Bringin' Em Down

The God that Mary sings about in Luke is one of justice and mercy. This God brings down the powerful, lifts up the humble, feeds the hungry, but sends the rich away empty handed. When I first think about such power, I think of mighty wars and battles. I think of weapons and armor. But God is so much more subtle than that. God does not work the way we do. God doesn't need powerful weapons to take out the powerful. God just needs a little snow, a little ice, maybe a trickle of water eroding the rocks on a hillside, a small microbe that can wipe out an army. God has so many ways of reminding us of God's power.

To be honest, I don't always understand God's power and justice. At times, it seems that God's justice takes far too long. At other times, God's power seems to hurt those who are most in need of justice. And the powerful and rich seem to remain just where they are. Actually, the Jewish people may have felt a similar way just about the time of Jesus' birth. They had been under the power of Rome for far too long. There seemed to be injustice everywhere. And there had been no word from God in a long time.

The people were waiting for a Messiah, for someone to rescue them. They were hoping for a king, an army, a ruler. But, of course, God came in an unexpected way and brought justice in a manner that no one could have predicted. A little baby, born to a young girl, in small town, to working class parents... And with that promise, Mary declares here faith again in the power of God to save.