“The Magnificence of God” – Luke 1:46-56 – December 10, 2006

There is a new Christmas film out this year starring Tim Allen. It’s called Santa Claus III. At the risk of telling you the plot, I want to share one particular scene. The bad guy in the movie has turned the North Pole into a profit making venture. Christmas has been completely exploited and Tim Allen is devastated and says, “Christmas is out of control.”

Is Christmas out of control? It’s no secret that it has become a commercial enterprise as the financial success of many department stores depends on holiday sales to keep them in the black. Then there’s all the glitter, decorations, activities, etc. We hear the song, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” but is it really? Then there are all those crazy songs like, “Grandma got run over by a reindeer,” or “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

I was in store the other day and I noticed that they had put a nativity display on a bench. My first thought was that baby Jesus has been benched. Perhaps Jesus is no longer a player. Christ has become sidelined. Christmas is so out of control one wonders if it is possible to rescue it. Perhaps the true meaning of Christmas is so overshadowed by commercialism that it will never recover. What should we do to take back control of God’s most sacred event?

Our scripture today is known as the Magnificat. It is the song that Mary sang as a response to the news that she would give birth to the son of God. It is a song from the heart in which she sings, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

I believe one thing we can do to reclaim the true meaning of Christmas is to sing from the heart of the greatness of God. We forget that God chose Mary, a poor, powerless, young woman to be the mother of His son. Mary’s marriage was pre-arranged. She had no hope of living her own life. She was totally dependent on others for her future. However, God used this insignificant person, a Galilean peasant as an instrument of grace. What the story of Mary illustrates is that God can bring goodness into the world with the most humble and powerless people in society.

If God can use someone like Mary do something extraordinary then God can make ordinary folks like you and me, do extraordinary things as well. A few weeks ago I received an email from a man in Taiwan. He is the editor of a Christian devotional publication. He wanted my permission to include one of my Christmas sermons that was on line, in his publication. He went on to say that the sermon would be translated into Chinese and distributed to millions of people in China. I have never written a book, and I am certainly not a famous theologian. I have never thought of myself as a missionary, but to have one of my messages circulated in a country with billions of people is beyond my wildest imagination.

God can use anyone as an instrument of his hope and love. God’s servants can arise above the most powerful and popular and do great things like bringing a savior into our midst. The things God can do through us are simply amazing.

Secondly, Mary was affirmed by Elizabeth. I’m not sure that we fully appreciate the role of Elizabeth in this story. Mary was not only a Galilean and poor, she was pregnant. She had no rights and privileges and society would have seen her as shameful. But, Elizabeth empathizes with Mary and sees God working in her life. “Blessed are you among women,” she proclaims.

Too often, we are quick to criticize others, because they are different or because they are less important than we are. However, God wants us to see God in others. Wonderful things can happen when we affirm how God is working in the lives of others. Speaking of films, in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George is affirmed for his acts of kindness and that enables him to recover from his despair.

Theodor was an artist of sorts. He drew cartoons for a living but he wasn’t getting anywhere. So, he decided to try his hand at writing and illustrating children’s books. After twenty-seven rejections of his book, “A Story No One Can Beat,” he was ready to give up. On his way home to burn his manuscript, Theodor ran into an old schoolmate who had just been hired as a children’s book editor at Vanguard Press. He suggested that Theodor change his title. The name of his book was, “To think it Began on Mulberry Street.” Fortunately it finally made it to press.

Thus began the career of the best-selling children’s author of all time, Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. In addition to winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1984, he was also awarded eight honorary degrees. When Dr. Seuss died at the age of 87, his books had sold more than 200 million copies. What made the difference was a kind suggestion and little encouragement from an old friend.

Are you able to see God working in the lives of people you don’t like? Is there someone you know who needs a little affirmation and unconditional love? The things God can do are simply amazing.

Third, we can also do what Mary did; resolve to “let it be.” In other words, we can trust that God is still in control even though it appears that Christmas is out of control. A key moment in Santa Claus III is when the little girl, who plays Tim Allen’s niece, has to put her trust in him. And, it is because she trusts that goodness prevails over evil.

Mary has no idea why she is chosen. She is totally mystified and overwhelmed of it all. But, rather than shrug it off, Mary moves forward in faith. She sings her song in response to the mission for which she has been chosen.

Some years ago I was the associate pastor at First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio. They had a tradition of singing the Sursum Corda at the beginning of communion. The senior pastor asked me to sing the first line and the congregation would respond in kind by singing the second. I was petrified. This was a downtown church which had many musicians and professional people. Although I had sung in church choirs I was never a soloist. But, he had faith in me and the organist patiently rehearsed with me. This was a totally new experience for me but I managed to get through it. Amazingly, the congregation responded to my singing and I have to confess it was very meaningful.

I believe that God wants us all to have faith like Mary, reaching deep within ourselves and singing from the heart. Christmas will likely never return to its humble origin and sacred beginning, but God wants us to keep trying. Since God can make great things happen through the life of a lowly, peasant woman, like Mary, God can make great things happen through each of us. All a person needs is a little encouragement and affirmation, just as Elizabeth gave to Mary. Then, we “let it be” and watch God do amazing things.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio