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    Singing Mary's Song: An Advent Message of Hope and Deliverance
    Singing Mary's Song: An Advent Message of Hope and Deliverance
    Singing Mary's Song: An Advent Message of Hope and Deliverance
    Ebook154 pages2 hours

    Singing Mary's Song: An Advent Message of Hope and Deliverance

    By John A. Stroman

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    Soon after the angel Gabriel announced to Mary the astonishing news that she would bear the long-awaited Messiah, Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also expecting a child.

    As Mary greeted Elizabeth, the child in Elizabeth's womb (John the Baptist) leaped inside her. Elizabeth exclaimed to Mary, "God has blessed you among all women. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

    Mary responded by singing a song of praise to God, commonly known as the Magnificat.

    Her song, recorded in Luke 1:46-55, was not a sweet lullaby sung in anticipation of the baby Jesus' birth, Stroman says. Instead, it was a message of deliverance and hope.

    Mary's song proclaimed deliverance and hope to a dark and fearful world. It continues to bring challenge and hope to us today.

    Singing Mary's Song provides scripture readings, meditations, and prayers for each day of Advent. Each week's readings focus on various lines of Mary's song. Reflection questions are included each week.

    This Advent study will give you new insight into the life of Mary. Listen closely to Mary's song and discover its message for you today. A great study for individuals or groups!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUpper Room Books
    Release dateSep 1, 2012
    ISBN9780835811712
    Singing Mary's Song: An Advent Message of Hope and Deliverance
    Author

    John A. Stroman

    John A. Stroman is a teacher and writer in Tallahassee, Florida. He served as a United Methodist pastor for 40 years, including being senior pastor at Pasadena Community Church, St. Petersburg. Stroman holds a doctorate in theology from Boston University School of Theology.

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      Book preview

      Singing Mary's Song - John A. Stroman

      SingingMarysSongCOVER.jpgSingingMarysSongTITLEPG.jpg

      SINGING MARY’S SONG: An Advent Message of Hope and Deliverance

      Copyright © 2012 by John A. Stroman

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, write Upper Room Books, 1908 Grand Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212.

      The Upper Room Web site: www.upperroom.org

      UPPER ROOM®, UPPER ROOM BOOKS®, and design logos are trademarks owned by The Upper Room®, a ministry of GBOD®, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

      Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Scripture quotations designated KJV are from the King James Version.

      Excerpts designated UMH refer to The United Methodist Hymnal, Book of United Methodist Worship, copyright © 1989, The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, Tennessee.

      Excerpts designated UMBW refer to The United Methodist Book of Worship, copyright © 1992, The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, Tennessee.

      Cover image: The Annunciation, by Gustave Doré

      Cover design: Left Coast Design, Portland, OR / www.lcoast.com

      Interior implementation: PerfecType, Nashville, TN

      ISBN 978-0-8358-1171-2 (ePub edition)

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      dingbat.jpg

      Introduction

      WEEK 1: SINGING MARY’S SONG

      WEEK 2: IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME

      WEEK 3: COMING OUT OF EGYPT

      WEEK 4: PREPARING FOR JESUS’ BIRTH

      LEADER’S GUIDE

      Notes

      INTRODUCTION

      When Mary learns that she will give birth to the Messiah, she sings an aria of freedom. Her song presents no sweet lullaby in anticipation of her baby’s birth but a message of freedom and hope for the homeless, the hungry, the refugee, the abused and misused, the powerless, and the despairing. These words express a vision for a better future: [God] has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly (Luke 1:52). Her song captures the words of hope from Hannah and Miriam and echoes the cry of deliverance from the Exodus, Let my people go! Mary passes these words of hope into the world, where Jesus proclaims this theme of deliverance in his inaugural sermon: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor . . . and to let the oppressed go free (Luke 4:18).

      Charles Wesley captured the same theme in the lyrics of his Advent hymn, Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free. I find Advent one of the most uplifting and inspiring seasons of the Christian year because we hear again that we are not alone in our struggles: Immanuel—God is with us!

      Mary’s words of liberation and freedom set the stage for the beginning of a new sense of deliverance and hope for a dark and fearful world. The word hail means to greet with enthusiastic acclaim and welcome. This Advent let us say, Hail, Mary!

      THE MARY OF THE BIBLE

      The biblical account of Advent is rooted in Old Testament events, beginning when God promised Abram, In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:3). For Christians, the promise to Abram reached its fullest expression of deliverance in the birth of Jesus. In the biblical narrative from the Exodus to Bethlehem, we discover that God’s main concern is deliverance (a theme expressed in the ninth-century hymn lyrics traditionally sung on the first Sunday of Advent, O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel [UMH 211]). Mary’s canticle lifts the curtain on a new chapter of God’s activity, accomplishing what the apostle Paul calls a new creation (see Gal. 6:15). God has taken the initiative to reveal the Divine self to us in a manner never previously accomplished.

