Scripture - Mary’s Song of Praise (The “Magnificat”):46 And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’ (Luke 1:46-55)Reflection: These may be familiar words. Some may recall a lovely choral setting of The Magnificat. Many may find the words beautiful and comforting. But looking past the familiar cadence of the words, this piece of scripture is challenging and far from comfortable! Mary proclaims: He has scattered the proud; He has brought down the powerful; He has lifted up the lowly; He has sent the rich away empty.Mary’s words challenge us not to be self-centred in the power that we hold; not to be thinking just of ourselves in the wealth that we have. Rather, that we should be supportive of others; we should be humble about what we have been blessed with. When we are fortunate to have so much, we should serve and help others by sharing the huge blessings that we enjoy.May your spirit rejoice in God your Saviour as you serve him by serving and simply being with others this Christmas time.Revd David
Scripture:John the Baptist is preaching about repentance:‘And the crowds asked him, ‘So what should we do?’ He replied ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and the same goes for anyone who has plenty of food’. Even tax-collectors came to be baptised, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He answered ‘Collect no more than the amount which is due’. Soldiers also asked him, ‘And what about us, what should we do?’ He said ‘Don’t extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages’.’ (Luke 3.10-14)Reflection:John tells the crowds that repentance is not just about regret for past wrong actions and attitudes, but involves radical changes in life style. Significantly, he does not tell the hated, despised tax collectors or the greedy, bullying soldiers to change their jobs, but to be changed themselves. He teaches them that whatever their daily work, they honour God by doing it honestly and with integrity.Whoever we are, whatever our situation, our work, our character, our abilities, these words are for all of us. God is honoured not only in grand projects and endeavours, but in the practical working out of our faith in the ordinariness and the challenges of every day life.Revd Rosemary
