And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of
their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Luke 1:46-55 (NRSV)
Maybe you’ve heard the Mexican legend of the poinsettia and the little girl, Pepita. She was from a poor family and wanted to bring a gift to share with baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve service, but didn’t have anything to bring. Recognizing her sadness, her cousin Pedro encouraged her to not worry, for he was sure any gift would be welcomed by Jesus.
So on her way to the service, she picked some weeds along the road and made them into a bouquet to present to Jesus, laying them before the nativity scene. The legend tells us the bouquet suddenly bloomed bright red, everyone believed they had witnessed a miracle, and the bouquet became known as the ‘Flores de Noche Buena’, or ‘Flowers of the Holy Night’.
When Jackie and I entered the sanctuary at Bethel UMC for the third Sunday of Advent, we were awestruck by the beauty of the Flores de Noche Buena, as they formed a bright red border under the nativity scene. It was a stunning reminder of the beauty of the season, wrapping the altar rail in the Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
As we consider the words of Mary’s Magnificat, she sings from the depths of her soul, reminding us of her lowly status, and speaking prophetic words of the God she glorifies in her song. Her humble words can serve as a model prayer for all of us, as they did for Oscar Romero, who prayed Mary’s Magnificat throughout his priestly life. It’s such a personal prayer and prophetic prayer, as she sings of God’s mercy across the generations, as she sings of God’s strength and scattering the proud, as she sings of God’s bringing down the powerful and lifting up the lowly, and as she sings of God’s helping his servant Israel. These are words full of power and promise and purpose, as Mary sings a song of love to her Lord!
In this last week of Advent, let’s pray and sing these words as a praise song to God. Let’s proclaim the truth and hope we have in the One we call Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let’s get ready to lean closer to the nativity in awestruck wonder!
Blessings, 
David
If you would like to view past editions of Driving with David, follow this link:
https://beacondistrictnc.org/category/from-the-ds/