Tag Archives: magnificat

where are the warm fuzzies?

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Read Amos 8:4-12.

One of the aspects of Advent and Christmas we often forget is how God’s birth and reign turn the world on its head.  We want to think of Christ as bringing love and happiness- which he certainly does.  But Advent is also a time of repentance, a time to consider the ways in which we have not acted in holy and just ways.  In passages like the Magnificat, we hear that the hungry will be filled and the rich sent away empty (Luke 1: 53).  At this time of year, we also hear words from the prophets who warn us what will happen if we refuse to take care of the poor.

Amos warns us what will happen if we “trample on the needy” (v. 4).  Our harvest will not be plentiful and we will all go bald (hey, it’s in v.10) if we take advantage of the poor.  These prophecies and warnings are reminders that there are consequences for our actions.  Our faith is lived out in what we do and we are called to live in love, not greed.  As easy as it is to give at this time of year to a Christmas Angel, Salvation Army and other charities, it can also be easy to ignore the reality of poverty.  It is all too easy for us to shut our doors in our warm homes and look at our beautifully decorated trees, enjoying our hot cocoa and say- wow, isn’t this great?

During Advent, we are also waiting on the second coming of Christ, when God will fulfill the promise to make the world right and reign forever.  In that new order, we will have no oppression, sadness, or hungry people.  All will be good and we will experience God’s fullness.

There are many things to consider in response to the warnings from the prophets.

-What is God warning us about today?

-How are we living out the gospel and preparing for Christ to come again?

-What systems of oppression are you participating in and how can you find ways to change the tide?

The Terminator (1984)

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The inception of artificial intelligence in the early part of the 20th century triggered a nuclear war in 1997. The war between man and machine would progress into the 21st century and would all but leave humanity wiped out. The machines are finally losing the war due to a human named John Connor and his band of resistance fighters. The machines, to ensure victory, send a cyborg assassin from the year 2029 to the year 1984. His mission: kill Sarah Connor, the mother of John Connor.

This is the basic story line of James Cameron’s The Terminator. This low-budget B-movie was never expected to be much of a success. This was evident by the reviews it got. But it topped the Box Office for two weeks and did launch three sequels. Not to mention what it did for its star, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger’s size and deadpan, monotone voice give the Terminator an unnerving edge to his limited dialogue (sixteen whole lines!) and the bodies left in the wake of the hunt for Sarah Connors.

The resistance fighters send a warrior to 1984 as well, but to protect Sarah Connor. This is not an easy job for Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn). Unlike the Terminator, bullet wounds hurt Reese. Yet, Reese does not give up, he continues to do all he can to keep Sarah alive. To the point of his own death.

Sarah (Linda Hamilton) is an average, single woman working as a waitress. Sarah has a hard time understanding what is going on or why she is being hunted down by a cyborg assassin. Reese does his best to explain to her what is happening. She questions him, “Why me?” questioning why the Terminator is coming after her. Reese then explains that she is the mother of the resistance’s leader, John Connor. Without her bravery and courage, humanity is doomed.

I can’t help but think of Mary in Luke’s gospel as Gabriel comes to her and explains that she, an average, single woman, will give birth to a child that will save all of humanity. I imagine if she did not express it, she thought, “Why me?” But the questioning only lasted for a second. In what we call the Magnificat, Mary declares, “Here I am.” She becomes what the Greek Orthodox call  theotokos, or God-bearer, because she literally bore Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ would be the Messiah who would redeem the people from slavery to sin, just as John Connor would be the messiah figure who will save humanity from the machines. Sarah Connor, then, becomes a messiah-bearer in her own right. She like Mary is brave and courageous, willing to be the vessel for the one who will save humanity.

Are we willing to do as Mary and Sarah did, and be God-bearers?  When times get hard and there are there is a real and present darkness, will we join the darkness or we will be brave and courageous to bear the light?