Advent Devotion - Day 15

Join us through this special time of Advent as we dive deeper into the Word of God. Each day, we will pray and reflect on a different passage from Scripture. Daily Readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, and reflections are written by our church staff.

Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my whole will.

You have given me all that I am and all that I possess: I surrender it all to you that you may dispose of it according to your will. Give me only your love and your grace; with these I will be rich enough and will have no more desire.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, a world without end. Amen.

St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)

Luke 1:46b-55

"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 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.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Today's Scripture lesson is known as the "Magnificat" or "Mary's song" and is the mother of Jesus' response to how God was at work in the world in and through her. The opening pages of the Gospel of Luke have exploded with action and activity. An angel of the Lord had visited Zechariah in the Temple as he was performing his priestly duties with news that his wife, Elizabeth, would give birth to a son named John; the man who would make straight the path in the wilderness for the coming Messiah. Later in Chapter 1, the Angel Gabriel visits Mary with the news that through the power of the Holy Spirit, she is the chosen one to bear Israel's deliverer, Jesus. As Mary proclaims this "Good News," all creation is focused on the outcome of these two miraculous pregnancies.

While our lives might not stand at the intersection of all history as did Elizabeth's and Mary's, God has a place and a role for each of us within his Kingdom. How will you respond to that call? God never compels obedience or forced conformity but invites us to take our place among his saints. Will we trust in his provision and providence, or will we lean on our own understanding? Will we, like Mary, understand that God has done great things for us to be blessed for eternity, or will we remain in the darkness?

My prayer for each of us and all of us is that we will be sensitive to God's voice as he calls us to his side. When we hear that voice, may we not harden our hearts but, like Mary, lift our voices in praise for the goodness of God and the hope he brings to us all.

Are you listening carefully for God’s voice during this Advent season? What steps can you take to ensure you have made space in your life for God to move? As you listen with an open Spirit, commit yourself to obedience even prior to God’s word being made alive in your heart. That posture will allow you to respond with joy and celebration just as Mary and Elizabeth before you!