God Among the Dispensable (Luke 1:39-55)
The Magnificat is a song that speaks of reversal. Those in the front get a divine escort to the back of the line, and those in the back finally get to sit in the owner’s box. When the Messiah comes, those who’ve gotten used to warmth and comfort are going to be forced to do some serious prioritizing, just in order to get a baloney sandwich and stay out of the cold.
See, I knew this text was going to cause trouble. And that’s just the thing. I’m a fairly normal middle-class guy; I don’t deal in Molotov cocktails or hand-grenades. I’ve got two cars and a mortgage. I don’t need this.
But I read this, and I’m not so sure Mary isn’t talking about me. Frankly, it kind of scares me to read it out loud. I’ll tell you one thing: it sure doesn’t leave me humming, 'I’m dreaming of a White Christmas,' sucking on a candy cane to get the eggnog and garlic puffs off my breath.