Incremental Change Whose Impact Exceeds Expectations

Lectionary connections
Sunday, December 22
Luke 1:46b-55

Placing In Context

Within Mary’s womb is the seed of a future that defies so much of what she and her ancestors have seen throughout her life. Even as her community questions the truth within her, Mary allows her hope to grow for a world in which mercy dispels all the greed and violence that threatens and terrifies the most vulnerable among us.

Beliefs that Endure

Mary and Elizabeth represent women who swim along with the tide of a system while privately growing a future that allows love to dismantle oppressive systems and topple toxic religious institutions. Change doesn’t always happen in grand, sweeping moments; sometimes, it grows slowly, day by day, before others see it in our lives. Luke was getting ready to walk away from the church for years before he ever did.

Moving Forward

While reading Mary’s song of praise, I can’t help but think of Luke’s piano teacher, whose care became manifest in Luke’s own songs of praise and his survival and resilience through his decades in the church. Who helps expand your vision of God’s ability to bring about the future you assumed impossible? What small acts, like piano lessons, end up creating lasting impact?