Hopes and Fears | Mary

Hopes and Fears-Mary

Luke 1:26-56

Sermon Recap

This week we stepped into Mary’s story—a story we often sentimentalize but rarely sit with in its full weight. Mary was young, poor, politically vulnerable, and living in a region familiar with Roman brutality. The angel’s announcement was not soft or harmless—it was revolutionary. A virgin pregnancy risked public shame, abandonment, and even execution. Yet Mary responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Her name itself carries history. Mary (Miriam) evoked memories of liberation, resistance, and hope—parents naming daughters Mary were proclaiming, “God delivered before, God can deliver again.” In this young girl, God partners with the willing rather than the powerful. Her Magnificat is not a lullaby—it’s a protest song. She praises a God who topples the proud, lifts the lowly, feeds the hungry, and dismantles unjust systems.

Mary is a picture of what God can do with a surrendered life. She reminds us that Advent is more than sentiment. It is longing for the world to be reshaped, reordered, and made new. In her, we see the courage to say yes—even when yes costs something.

-Go a Little Deeper

Mary as a revolutionary figure Mary stands in the prophetic tradition of Moses’ sister Miriam, singing freedom on the shores of the Red Sea. When she sings in Luke 1, her song mirrors Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2. Both women praise a God who overturns the status quo. Advent begins with women prophesying.

Favor that disrupts Gabriel calls Mary “highly favored.” Favor isn’t comfort—it’s calling. Biblically, blessing isn’t about ease or safety but participation in God’s work. To be blessed is to be caught up in God’s redemptive movement.

The Magnificat is not quiet Read Luke 1:46–55 slowly. Notice:

· The proud scattered

· The mighty brought down

· The hungry filled

· The rich sent away empty Mary is announcing the end of one world and the beginning of another.

Advent reshapes desire Mary’s opening line—“my soul glorifies… my spirit rejoices”—reminds us that Advent doesn’t just teach us to wait. It retrains what we hunger for. Advent forms us into people who want what God wants.

-Discussion Questions

When you think of Mary, what part of her story challenges your assumptions about her?

What do you notice when you read the Magnificat slowly? Which line moves or disturbs you?

Where in your own life might God be inviting you to say yes, even if it costs you comfort?

How does Mary’s vision of God’s kingdom confront the way we typically celebrate Christmas?

What does blessing mean to you now? How is it different than culture’s definition?

Where do you see modern “Herods”—places of power, injustice, or fear that Jesus’ kingdom challenges?

Suggested Practices

A Surrendered Yes

Choose one place this week where you intentionally let God interrupt you. Maybe it’s time, money, attention, or convenience. Maybe it’s generosity, or listening, or showing up where you’d rather not. Don’t overthink it. Just choose one opportunity to respond like Mary:

“I am the Lord’s servant — may it be so with me.”

At the end of the week, reflect:

· What did it cost me?

· What fruit did it bear?

· What did I learn about God and myself?

Closing Prayer

God who comes to ordinary places, teach us to welcome interruption like Mary. Give us courage to say yes— even when yes is costly, even when we can’t see the whole road ahead.

Shape our desires, deepen our hope, and let Christ be born in us again— in surrender, in love, and in generosity that gets in the way. Amen.