That Verse 56 Life

This homily was delivered in the Kaeppel Chapel at Saint Paul Lutheran High School on December 14, 2021 and TBH, I needed to preach it to myself after a rough couple of days leading up to it.

Luke 1:56: “And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.” 

One of the greatest gifts that God has given to humanity is the ability to create something. No, we don’t create that same way that God did, making something out of nothing, but using what God has given us, our talents, materials around us, teachers, coaches, guides he places around us – we can experience the joy of making something that wasn’t there before or enjoying a moment that you and others created. If you’ve ever been part of a drama production and felt the amazing feeling of opening night or closing night on your play when you and the whole crew just absolutely nailed it – you’ve felt that creative moment. If you’ve been part of the choir on spring tour and wrapping up with that final home concert – you’ve been part of that creative moment. If you’ve been on the volleyball team, basketball team, football team, or the American football team, and come from behind, dug out that victory, won that district, you’ve been part of that creative moment, if you’ve ever written a song, produced a video, made that sculpture, painted that painting, you’ve experienced that creative moment. And it’s exhilarating, it’s energizing, it’s the stuff that ranks among the highlights of life – memories you’ll look back fondly on, and especially with the unrestrained joy you had in that moment of victory, that moment of accomplishment, that moment, however fleeting when all was right with the world even for just a moment.

In a very real sense, Mary, the mother of Jesus, experienced a moment like that when she was inspired to sing the song that is recorded in Luke 1:46-55. This song, often called ‘The Magnificat’ after its Latin translation, is one of the most familiar songs in the history of Christianity – it has been sung loudly from cathedrals, whispered in slave camps, prayed in monasteries. Our family sang it regularly in our evening worship in our little house in the remote African village where we lived for several years. The words of the song are rich in theology and God’s activity on behalf of those who fear him throughout history. The words swell from Mary’s overjoyed heart, “My soul magnifies (or glorifies) the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” And here we are over 2000 years later. You’ve all heard of Mary. We’re still talking about her and her song, and more importantly her son. Mary was experiencing the joy of that creative moment when she realized all that God had done AND was doing for her in that very moment.

But rather than dig into the deep theology and richness of the rest of the words of the song, I’d like to think a little about Mary. Because Mary is a lot like most of you at the time she has this creative moment. Like you, her life at this time is complicated and sometimes awkward. Most folks who study the culture where Mary comes from agree that she was just a young teenager, 14 or 15 years old, the age of most of you freshman and sophomore students. She was engaged to be married, but was found to be with child. What would she do?

Luke 1:39 tells us that pretty much immediately after the angel left Mary she quickly went to ‘the hill country’ to visit her cousin Elizabeth and its on this visit that they exchange joyful and probably fearful stories about these strange experiences they have had and how God might be at work and there’s this deep moment of faith that bursts forth in this song – this creative moment. But after the song comes verse 56, “Mary stayed about three months and then returned home.” And that’s the thing right – no matter how great a creative experience we may have, or how deep a faith experience we’ve had – verse 56 always comes and we have to go back to ‘normal life’.

And normal life wasn’t easy for Mary. I have five kids so I can tell you that If you’re like me and can do math and have ever spent any time around a pregnant woman, you’ll know that by the time Mary gets back home three months later, it’s becoming obvious that she is with child. And most folks aren’t as understanding as Elizabeth. It was normal for a young woman of her age to get married at that time and in that place, but Mary wasn’t all the way married yet and had had that little announcement from the angel that she was going to become pregnant. “How can this be?” she had said, “Since I am still a virgin?” Yeah, what about that? If we’re honest, we know that she probably had trouble convincing others who had not been there. “You see what had happened was this angel came and talked to me and he said….” “Yeah right! There’s only one way teenaged girls get pregnant and angels don’t got nothing to do with it.” Even Joseph, we are told in Matthew 1:19 when Mary was “found to be with child” resolved to divorce her – albeit not with a bunch of shame or a big show, but still, prospects for a single divorced mother aren’t even good today much less at that time, in that culture. Life was hard, life was awkward. It’s hard to keep faith in God’s promises when around you everyone is pointing and whispering, shaming rejecting. And it didn’t get any easier. Verse 56 always comes.

People can be mean. People can be nice to your face and stab you in the back. Maybe it feels like your friends aren’t there for you when you need them. Maybe your relationship with your parents is distant or unhealthy. Maybe you don’t feel like there are a lot of people here who understand you. Maybe you’re far from home trying to navigate cultural surprises and nobody really gets you. Maybe you’re here because your old school was having trouble navigating COVID so you’re trying to find new friends and a way to fit in. Maybe you’re really good at everything and are popular, but still feel all alone when you’re trying to get to sleep at night, maybe nobody ever talks to you or even worse folks go out of their way to help you see that you don’t fit in. Even on your best day when everything is going well, we all know that verse 56 is coming. And whatever your verse 56 situation, you have the same thing Mary had in that moment:

You have the assurance that God is on your side. You have the assurance that the mighty one had done great things for YOU and that his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. And look, I know it’s not cool to show many people that this faith stuff means anything to you, but I’m telling you, it will be what gets you through. And for those of you who may be far from God right now, or have never believed, I gotta be honest with you, I don’t know how someone without faith gets through a single day trying to get by on your own power, skill, talent, charm, good looks, etc. I’m telling you it runs out eventually and when your verse 56 moment comes if you only have yourself to depend on, you hit an identity crisis that you won’t believe. But if at the bottom of all that is Christ, that changes everything.

Many people struggle with their faith because those Magnificat creative experiences don’t last. Those moments of closeness with God seem to fade quickly and be few and far between. Others never come to faith because they see that Christians have all the same struggles that unbelievers have, maybe even worse. But the reality is that Verse 56 is what it’s all about. In the normal messed up every day life and struggles we all experience whether as teen aged high school students trying to make a way or at some other stage in life the mighty one who did great things for Mary is there doing great things for you in His way and in His time. He is there for you to put your faith and trust in – to ask Him for wisdom and strength and to assure you that when all human relationships and creative moments fail that He is all you’ll ever need. I pray that in your high school life and more importantly in your life you’ll have plenty of awesome creative, praise God moments. But more importantly, I pray that when you live your verse 56 life, you’ll live it walking confidently in faith in the one who Has also done great things for you, Jesus Christ. To Him be all honor, glory and praise now and forever, Amen.