Our yearning: Good news for “underdogs” (Read Isaiah 61:1-6)
As spoken by the prophet . . .
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the lord for the display of his splendor (Isaiah 61:3b).
As seen in Jesus . . .
. . . He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts (Luke 1:51b).
Now given to you . . .
Everyone loves a good underdog story. Strangely, however, our affinity for underdog stories doesn’t say much about our affinity for underdogs themselves. The stories we love usually end up with the underdog becoming the top dog. In other words, what we love about underdog stories is the way they fuel our ambition. We don’t care for underdogs . . . unless they get the upper hand and shove it back in the face of their oppressor.
There is a shadowy possibility that we love underdog stories because we are proud – and this misses the point of the Biblical examples entirely.
The peasant girl chosen to be the mother of Jesus is noted for her humility. The truly amazing feature of Mary’s story is that after the angel’s announcement she remains humble; she doesn’t change and suddenly boast in her new role. She never becomes a top-dog at all. The birth announced by the angel eventually happened in a way that was fittingly obscure, relegated to the stable, announced to blue-collar shepherds and revealed to foreign astrologers.
Isaiah said that God’s Spirit was at work bringing good news to the poor, the brokenhearted, the prisoners, the grieving. But the work of the Spirit doesn’t elevate these to super-star status. What happens is that these underdogs become “a planting of the Lord” for the display of God’s splendor. God is made great through the humble. Mary said it simply and best in her song: “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46-47 KJV). Our souls are to do the same.
Yesterday you were urged to look for the hidden glory people around you. Today, you are being asked to search out the pride that hides in your own heart. This is what keeps us from knowing the blessing that God pours out on the underdogs; we don’t miss this blessing because of the money we earn and the clothes we wear and the homes we live in. We miss the blessing because we use these things as an indicator of our own greatness; we give more attention to what magnifies us rather than what magnifies the Lord. We are proud in our inmost thoughts. Blessing missed.
Prayer:
O God, you give grace to the humble and set yourself against the proud. I confess that I am too often proud, sometimes in ways that escape my awareness. I don’t want to miss the grace you have for those who live for your glory. Do your work in me today and teach me humility. Make me a “planting of the Lord.” Let my life today be a display of your goodness. Amen.
As spoken by the prophet . . .
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the lord for the display of his splendor (Isaiah 61:3b).
As seen in Jesus . . .
. . . He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts (Luke 1:51b).
Now given to you . . .
Everyone loves a good underdog story. Strangely, however, our affinity for underdog stories doesn’t say much about our affinity for underdogs themselves. The stories we love usually end up with the underdog becoming the top dog. In other words, what we love about underdog stories is the way they fuel our ambition. We don’t care for underdogs . . . unless they get the upper hand and shove it back in the face of their oppressor.
There is a shadowy possibility that we love underdog stories because we are proud – and this misses the point of the Biblical examples entirely.
The peasant girl chosen to be the mother of Jesus is noted for her humility. The truly amazing feature of Mary’s story is that after the angel’s announcement she remains humble; she doesn’t change and suddenly boast in her new role. She never becomes a top-dog at all. The birth announced by the angel eventually happened in a way that was fittingly obscure, relegated to the stable, announced to blue-collar shepherds and revealed to foreign astrologers.
Isaiah said that God’s Spirit was at work bringing good news to the poor, the brokenhearted, the prisoners, the grieving. But the work of the Spirit doesn’t elevate these to super-star status. What happens is that these underdogs become “a planting of the Lord” for the display of God’s splendor. God is made great through the humble. Mary said it simply and best in her song: “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46-47 KJV). Our souls are to do the same.
Yesterday you were urged to look for the hidden glory people around you. Today, you are being asked to search out the pride that hides in your own heart. This is what keeps us from knowing the blessing that God pours out on the underdogs; we don’t miss this blessing because of the money we earn and the clothes we wear and the homes we live in. We miss the blessing because we use these things as an indicator of our own greatness; we give more attention to what magnifies us rather than what magnifies the Lord. We are proud in our inmost thoughts. Blessing missed.
Prayer:
O God, you give grace to the humble and set yourself against the proud. I confess that I am too often proud, sometimes in ways that escape my awareness. I don’t want to miss the grace you have for those who live for your glory. Do your work in me today and teach me humility. Make me a “planting of the Lord.” Let my life today be a display of your goodness. Amen.
1 comment:
I find this insight of Mary as an underdog very thought-provoking. Elizabeth, the older woman, addressed her as "Mother of my Lord," reflecting her comprehension of the role her younger cousin was assuming in the history of Israel's faith. Mary, herself, referred to future generations calling her "blessed," so this young peasant girl grasped something of the tremendous significance of what she was being asked to do( and being blessed to do it). She also interpreted her visitation in light of her role in the history of Israel more than in her personal life.
It is interesting to me that The Roman Catholic Church elevated her to the role of Queen of Heaven, and the Protestants rarely mention her except during Advent and Easter. I wonder if both faiths have somehow failed to get the Biblical balance written in the Gospels? janebookbybook
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