Hearing Mary’s Song

by Pastor Debra Bronkema |December 13, 2025 | connect.faith, Everyday Spirituality: The Blog

Hearing Mary's Song

Luke 1:46b-55

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowly state 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;

indeed, 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 imagination 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 come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Hearing Mary's Song

This passage, this song of the young woman who has been entrusted with being the Mom of Jesus – it paints a version of faith that contradicts all the messages we hear about the Prosperity Gospel. Entitled people of faith getting more possessions, deserving more wealth, being blessed with money because they follow God – we can’t hold that idea at the same time we hold the notion that Jesus was born to someone without power, or wealth, born in the manger of a stable out behind an Inn.

It makes me wonder how these words that Mary sang ever got silenced in the first place. Have we so appreciated the beauty of this story, that we’ve missed the truth of what these words mean? That God showed up to the people in need, broke into the world and lit up the sky, not by giving people more money, but through spreading more love.

This Advent season, I’ve been seeing a new trend on social media that is trying to counteract some of the loudness we can experience in that medium. People are choosing to tell their stories – the ones that are grounded in faith in a God who doesn’t abandon those that are struggling, but shows up, fills them and lifts them up.

May we find it in us to hear Mary’s Song – and let it change what we see when we look at the world.

Reflection Questions:

1) What line of the scripture/song feeds your soul?

2) What line challenges you as you think about the things you have on your agenda today?

3) If Mary’s Song were coming to life in our age, what might happen?

Prayer: Dear God, Help me to see the world through your eyes, and say yes to the work you want me to do. In Jesus Name, Amen