Context
Two thousand years of Christianity have done little to change the world, and – technological advances aside – the global picture would still be comfortingly familiar to, say, the Emperor Augustus. Over 40 million people are in slavery. Foreign armies invade, occupy and oppress weaker nations: in the Middle East, in the former USSR and in Africa, as well as in would-be independent countries in the far east. Like victorious Roman generals, individuals perceived as ‘successful’ are honoured with triumphs in the form of awards ceremonies. Like Jewish farmers under the puppet kings of Judaea, poor farmers still have their land expropriated by rich landowners, now hiding behind multinational brands. And like the ‘bread and circuses’ which kept the Roman populace pacified, 24-hour wall-to-wall entertainment keeps ordinary people (literally the plebs, in the non-pejorative Latin sense) pointlessly diverted. (Just imagine the possibilities if people gave as much attention and energy to supporting and voting for those whose decisions change society, as they do to voting for competitors in The X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing!) Politicians and pundits tell us whom we should honour (aristocrats, sports heroes, screen icons, pop stars) and whom we should despise (‘illegal immigrants’, ‘benefit cheats’, ‘disabled scroungers’).
Reflection
At the opening of the Gospel reading, Mary is a young, unmarried, pregnant woman. Is there any group of people in the whole of human history who have suffered as much humiliation, rejection and hostility in every so-called ‘civilisation’ as young, unmarried, pregnant women? Mary represents everything that self-styled ‘respectable’ people reject. Even within living memory, to be unmarried and pregnant was described as ‘a fate worse than death’. Moreover, it was always the woman who was the alleged ‘sinner’: rarely if ever the father of her unborn child. Even in the story of the woman caught in adultery, there is no mention of the man involved (John 7.53–8.11).
Rejection of those whom society regards as shameful is not God’s way. Just as in Matthew’s Gospel, God tells Joseph not to take Mary’s pregnancy as a reason for breaking off his engagement to her (Matthew 1.20), so here in Luke’s Gospel Elizabeth greets her kinswoman, not with embarrassment, shame and rejection, but with a salutation of honour and rejoicing, proclaiming her blessed among women and ‘the mother of my Lord’.
We might, at this point, argue that Mary’s unborn child was unique and special, just like the circumstances of his conception (Luke 1.26-38); but this would be to miss the point entirely. All that Jesus said and did teaches us that every person is unique and special. Those whom ‘respectable’ society rejects are precisely those whom Jesus treats with the highest honour, the foreigner (Luke 7.9), the poor (Luke 21.1-4) and the disabled (John 5.5-9) among them; and in doing so, he is ready to flout ‘respectability’ (Mark 3.1-6).
Those who have fallen – for whatever reason – are not there to be walked upon, but to be honoured; this is fundamental to the calling of the Church as the Body of Christ.
Prayer
All-loving God,
whose Son, Jesus Christ,
was conceived by the Holy Spirit and begotten of the Father,
may his life and ministry teach us to see as unique and special
those to whom society accords little value,
to love those whom society despises,
and to raise those whom society would trample underfoot;
for it is in the faces of the poor and despised,
no less than in the faces of the rich and successful,
that his holy face is to be seen;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Questions
- How did Jesus honour those who were rejected by his society?
- Who are those whom we should honour, who are rejected by our society?
- What makes someone you know unique and special to you, even if others might not perceive it?
- How have you been honoured by others when you felt that you had fallen?
All-age activity
In her poem Human Family, Maya Angelou writes:
I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.
Recall someone you have met who seemed ordinary, but turned out to be extraordinary, whether in a big or a small way.
It is well worth hearing or reading and discussing the complete poem Human Family. Maya Angelou may be heard reading the poem on YouTube, or you can read the full text on Family Friendly Poems and on several other websites.
Young people
From newspaper or magazine photographs of celebrities among crowds or in front of audiences, cut out some of the faces of those whom the camera has caught by accident, and suggest what their ordinary lives might be like. Tell the group short stories about what these people might be doing before or after the event depicted.
Robert Beard is a freelance writer who has previously worked with a variety of churches and charities.
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