Passage for Reflection: Luke 1:46-55
I cannot seem to escape Christmas carols this year. Wherever I go – whether shopping, trying to escape shoppers, or gathering with others for worship – the music follows me. Sacred and secular this music makes the story feel safe, predictable, and uplifting.
But Mary’s Song in Luke 1:46–55 doesn’t fit nicely on a “Happy Holidays” playlist. Instead of sleigh bells or gentle manger scenes, Mary sings of a God who overturns the usual order: lifting the humble, feeding the hungry, and scattering the proud. She understands that the child she carries will shake the foundations of the world, including the systems that silence or sideline the vulnerable.
This year, I’m more drawn to Mary’s song than ever. Maybe it’s because I’ve slowed down enough to hear her clearly. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched the vulnerable around me targeted in previously unimaginable ways.
Her words are not simply poetic; they are disruptive, hopeful, and ethical. They invite us to see Christmas not only as comfort but as challenge.
Jesus is about to be born. Many will gather to welcome him. My hope is that we will be counted among those who celebrate his coming not just one day a year, but in the daily work of justice and compassion.
The Way of Jesus Mary proclaims is good news for the lowly and hard news for the powerful in every empire. It is also a wake-up call to us, an invitation to stay busy co-creating God’s realm on earth as it already is in heaven.
Consider how Mary’s message might shift your choices beginning with how you give, how you serve, and how you show up for others. I’m noticing some shifts in my life and imagine more are yet to come.
This post was originally published in the Lectionary for Life Series for the Center for Congregational Ethics on December 24, 2025.