      After an instant of fear and doubt following the angel’s annunciation, Mary declared, Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word (Luke 1:38). From this moment on, all generations will call her blessed. The world will never be the same.

      In our study we will see how scripture presents Mary as one whose importance extends beyond the Annunciation and birth narrative into the life of the church. She is the only New Testament character present at Jesus’ birth, at the Crucifixion, and at the Day of Pentecost. That is to say, Luke’s Gospel portrays Mary not just as a mother but also as a disciple and a prophet. But in Luke’s portrayal of her as a worrying, troubled mother, Mary becomes the most interesting part of his story. Even after the wondrous circumstances surrounding the birth of her son, there seem to have been times when she did not comprehend who he was and the full implications of his ministry.

      Mary pondered in her heart what she had undergone as she tried to accept certain realities that went beyond her understanding (Luke 2:19). She believed when there was no evidence to do so. In pondering, Mary kept these matters in mind, holding them at the center of her being until the truth was disclosed. The scriptures record few of Mary’s words, but we can know that if Mary gave birth to Jesus and did the work of mothering, she likely experienced each of these sentiments and much, much more. She knew Jesus first, foremost, and most profoundly.[1] We will explore how Mary persevered as disciple, prophet, and mother with a certain kind of Christian spiritual presence of faith and prayer.

      Beverly Gaventa points out that if Protestants are to talk about Mary, they must begin in a Protestant-like way. That is to say we must begin with Scripture.[2] Within the scriptures Mary stands out as an important character, significant in her own right. She remains primarily the mother of Jesus, who followed him to his death and beyond. But the Magnificat suggests that she was an extraordinary reader of scripture as well, capable of weaving passages into a new song of deliverance and hope, a song that has become one of the most frequently sung hymns in church history.

      But for most Protestants, Mary remains almost invisible. We see her at Advent and Christmas, but by Epiphany she disappears. Historically, Protestant thought has protested certain Catholic practices, including a protest against Mariology (the devotion of Mary that goes beyond scripture). Consequently, Protestants have lost sight of Mary’s substantial role in the biblical narrative. "Mary was never part of my Presbyterian experience, but after all she was the mother of Jesus. Whether or not your personal faith includes Theotokos, the mother of God, she deserves recognition in the story of salvation and in our piety."[3]

      In focusing on Mary’s life, I have intentionally limited myself to the biblical text; by doing so, we can gain a fresh approach to scripture. The Mary in the New Testament is believable. She knew life as we know life. If that were not true, there would not have been an Incarnation, the Word becoming flesh. The Incarnation stands as Mary’s greatest achievement, forming the heart of the biblical narrative of deliverance and hope. Through the birth of her child, God is with us. God entered the real world of flesh-and-blood human beings. Through Mary, God became incarnate, embodied, and fully present in our world. We affirm this fact every time we repeat the words of the creed, born of the Virgin Mary.

      PATTERN FOR THIS ADVENT STUDY

      Daily readings and prayers are provided for the entire season of Advent. At the end of each day, reflection questions offer a means of gathering and processing what you have read and thought about that day.

      You may use the book for individual devotions or in conjunction with a small-group study. The Leader’s Guide for small-group sessions is found in the back of the book (page 97).

      If you are using the book as an individual, begin reading on the first Sunday of Advent.

      If you are using the book for a small-group study, begin reading on the Sunday prior to the first Sunday of Advent. Then you will be ready to discuss the readings and scripture at your first meeting. The pattern will continue as follows:

      Read Week 1

      Meet to discuss on First Sunday of Advent

      Read Week 2

      Meet to discuss on Second Sunday of Advent

      Read Week 3

      Meet to discuss on Third Sunday of Advent

      Read Week 4

      Meet to discuss on Fourth Sunday of Advent

      The Leader’s Guide outlines the four sessions. These incorporate group sharing and an exercise for deeper engagement with the biblical text in a framework of prayer and song.

      Week 1 focuses on Mary and the birth of Jesus; her relationships with Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zechariah; and her visit to the Temple and encounter with Simeon and Anna.

      Week 2 focuses on Galatians 4:4. Considering the many factors in the Greco-Roman world that converged at the time of Jesus’ birth, we recognize that God indeed had an appointed time for the birth of Christ.

      Week 3 explores the meaning of Mary and Joseph’s flight into Egypt.

      Week 4 guides us in preparing both our minds and hearts for Christmas Day.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      I am grateful for those who have shared their stories of faith and hope with me through my many years in the parish ministry. I have related a few of these stories, and for each story I have deep appreciation and respect, having obtained permission to use it. In some cases I have used pseudonyms and altered some details to

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