The Great Reversal
December 16, 2011 4 Comments
During Advent this year I’ve been meditating on the Magnificat, the Song of Mary as she reflects on her pregnancy and the pivotal role her son will play in human history. For those not familiar with this piece (and even if you are familiar with it), this song of praise bears quoting. It is recorded in the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 1, verses 46-55:
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord! In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior. He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant. Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored because the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name. He shows mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors him as God. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations. He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed. He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.”
As we, too, prepare for the birth of Jesus, the Christian seasons of Advent and Christmas butt up against our culture’s celebration of christmas. I use lowercase lettering purposefully in the latter, because, of course, christmas as it is currently celebrated has very little to do with Christ or what he was about.
Now, this is not another polemic against the ridiculous “war on Christmas” that has some Christians up in arms. Whether one says “Merry Christmas” or puts up a nativity scene or lighted tree has very little to do with one’s relationship with the only begotten Child of God. God will not someday judge us on which holiday phrase we use to greet one another every December. In fact, the record of both Old and New Testaments seems to suggest that God is not all that interested in the little rituals of our so called holy days.
Rather, God has a radically different agenda in mind. Our celebration of Christmas usually consists of three things: the basest and most violent level of crass commercialism, keeping an accumulated mix of cultural and family traditions, and a vague spirit of wishing well to others (as long as they don’t interfere with our lives or what we want to buy). But Mary understand what God is up to. The imminent birth of Jesus, she realizes, means that the mighty one has done great things: he has scattered the proud, lifted up the lowly, filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty-handed.
Christmas begins the Great Reversal that is the Kingdom of God. The poor, the unemployed, the alien, the criminals, and the needy suddenly find themselves elevated to places of prominence, while the rich and powerful are dethroned. Humility becomes the route to greatness, and surrender the path to freedom. Turning the other cheek (refusing to defend ourselves) becomes the answer to violence. Shepherds (our socio-economic equivalent would be sanitation workers) and foreigners (who practiced astrology and probably didn’t even belong to the right religion!) get the news of the birth of the Savior before everyone else. Fishermen and revenue agents will become apostles and bishops. A homeless man will save the world. Everything that we thought mattered—our race, our religion, our bank accounts, our weapons—all are trumped by love, mercy, grace, humility. People with no hope suddenly have hope. Dying will be the route to new life. Arrest and execution as a criminal will lead to victory. And the Almighty God, King of the Universe, is born as a baby in a barn.
Everything we’ve ever thought about the way the world works is wrong. Everything we thought important is worthless. Jesus didn’t come to preserve our traditions, to honor our ludicrous use of wealth, or even to wish us greeting-card style “peace on earth.” He came to turn our world upside down, to upend all our values. He came to change everything. He came to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.
Advent and Christmas then, are rightfully times of celebration – but among other things we should celebrate that everything we thought we knew was wrong. Everything is different, everything is changed because of the baby born in Bethlehem. Thanks be to God!!
To help us get in the right mindset, I’d like to share a video that’s been floating around the internet. It captures the spirit of the Great Reversal, challenging all our assumptions. It’s a bit long (10 minutes), but absolutely worthwhile, and it will make you weep for joy.
Have a blessed Holiday Season!
Beautiful, friend. Thank you for this. There is a lovely canon of the Magnificat that is a labyrinth song for me. Circling song as I walk that circular path, encircling me and lifting me up even as the labyrinth grounds me: Magnificat anima mea–cantate Domino gloria! Alleluia, alleluia semper . . .
Thank you so much for sharing! I love the idea of combining the Magnificat and the labyrinth. I am blessed to call you friend.
I really like the idea of Christmas and christmas. I know many, including myself, struggle with the pleasure of celebrating the cultural holiday while keeping “Jesus the Reason for the Season.” I like baking cookies, the parties and decorations, but I see an opportunity to celebrate that for a season, but then focus on celebrating the birth of Christ for a season. I’m sure it will be a work in progress, but what isn’t.
I know what you mean. I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong with cherished Christmas traditions, and all joy ultimately comes from God, wherever we find it. Still, when we want to honor Christ, it’s important to remember exactly what he is about.