I have noticed something about the people in our congregation. When I visit parishioners in the hospital and someone from the cleaning staff comes in, they know their cleaning people. They greet them by name. And they introduce me to the cleaning staff. In one case, the parishioner told me that he made it a point to get to the know the cleaning people and to try to understand their lives. This man was extremely well educated and intelligent and highly cultured. He wanted to know about the people who actually cleaned his room and him.
Now, most people have no idea who does the cleaning in their hospital room, or their hotel room, or their office. They just ignore the cleaners.
In the Magnificat, there are different translations, but Mary refers to herself as: a slave, a humble servant, a bond slave, a handmaiden, a slave of humble station, a servant in her lowliness, a lowly servant, a low status servant. I mean, this is like a cleaner. A maid. The custodial staff. The ones who deal with the dirt, grime, seepage, spillage, etc. of all kinds that no one wants to know about let alone clean up.
And this is who has been chosen by God, to give birth to one who is seen by millions the world over as the most important person in human history. Born to a servant. A maid. A low class cleaner. In our situation, we may not even expect such a person to be a US citizen, to speak English, to have a driver’s license, or a bank account.
And this is who is chosen to give birth to the Messiah. This is who is entrusted with raising the child into adulthood with the values and morals that reflect the purposes of God. This is the person who will see that Jesus is instilled with faith in the God who prioritizes the oppressed.
This Mary lady. Or was it Maria?
Prayer: This Advent season, let us expect to be surprised. Let us open our eyes to the God that is working where we may least expect it. Through a lowly one who serves. Amen.
This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 