G. Archer Frierson
Chair, Austin Seminary Board of Trustees
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Advent Devotional for December 15
• Luke 1:46-55
There is a misconception that the Magnificat is what Mary says to the angel when Gabriel delivered the news that she would be Theotokos, the God-bearer. But that’s not true; in the presence of the angel, Mary just humbly acquiesces to the divine plan (as if there were anything she could do to stop it). It all feels a little unfair: pregnant out of wedlock and too young to have had a life before betrothal, Mary is in no position to argue with angels. No, the Magnificat is Mary’s word to her cousin Elizabeth, who interprets the meaning of her impending motherhood: “a fulfillment of what was spoken by the Lord.”
But it’s Mary that does the real interpreting here. Somehow she sees deeper into the angel’s word than Elizabeth, maybe deeper even than the angel. She sees all the way to the turning of the world. The child kicking in her belly will soon enough kick over the tables in the temple, to make room for a new space for believing. The child nursing at her breast will soon enough feed the hungry on a Galilean hillside with the bread that leaves no one feeling empty ever again. The child whose presence inside her is the sign of the strength of God’s arm will soon enough stretch his arms on a cross in an embrace strong enough to enfold the whole world. The child whose birth unsettles Herod on his throne will soon enough claim his own throne on a hill. The child who fulfills the promise to Abraham’s descendants will soon enough open Abraham’s lineage to the whole human race. Mary sees the world turn.
After she delivers herself of this speech, Luke says, she stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went home to deliver the child. No testing the political waters for a campaign for office, no speechifying to fire up the base, no fund-raising letters or robo-calls. Just the quiet confidence that, once the Word is spoken, it does not return empty, but accomplishes all it was sent to do.
Like Mary, may we welcome your intrusions into our lives with joy. Amen.
The Reverend Dr. Paul Hooker
Associate Dean for Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.We hope that you are preparing the way for the Lord in your life as you read these meditations and prayers. And, we hope this Advent season is a meaningful one for you. Please know that Austin Seminary’s dedicated, diverse, and loving community of faith is not complete without you. Did you know?
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