Tuesday, November 28, 2000

Read Luke 1: 46-55

"To Bring Good News"

In Isaiah 61:1, the prophet speaks of the one who is to come who will bring good news to the poor. In Luke 1, Mary declares that God's salvific act is commencing. We go from longing and hope to joyful anticipation of an event that is no longer just a promise: Get ready! The Savior is coming! After Jesus reads the Isaiah verse in the synagogue, the message is "The Savior is here!"

Hope is an essential quality for human survival. Hope and expectation can keep people going through dire circumstances. Many pastors and medical personnel have witnessed the phenomenon of the dying patient who holds on until a distant relative arrives to say goodbye, or until some unfinished business has been resolved or an important anniversary has been reached. Doctors who treat cancer patients agree that a key element in treatment is the patient's will to live, a belief that there is hope for survival. After a recent death in our congregation someone said to me, "It was a mistake to think that he could have survived a transplant; the odds were stacked against him." I replied, "But everyone has to have hope." It was hope that kept the Israelites going for centuries; it was a hope that defined them as a nation.

Some times when we wait a long time for our hope to be fulfilled, it is hard to recognize when it is realized. That's how I think it was for the Jews. They had waited so long, they had such fantasies about what the Messiah would be and do, that it was hard to recognize Jesus for who he was. The Pharisees were satisfied with the status quo, for they had power and authority. Mary's words are a condemnation and a threat to them. Mary's words are empowerment to the poor. --SFG

Thoughts for Meditation: How satisfied are you with your status quo? Where is your hope? Where do you see Christ at work in the world today?

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