December 10: Mary’s Exquisite Hymn of Praise
♫ Music:
Day 10 - Tuesday, December 10
Title: Mary’s Exquisite Hymn of Praise
Scripture: Luke 1:39–55 (NKJV)
Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” 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.”
Poetry:
from “Annunciation”
by Denise Levertov
Aren’t there annunciations
of one sort or another
in most lives?
Some unwillingly
undertake great destinies,
enact them in sullen pride,
uncomprehending.
More often
those moments
when roads of light and storm
open from darkness in a man or woman,
are turned away from
in dread, in a wave of weakness, in despair
and with relief.
Ordinary lives continue.
God does not smite them.
But the gates close, the pathway vanishes.
SONG OF THE MATERNAL PROPHETS
In the garden of God’s emerging new creation, two roses meet: one just about to blossom, the other drooping in decline. Two relatives greet: one vulnerable through fruit implanted too soon, the other shamed by fertility past due. As had their mother Eve, Mary and Elizabeth participate in God’s creative project by collaboratively offering their bodies as seedbeds of new life. And like their spiritual ancestress, they prophetically recognize the significance of their maternity—with God’s help, they are fulfilling His promise not only to perpetuate life on the earth, but also to overturn all that threatens to destroy it. Two women—playing the part of prophet and priest–join together in celebrating the works of their King: past, present, and future.
Nothing about these women is ignorant, ashamed, or suppressed. Elizabeth lifts her voice in loud proclamation, channeling the priesthood of her ancestor Aaron as she blesses this yet-unrevealed mother-to-be and affirms her favored position among women. Without denigrating her husband’s weak faith, Elizabeth honors Mary’s strength in believing that God would do for her just as He had said. And taking up the refrain, Mary resonates her ancestor David’s poetic praise in a prophetic recitation of the mighty works of God, played out in global politics and local economics, public social status and private heart-posture, daily provision and eternal satisfaction. In Mary’s song, the purposes of God are revealed, the words of God are fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Mary sings like a queen as she invokes God’s covenant with Abraham, with Jacob, and with David in the history changing event she is now experiencing within her pregnant frame.
The affirmation of Elizabeth’s proclamation and the magnificence of Mary’s song open a new chapter on human history, one in which we now participate. The clarity of their vision and the confidence of their proclamation take my breath away. And yet Levertov’s insight into the annunciations which we misappropriate, avoid, or simply fail to notice leads me to wonder at our own preparedness to receive and respond to our Lord in the terrain of our pedestrian lives. Were God to unfold to us the next step in His kingdom progression, were He to invite our participation in His cosmic plan for creation—would we respond in kind? Would we have the clarity to recognize the day of His coming, the confidence to apply His past promises to our current experience, and the courage to sing our way forward into what may very well result in the piercing of our own hearts?
The politics of their day were no less volatile than ours; the vision of God’s purposes in the world no less obscured. Rulers vied for power. The oppressed cried out for justice. Zealots proposed revolutions. Religious leaders enforced traditions. Yet none of these could squelch the song of the Spirit, rising up on the lips of the faithful. Steady immersion in the Scriptures informed their vision. Psalms of lament, petition, and praise prepared their prayer. And faith-filled action moved them, one step at a time, to meet and greet at what would become ground zero of a new creation.
Prayer:
O you in whom we live and move and have our being, reign in us as You did in Mary and Elizabeth, granting us eyes that notice your hand in our history, hearts that believe your promises, lips that affirm your favor, and lives that act on your faithfulness. Grant that we, watching for your coming among us, may courageously participate in Your kingdom now, even as we wait for our future consummation through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Tiffany Clark, M.A., I.C.S.
Lay Assistant Minister at Christ Church
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Author and Spiritual Director
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork #1:
The Annunciation
George Hitchcock
1887
Oil on canvas
62.5 x 80.5 in.
Chicago Art Institute
Chicago, Illinois
Public domain
The Annunciation shows the Virgin Mary receiving the news that she will be the mother of Christ. Mary is seen standing in a field of lilies, her countenance bearing a solemn yet serene expression. In George Hitchcock’s unusual presentation of the annunciation, the Virgin is depicted as a Dutch peasant girl standing in a field of lilies. Traditionally, the lily is a symbol of the angel Gabriel, and Mary’s downcast eyes and humble stance imply that she has received his divine message. The unusual composition, and Hitchcock’s interest in the effects of sunlight and shadow, reflect the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites, the symbolists, and the impressionists on his work.
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/7503/the-annunciation
About the Artist #1:
George Hitchcock (1850–1913) was an American painter who was active in Europe—most notably in the Netherlands beginning around 1883. Hitchcock was influenced by his Dutch surroundings as well as strains of late nineteenth-century continental painting. In his work, he combined impressionistic palettes with the rural subject matter that characterized academic realist painting of the period, demonstrating his debt to both styles. Hitchcock painted many scenes of peasant women in fields, often imbuing them with ethereal, Madonna-like qualities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hitchcock_(artist)
About the Artwork #2:
Altarpiece from the Middle Rhine
Visitation Panel
c. 1410
Tempera on panels
Museum Catharijneconvent
Utrecht, Netherlands
Public domain
The greeting of the two pregnant women, Mary the mother of Jesus and Elizabeth the mother of John, is perhaps one of the most compassionate, joyful glimpses into the heart of God that we get in the Bible. Both women, who have conceived through faith in the promise of God, comfort and encourage one another. The two babes in each of their mother’s wombs are also aware of this miraculous, expectant moment. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy’” (Luke 1:41–44 NIV). In the course of the fourteenth century, the use of a retable (altarpiece) became more widespread. A retable stands on a stone altar table and usually has two side panels that open on church holidays. The two panels of the Middle Rhine Altar were also part of a retable. The middle section has unfortunately been lost. When the altar is open, the inner sides of the wings depicting scenes from Mary's life can be seen. When closed, the scenes from the passion of Christ, painted in more sober tones, are visible.
