Sermon for December 4th, 2016

Luke 1:46-55

46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Mary's Song of Praise: Holy Is His Name

Little Bobby was having a rough year. But he really, really, really wanted a new Playstation 4 for Christmas. He sat down to write his annual letter: Dear Santa, I've been a good boy this year. He thought of Santa's list, and all those elves keeping lookout for naughty behavior. "This isn't going to work," said Bobby to himself. "He's not going to buy it. I need someone more forgiving."

So he crossed out Santa's name and started again: "Dear Jesus... I really, really want a playstation 4 for Christmas this year." He thought about what he'd learned about Jesus in Sunday School--about being kind to your neighbor and turning the other cheek. "Jesus, if you can make that happen, I promise I won't fight with my brother for a whole month!" Then he thought about it some more, and crossed out "month" and wrote "for a whole week." Then he crossed out "week" and wrote "for a whole day." Then in frustration, he put down his pencil, said "This isn't going to work. He's not going to buy it, either."

Bobby went downstairs, to the nativity scene in the living room, and there he found the little figurine of Mary kneeling by the manger. He gently picked her up, and carried her back to his room upstairs. There, he carefully wrapped her in tissue paper, and put her inside a little cardboard box. He put the box underneath his pillow. Then he went back to his desk and started writing a new letter. "Dear Jesus: If you ever want to see your mother again..."

Sometimes I think we, as protestants, also take Mary, throw her under the pillow after Christmas, and then forget about her until Easter.