December 5: Hannah's Song of Thanksgiving
♫ Music:
WEEK TWO INTRODUCTION
TITLE: MARY’S SONG OF PRAISE: THE MAGNIFICAT
Luke 1:46–55
December 5–11
And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
First, the angel Gabriel sang his heavenly announcements to both Zechariah and Mary. This was followed by Elizabeth’s resounding, Spirit-filled blessings as in-utero John joined in with joyful kicking and as Mary embraced Elizabeth. Now Mary breaks into song with a heartfelt outpouring: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!” Mary’s canticle echoes that of the Old Testament saint, Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1–10), who like Abraham’s wife Sarah, and Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, was infertile. God finally heard Hannah’s prayer and gave her a holy child (the prophet Samuel) who prepared the way for Christ’s ancestor, King David. Tradition indicates that Mary was familiar with Old Testament texts and her song references not only Hannah’s Canticle but the Davidic psalms as well.
In addition to being a song of thanksgiving and rejoicing, Mary’s Magnificat is a world-turned-upside-down canticle of salvation that speaks hope and mercy to the poor, disenfranchised, and marginalized. At various times and in various places throughout history, during periods of disturbing political upheaval and unrest, Mary’s Magnificat has been banned—both the singing of the song as well as the public display of its words. This most well-known of canticles functions as a riveting punctuation in the Christmas narrative, proclaiming God’s great faithfulness throughout time and in eternity. Mary’s song invites us to join in. “Come,” she seems to be saying, “Magnify the Lord with me, and let us lift up His holy name together” (Psalm 34:3).
Day 8 - Sunday, December 5
Title: HANNAH’S SONG OF THANKSGIVING
Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:1-10
And Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
My horn is exalted in the Lord.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
“No one is holy like the Lord,
For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
“Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the Lord is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed.
“The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for
bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
And she who has many children has become feeble.
“The Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and lifts up.
He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.
“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He has set the world upon them.
He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.
“For by strength no man shall prevail.
The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces;
From heaven He will thunder against them.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to His king,
And exalt the horn of His anointed.”
Poetry:
Hope
by Christopher Smart
Ah! Hannah, why shouldst thou despair,
Quick to the tabernacle speed;
There on thy knees prefer they prayer,
And there thy cause to mercy plead.
Her pious breathings now ascend,
As from her heart the sighs she heaves;
And angels to her suit attend,
Till strong in hope she now conceives.
Then Samuel soon was brought to light
To serve the Lord, as yet a child––
O what a heart-reviving sight!
Sure cherubims and seraphs smiled.
Thus yet a child may I begin
To serve the Lord with all my heart;
To shun the wily lures of sin,
And claim the prize, or e’er I start.
HANNAH AND MARY: THE FACES THAT REVEAL FACES
In Scripture there is often something behind what we see, a deep structure that reveals a reality beyond the limitation of sight.
- We see a sacrificial system that one day reveals the deep structure of God’s intentions for the world (Isaiah 58:5-7; Mark 12:32-33)
- We see a people of a common ethnicity, formed and shaped by the rescuing hand of God, one day demonstrating God’s desire that in Jesus the Christ, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female” (Gal. 3:28)
- We see a last Passover meal that precedes the invitation to the marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9)
Christine Kim’s work, Over and Over, offers what appears to be a duplication of a face, one a shadow of the other, with corresponding hands cradling each. But closer inspection reveals another thing happening: There are two different faces depicted, similar, but not exact. The hands each have the right number of fingers, but there’s a shade of difference that shows them to be distinct. In fact, Kim employed two different models for this piece rather than simply repeating the image of one.
Young Mary’s hymn of rejoicing is very personal, yet it carries echoes of Psalm 34 and also of Hannah’s song as she gives her only son to reside in the Temple of the Lord. Hannah marvels at the work and the power of God, declaring
The Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich. (1 Sam. 2:6-7)
For Mary, not only is the Lord the creator and sustainer of all things, he is also the One who reaches directly into the low places where the marginalized exist, acknowledging them and drawing them into his magnificent plan of redemption. Understanding her own unique and humble place in life, Mary speaks to this acknowledgement when she pours out her praise, “For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant” (Luke 1:48).
Both Hannah and Mary are faces that reveal new faces. Their sons will be great in the history of the people of God: Samuel will guide Israel from a collection of tribes to a unified monarchy, while always returning to the face of God’s covenant with his people. Jesus will show the world his own face, and that face will reveal the very character of God (Col. 1:15).
As followers of Jesus, we also have faces behind our faces. What do our faces reveal to the world? Every act of ministry, every daily action, every response to the world around us, shows the world what may be interpreted as the face of God. The face behind our faces can bless or curse, build up or tear down, heal or wound. It’s a daunting role that we play in the world.
In this Advent season we have an opportunity to pause and reflect on how we reflect the face of God to the world. Hannah and Mary provide us with language of praise and wonder. May we embrace those words for ourselves and renew the gift that God has given us in Jesus Christ: The joy and freedom of revealing the loving, forgiving, healing face of God.
Prayer:
God our Father,
As we once again marvel at the birth of Jesus, may our eyes be opened to the joy and the wonder of reflecting your face to the world around us. May we not only rejoice in the newness of what you have done in and through Jesus, but also in the life you have granted to us as your people, to mirror your loving face to all.
Amen.
Devotion Author:
Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Affiliate Assistant Professor
Fuller Theological Seminary
For more information about the artwork, music, poetry, and devotional writer selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Over and Over Again
Christine Kim
2021
Colored pencil on layered cut paper
11 x 14 in.