https://artandtheology.org/tag/middle-rhine-altarpiece/
About the Music:
“A New Magnificat” on the album My Spirit Sings of Wondrous Things
Today’s canticle features a lyrical dialog between Hannah and Mary. Hannah's song of praise to God appears in 1 Samuel 2:1–10. Hannah, unable to bear a child, prays to God and promises that she will dedicate her child to God if she is blessed with a child. When Hannah bears a son, she sings a song of thanksgiving as she presents her son Samuel to the priest Eli. Mary’s song is called the “Magnificat.” The text of her canticle is taken from the gospel of Luke (1:46–55), where it is spoken by Mary as she visits her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, John moves within Elizabeth's womb. Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith and Mary responds with what is now known as the “Magnificat.” In her song, Mary describes how God will scatter the proud, humble the mighty, elevate the lowly, and fill the hungry with all “good things.” Though they had different experiences, both Mary and Hannah understood the true nature of God and submitted themselves to God’s larger purposes and plans for their lives.
Lyrics:
(A lyric dialog between Hannah and Mary)
Hannah:
My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord; My mouth derides my enemies; I rejoice in God’s salvation.
Mary:
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior,
who looks upon a lowly handmaid with favor.
All generations shall call me blessed.
There is none holy like the Lord;
There is no rock like our God.
Let not your mouth be arrogant,
for the Lord is a God of all knowledge.
For God who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy, holy, holy is God’s name.
And God’s mercy is given to God’s
people from generation to generation.
The bows of the mighty are broken.
Strong is the arm of the Lord,
but the feeble put on strength.
who had scattered the proud in their hearts;
Those who were full are hungry,
God has put down the mighty and
those who were hungry are filled,
and lifted those of low degree,
Choir:
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s
and on them God has set the world.
The Lord kills and brings to life;
Strong is the arm of the Lord,
God brings low and exalts,
who has scattered the proud in their hearts.
God lifts up the poor from the dust
God has filled the hungry,
to sit with rulers and inherit a seat of honor
and the rich have been sent empty away.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
God will guard the faithful flock,
and human might shall not prevail.
The Lord will judge the earth;
and will exalt the power of God’s anointed.
For the Lord has helped the servant Israel
in remembrance of God’s love and mercy,
which was promised to Sarah and Abraham,
and to their children’s children forever.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
About the Composer:
Carolyn Jennings is a professor emerita of music at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she taught for many years and also served in administrative roles, including being chair of the music department and associate dean for the fine arts. Jennings is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.A. in music, and the University of Michigan, where she received her M.A. in music. Over many years she has served on arts advisory panels, as a workshop presenter, and in leadership roles in several professional organizations. She has been active in promoting the use of inclusive language in texts for singing, and has worked to heighten awareness of how language shapes as well as expresses thought. Among her many commissioned works are a children's musical, a choral song cycle, and many compositions for church, school, and community choirs. Her publications include over a hundred choral compositions and arrangements, a number of text translations, contributions to several hymnals, and articles for professional journals.
https://www.giamusic.com/store/artists/carolyn-jennings
About the Performers:
The St. Olaf Choir, with seventy-five mixed voices, is the premier a cappella choir in the United States. For over a century, the choir has set a standard of choral excellence and remained at the forefront of choral artistry. Conducted since 1990 by Anton Armstrong, the St. Olaf Choir continues to develop the tradition that originated with its founder, F. Melius Christiansen. Since its founding in 1912, the St. Olaf Choir has set a standard in the choral art, serving as a model for choirs of all levels. The ensemble’s annual tour brings its artistry and message to thousands of people across the nation and around the world. The St. Olaf Choir has taken fourteen international tours and performed for capacity audiences in the major concert halls of Norway, France, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and the Twin Cities.
https://wp.stolaf.edu/choir/
About the Poetry & Poet:
Denise Levertov (1923–1997) was educated entirely at home and claimed to have decided to become a writer at the age of five. When she was twelve, she sent some of her poetry to T. S. Eliot, who responded by encouraging her to continue writing. At age seventeen, she had her first poem published in Poetry Quarterly. Her poems of the 1950s won her widespread recognition and her book With Eyes at the Back of Our Heads (1959) established her as one of the great American poets. Levertov went on to publish more than twenty volumes of poetry, and was also the author of four books of prose. Levertov’s conversion to Christianity in 1984 was the impetus for her religious poetry. In 1997, she brought together thirty-eight poems from seven of her earlier volumes in The Stream & the Sapphire, a collection intended, as Levertov explains in the foreword to the collection, to "trace my slow movement from agnosticism to Christian faith, a movement incorporating much doubt and questioning as well as affirmation."
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/denise-levertov
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Levertov
About the Devotion Author:
Tiffany Clark, M.A., I.C.S.
Lay Assistant Minister at Christ Church
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Author and Spiritual Director
Tiffany Clark serves as Lay Assistant Minister at Christ Church, Georgetown, is a spiritual director, and is a candidate for holy orders in the Diocese of Washington, DC. Formerly a visiting professor and consultant for spiritual formation with Development Associates International (DAI), Tiffany completed her MA ICS through Biola’s Chiang Mai Extension Center during the twenty years she and her husband served overseas, primarily in South Asia.