might have been thought that, since he was a king, Jesus would spend his time with the rich and influential. But right from the start of his ministry, he was surrounded by the poor and marginalised. Jesus’ first visitors were shepherds of all people! Shepherds spent their lives out in the countryside with their sheep. The opportunities for washing themselves were limited. As a consequence, they weren’t famous for their fragrant smells, to put it politely! Shepherds were often on the run from the authorities and, as far the Jewish law was concerned, they were unclean. But the heavenly choir visited them first of all and gave them the news of Jesus’ birth.
If God were to be given complete charge of our society, the result wouldn’t be simply an improvement in people’s manners. It would be a complete reordering of the economy and a restructuring of government. Everything would change. The lowest and least important of all would rise to the top and the powerful would be serving them.
We don’t have the power to turn society upside down, but that doesn’t mean a revolution can’t take place. It happens when we, individually, say our “yes” to God and as we share the revolution with our families and churches. Mary’s song is God’s revolutionary good news for
us today!
QUESTION
In what ways has God brought revolutionary change to your life?
PRAYER
Loving Father, thank you for sending Jesus and for the way in which he came to bring a completely new way of living to us all. Amen