Celebrating God’s Amazing Work

Scripture — Luke 1:51-53

He has shown strength with his arm;
     he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
     and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
     and sent the rich away empty.

Devotion

In the Christmas narrative of Luke, Mary was visited by an angel who revealed that she would give birth to “the Son of the Most High” (1:32), even though she had not been sexually intimate with a man. Mary received this revelation by offering herself as “the servant of the Lord” (1:38). In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, we reflected on how Mary’s response can inspire us. Today, we continue on in the story as it focuses on Mary.

Shortly after Mary was visited by the angel, she set off for the home of her relative Elizabeth, who was also expecting a baby of miraculous origin (though ordinary conception). When Mary greeted Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s baby “leaped in her womb” and Elizabeth proclaimed that Mary was “blessed . . . among women” (Luke 1:41-42).

In response, Mary offered spoken praise to God, a personal psalm that we often refer to as the Magnificat (from the first word of this psalm in Latin, magnificat, which means “magnifies”). Mary began her praise by celebrating the blessing she had received from God. Then, she broadened her scope by noting how God had blessed so many others as well. Among these widespread blessings, God “has shown strength with his arm,” “brought down the powerful from their thrones,” and “filled the hungry with good things” (Luke 1:51-53). Though Mary didn’t say it exactly in this way, she celebrated God as a worker. God does works of justice and mercy, paying particular attention to those who are lowly and marginalized.

We may not be accustomed to think of God as a worker. But if we step back and reflect on the biblical narrative, we see God at work in a great variety of activities, beginning, of course, with the creation of heaven and earth. The fact that Jesus saw God the Father as a worker is clear from his statement in John 5:17: “My Father is still working, and I also am working.”

Mary’s praise of God invites us to see and to celebrate God as a worker. It encourages us to remember God’s works and reflect on them. We may begin, like Mary, by praising God for how we have been personally blessed. But Mary’s examples inspires us to broaden our perspective and to celebrate the breadth of God’s works.

In her praise of God, Mary echoes what we find in the Hebrew Scriptures. For example, near the end of his life, Moses recited a song, including this verse: “The Rock, his work is perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God, without deceit, just and upright is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Similarly, Psalm 103 proclaims, “The LORD works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed” (Psalm 103:6). The Magnificat is one more example of the people of God celebrating God as a worker. Inspired by Mary and those who went before her, we are encouraged to do the same.

Banner image by Kadarius Seegars on Unsplash.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Advent Reflection: The Magnificat.

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