Toronto-based artist Christine Kim creates mixed-media portrait collages of textured graphite gradients and sculpted paper overlays. Through the layering of drawing upon drawing and destroying or obscuring the original illustration through cutting, Kim examines the surface, shape, and volume of her subjects to conceal and reveal glimmers of a portrait. “Fragmentary is one word that I return to again and again because I think portraiture is an act of catching glimmers of a person,” she explains. For each work, Kim first illustrates a single figure and then creates a botanical pattern overlay. The resulting portraits portray fractions of faces and hands that present the haunting beauty of decay, brokenness, and fragmentation. The paper is used as surface, screen, and shadow to speak of shelter and intimacy.
About the Artist:
Christine Kim is a Korean-Canadian visual artist born in Seoul, South Korea. She holds a B.F.A. from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, a B.Ed. from York University, and a Master of Art Education from the University of Victoria in British Columbia. She lives and works as an artist and arts educator north of Toronto. It was during her master’s degree that her interest in paper cutting started taking on a life of its own. When she was travelling from Toronto to Victoria for three consecutive summers, paper, pencils and a few X-acto knives were the most portable studio materials. Her first studio quickly became an immersive paper forest. Now you can find her studio filled with drawings, collages, sculptures, and remnants from previous installations. Christine continues to explore identity through portraiture. By layering drawing on top of drawing and destroying the original illustration through cutting, Kim examines surface, shape, and volume to conceal and reveal glimmers of a face.
https://www.christinekim.ca/colour-studies
About the Music:
“Hannah’s Song of Praise” from the album Max Stern: Retrospective
Lyrics: From 1 Samuel 2:1–10 (English Translation)
Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.
“There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
“Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.
“The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
“The Lord brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
on them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
those who oppose the Lord will be broken.
The Most High will thunder from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
About the Performers:
Kristyna Valouskoval (soprano), Yuri Likin, (oboe), Collegium Musica Sacra (strings), and Vítezslav Podrazil (conductor)
Kristyna Valouskoval is a Czech soprano. Her credits include her album Kristyna Valouskova Sings Czech Songs of 20th Century, as well as recordings of “Three Songs” for the album Max Stern: Voices of a City, and participation in the “The Old Testament in the Arts” festival in 1995.
Yuri Likin is a Czech musician of Belarusian origin. Likin began his successful solo career with a performance with the orchestra on the stage of the Belarusian Philharmonic and has continued to win acclaim for his music in the national and international competitions during his studies at the Belarusian Academy of Music. At the same time, he began working as a solo oboist for the Symphony Orchestra of the Belarusian Philharmonic and as a guest oboist in the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. In 1994, Likin became a member of the Prague Chamber Philharmonic, the Prague Wind Quintet, and solo oboist of the Prague Symphony Orchestra (Prague FOK) where he still works today. He has performed at numerous music festivals in Europe, Japan, and the USA, as a soloist, chamber musician, and an instructor of master classes. In addition, he lectures at the New York University in Prague (since 2010). Since 2009 he has been a professor of oboe, and since 2013 he has been the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Music of the Janácek Academy of Performing Arts in Brno, the Czech Republic.
Collegium Musica Sacra, founded in 1993 along with the Orchestra Atlantis, is an ensemble consisting of selected members and soloists of Orchestra Atlantis. Both ensembles are composed largely of musicians who specialize in chamber and solo music. In addition to the standard repertoire, the ensemble has been concerned with presenting works by contemporary composers and less-known compositions of great composers with an emphasis on sacred music.
Vítezslav Podrazil is a Czech conductor who graduated from the Prague Academy of Music. During his last two years of studies he served as an assistant conductor for the Opera House of the Prague National Theatre, and from 1991 to 1992 he led the Prague Chamber Opera. During this period he also conducted the Pilsen Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. In 1993, Podrazil founded Orchestra Atlantis and the chamber group Collegium Musica Sacra, comprising selected members of Orchestra Atlantis. In addition to the standard repertoire, both ensembles have been devoted to presenting lesser-known compositions of the great composers and introducing works by contemporary composers.
About the Composer/ Lyricist:
Max Stern (b. 1947) is an American composer, performer, musicologist, music critic, double-bassist, conductor, and educator. He has created a rich genre of biblical compositions blending Eastern and Western music with contemporary and traditional genres. His music has been recognized for eloquence and warmth, and has been called “expressive, authentic and original, touching the past, and breaking into the future.” Stern has won prizes from the Israel Composers' League, the Japanese Society for Contemporary Music, and has won the International Epicmusic Composition Prize in Italy. He is the author of the books The Speech of the Angels, Bible & Music and Psalms & Music.
https://www.macdowell.org/artists/max-stern
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Stern_(composer)
About the Poet:
Christopher Smart (1722–1771) was an English poet best known for A Song to David (1763), which praises the author of the Psalms as an archetype of the divine poet. Although in its own time the poem was greeted with confusion, later poets such as Robert Browning and Yeats would single out this poem for its affirmation of spirituality in an increasingly materialistic world. Smart’s poetry is notable for its visionary power, Christian ardor, and lyrical virtuosity. Poets, including Robert Browning, have long been the warmest and most perceptive admirers of Smart’s poetry, which is more nuanced than its reputation as a precursor to the Romantic tradition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Smart
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/christopher-smart
About the Devotion Author:
Michael McNichols, D.Min.
Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies
Fuller Theological Seminary
Mike McNichols is a former pastor and served as Director of Fuller Seminary’s regional campus in Irvine, California, for over thirteen years. McNichols currently teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary as an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies. He and his wife, Emily, live in Orange County, California.