The Body of Mary
Luke 1: 46-55
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
December 19, 2021
What was it that radicalized you to the way of Jesus?
Was it his forgiveness, his mercy toward the woman about to be stoned to death?
Or was it the way he welcomed children and put them front and center?
Could it have been how he admonished the rich and chastised those in power?
Perhaps it was the miracle stories of healing and abundance and new life?
Maybe it was the parables Jesus told, about the lost being found and who our neighbor really is?
Was it the people he hung out with, drunkards and gluttons, sex workers and tax collectors, disabled people, poor people, his deep empathy and solidarity with anyone who was oppressed and on the margins?
Was it his unconditional love, undeserved and unlimited, that radicalized you to the way of Jesus?
Or was it his mother? The way Luke tells it, before Jesus said or did anything, Mary was radicalized to the way of Jesus. Or maybe it was the other way around. What if Jesus was radicalized to his mother’s way?
To be a radical is to return to one’s roots, and the roots of Mary’s song in the gospel of Luke run deep. Mary’s ancestors in the faith—Hannah and Miriam, Deborah and Judith—sang songs of deliverance and liberation, the reversal of fortunes and the turning of tables. “The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak and vulnerable gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.” These women sang of how God made a material difference not only in their lives but in the life of their people. People who were poor and oppressed, hungry and held captive, were now filled and free.
Quaker minister and author Ashley Wilcox wrote, “God’s word is embodied, and it is through bodies that God’s word is fulfilled.” Mary was part of a long tradition of answering God’s call of justice and offering oneself that God’s word would be fulfilled.
What if we who follow Jesus were the Body of Mary rather than the Body of Christ? 13th century mystic Meister Eckhart wrote, “We are all called to be mothers of God, for God is always waiting to be born.” In her poem “Sometimes I wonder” Kaitlin Shetler writes,
sometimes I wonder
if mary breastfed jesus
if she cried out when he bit her
or if she sobbed when he would not latch
and sometimes I wonder
if this is all too vulgar
to ask in a church
full of men
without milk stains on their shirts
or coconut oil on their breasts
preaching from pulpits off limits to the mother of god
but then i think of feeding jesus
birthing jesus
the expulsion of blood
and smell of sweat
the salt of a mother’s tears
onto the soft head of the salt of the earth
feeling lonely
and tired
hungry
annoyed
overwhelmed
loving
and i think
if the vulgarity of birth is not
honestly preached
by men who carry power but not burden
who carry privilege but not labor
who carry authority but not submission
then it should not be preached at all
because the real scandal of the birth of god
lies in the cracked nipples of a
14 year old
and not in the sermons of ministers
who say women
are too delicate
to lead
And if we worshipped as the Body of Mary—and Mary was brown too just like Jesus—would we be flipping tables instead of just making them longer?
Because this brown Mary said ‘yes’, because she made a free choice, would we as the Body of Mary then realize that to be pro-life is open access to abortion and reproductive healthcare and contraception?
If God’s word is fulfilled in and through bodies, would we as the Body of Mary then end the death penalty?
If we all come into this world stained with blood, the bodies of those who birthed us broken open for us, would we then as the Body of Mary stop shedding the blood of others so freely?
If we were the Body of Mary, would the poor finally be filled with good things and us rich folk sent away empty?
If we were the Body of Mary, would more people get vaccinated, wear a mask, and keep each other safe?
If we were the Body of Mary, would we at long last smash the patriarchy? Would we pray "Our Mother, who art in heaven"?
If we were the Body of Mary, would we all magnify, amplify, expand God’s radical kin-dom?
If we were the Body of Mary, would we recognize and claim our blessedness and that of all genders, all colors, all abilities?
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
December 19, 2021
 |
| Tim Okamura, Courage 3.0 |
What was it that radicalized you to the way of Jesus?
Was it his forgiveness, his mercy toward the woman about to be stoned to death?
Or was it the way he welcomed children and put them front and center?
Could it have been how he admonished the rich and chastised those in power?
Perhaps it was the miracle stories of healing and abundance and new life?
Maybe it was the parables Jesus told, about the lost being found and who our neighbor really is?
