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. (Luke 1:51-53)
The 4th
Sunday of Advent we remember Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-55) and the joyful Song of Mary, the Magnificat. Mary's song begins with praising God and talking about
what God has done for her; the middle of the song describes God’s inversion of
the economic and political order – casting down the mighty while lifting up the
lowly, filling the hungry with good things while the rich are sent away empty
-- and it ends with a reminder of God’s promise of mercy. It’s a song about God
creating something that’s very new and yet grounded in God’s eternal care and
love for God’s people.
The
Magnificat has come to us through the centuries not only in Scripture but in
beautiful choral settings. While an analysis of the song reveals these three parts,
it has an integrity to it that suggests that we should be careful not to take
one part of this passage without the others. We tend to focus on the
relationship between Mary and God or on the fulfillment of the promise to
Israel, but the inversion of the economic and political order will be omitted in the preaching or teaching in many churches tomorrow morning.
The effects
of climate change are especially harsh for people in less wealthy developing
countries. Perhaps tellingly as we speak reverently of Mary the mother, some
studies say that climate change impacts differ by gender as well as by
location; women in developing countries are especially vulnerable to these
impacts. (See Impacts on Vulnerable Populations on the EPA webpage about international
impacts and adaptation in reference to climate change.)
In Mary’s
song, we hear her joyful faith in God’s mercy and in God’s love for those
lacking power and privilege. People in developing countries suffer from climate
change that results from greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized
countries. Where is our merciful and
loving God when the needs of some of the poorest people in the world are
sacrificed to the agendas of the rich and powerful? God’s promises endure; God
calls us back again and again to live in harmony with God’s intentions for our
world. There are people working hard to end this injustice and mitigate climate
change to ensure a better future for all of us who share this planet. Activists
are pushing for institutions to divest from the fossil fuel industry; others
are working to stop the mining of tar sands and to prevent the completion of
the Keystone XL pipeline that would carry tar sands from Canada to the Gulf of
Mexico; others continue to press our politicians to pass legislation to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. God is working
through these people and through all of us whose words and actions bring the
needs of all people – and all species – to the attention of the rest of the
world.
The November State of the Climate Report from NOAA is not encouraging. Among other things, there was this:
The 10 coolest Novembers on record all occurred prior to 1920. November 2012 also marks the 36th consecutive November and 333rd consecutive month with global temperature higher than the long-term average. The last month with a below average temperature was February 1985, nearly 28 years ago.
And even
though it’s hard to imagine on this chilly weekend in Nebraska, 2012 is expected to end up as the warmest year ever recorded for the United States.
None of this
makes our efforts so far look successful, but then Mary’s baby in the manger didn't look like a king. God works with and through whatever is available. What
is available to God are people – scientists, activists, people of faith – who are
willing to look at the science of climate change, look at the people who are
affected first and worst by climate change, and then do what we can to change
things. Mary had no power or influence, and yet because of her faith, God was
able to use Mary to change everything for all of us.
While this
week’s blizzard made travel difficult and caused some hardship, the moisture is
welcome and the beauty of snow-covered fields, especially in the sunny days
since the blizzard, has given us an opportunity to renew our joy in God’s
creation. Our souls might well magnify the Lord out of sheer joy!
This is the
time for people of faith who find joy in God’s creation and comfort in God’s
promises to listen carefully, watch carefully, and see where God is calling each
of us to speak and act.
