He Has . . . (Park)

He has . . . 

 - From Luke 1

In the Lectionary, we never get too far from the Christmas story. Everything ties back to the first Advent of the King of Kings . . . His entrance into the human time-line of history; and how He experienced a full life, just as we do.

But now, today, it is a third of the year away from Christmas, and we celebrate the Feast of the Virgin Mary. Jesus' mother is now entering her third trimester. Her physical state can no longer be hidden, if ever it was.

She that will forever be known as "The Virgin" now appears, on the surface, anything but.

Did she go about proudly, like a woman of the early 21st Century; (or really, like ANYBODY in the 21st Century?). Or are we to assume that, in the spirit of a virginal attitude during the peak of Rome's power, the attitude of chastity went hand-in-hand with modesty?

Did people mock her? Did she keep to herself? Did she go about her daily routine? Did she insist to others, that she had not yet consummated her marriage to Joseph?

I have learned that the original Hebrew word for "virgin" actually referred, technically, to "a young, unmarried woman." In their culture, "unmarried" also meant that one was a virgin as well.

I wonder if there is any place in the year 2019, for anyone to be impressed that a virgin could give birth. Is anybody impressed that a virgin could still marry? How much do we really care about this? Even in the most evangelical and conservative church, our words and deeds fly in the face of any ethic around moral purity. The headlines, over the past two weeks, even seem to mock the idea.

Mary rejoiced in her state. In Scripture, Social Justice is the partner to moral purity. You can't have one without the other. And Mary, in the Luke passage, states that God already has brought down the proud, and elevated the poor.

How is it that God has done this, already? Does anybody really believe God "has" leveled the playing field?

Mary had seen the end from the beginning. She experienced history's greatest miracle.

And that gave her all the credibility she needed, to be able to affirm: "God has done everything He said He would do."

Mary had crossed over into the eternal realm. She had seen a vision. She had been given enlightenment. Her faith had opened her eyes.

And she had seen it - - - she saw the completion of God's plan.

God has made all things right.