Was it the people he hung out with, drunkards and gluttons, sex workers and tax collectors, disabled people, poor people, his deep empathy and solidarity with anyone who was oppressed and on the margins?
Was it his unconditional love, undeserved and unlimited, that radicalized you to the way of Jesus?
Or was it his mother? The way Luke tells it, before Jesus said or did anything, Mary was radicalized to the way of Jesus. Or maybe it was the other way around. What if Jesus was radicalized to his mother’s way?
To be a radical is to return to one’s roots, and the roots of Mary’s song in the gospel of Luke run deep. Mary’s ancestors in the faith—Hannah and Miriam, Deborah and Judith—sang songs of deliverance and liberation, the reversal of fortunes and the turning of tables. “The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak and vulnerable gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.” These women sang of how God made a material difference not only in their lives but in the life of their people. People who were poor and oppressed, hungry and held captive, were now filled and free.
Quaker minister and author Ashley Wilcox wrote, “God’s word is embodied, and it is through bodies that God’s word is fulfilled.” Mary was part of a long tradition of answering God’s call of justice and offering oneself that God’s word would be fulfilled.
What if we who follow Jesus were the Body of Mary rather than the Body of Christ? 13th century mystic Meister Eckhart wrote, “We are all called to be mothers of God, for God is always waiting to be born.” In her poem “Sometimes I wonder” Kaitlin Shetler writes,
sometimes I wonder
if mary breastfed jesus
if she cried out when he bit her
or if she sobbed when he would not latch
and sometimes I wonder
if this is all too vulgar
to ask in a church
full of men
without milk stains on their shirts
or coconut oil on their breasts
preaching from pulpits off limits to the mother of god
but then i think of feeding jesus
birthing jesus
the expulsion of blood
and smell of sweat
the salt of a mother’s tears
onto the soft head of the salt of the earth
feeling lonely
and tired
hungry
annoyed
overwhelmed
loving
and i think
if the vulgarity of birth is not
honestly preached
by men who carry power but not burden
who carry privilege but not labor
who carry authority but not submission
then it should not be preached at all
because the real scandal of the birth of god
lies in the cracked nipples of a
14 year old
and not in the sermons of ministers
who say women
are too delicate
to lead
 |
| Rose M. Barron, The Annunciation |
And if we worshipped as the Body of Mary—and Mary was brown too just like Jesus—would we be flipping tables instead of just making them longer?
Because this brown Mary said ‘yes’, because she made a free choice, would we as the Body of Mary then realize that to be pro-life is open access to abortion and reproductive healthcare and contraception?
If God’s word is fulfilled in and through bodies, would we as the Body of Mary then end the death penalty?
If we all come into this world stained with blood, the bodies of those who birthed us broken open for us, would we then as the Body of Mary stop shedding the blood of others so freely?
If we were the Body of Mary, would the poor finally be filled with good things and us rich folk sent away empty?
If we were the Body of Mary, would more people get vaccinated, wear a mask, and keep each other safe?
If we were the Body of Mary, would we at long last smash the patriarchy? Would we pray "Our Mother, who art in heaven"?
If we were the Body of Mary, would we all magnify, amplify, expand God’s radical kin-dom?
If we were the Body of Mary, would we recognize and claim our blessedness and that of all genders, all colors, all abilities?
If we were the Body of Mary, before every decision we make as a church we would ask “What would Mary do?”
We know what Mary would do. She would say “Here I am”. She would say “yes”. And then she would sing.
Benediction – © 2021 Cynthia E. Robinson
You are the Body of Mary
As much as you are anything else, magnificent and blessed
Blessed is the fruit of your compassion
Blessed is God’s word fulfilled in your body
The Holy One has done great things
In you and through you
May God’s love be magnified, amplified, and expanded
In the living of your life and in our life together
We know what Mary would do. She would say “Here I am”. She would say “yes”. And then she would sing.
Benediction – © 2021 Cynthia E. Robinson
You are the Body of Mary
As much as you are anything else, magnificent and blessed
Blessed is the fruit of your compassion
Blessed is God’s word fulfilled in your body
The Holy One has done great things
In you and through you
May God’s love be magnified, amplified, and expanded
In the living of your life and in our life together
Comments
Post a Comment