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The phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” was part of Bill Clinton’s winning strategy for president in 1992.   Well, the economy is important.  It really controls reality for most people in this country.  The economy dictates how many jobs a person has to have to feed the family.  The economy dictates access to healthcare.  The economy controls people’s ability to take care of basic needs like housing, food, healthcare, and transportation.  It even influences what Christmas gifts will be given.

The economy controls the wellbeing of a vast majority of the population of our country.  So, for politicians, the economy should be a main concern.  Unfortunately, in recent decades, the economy has been doctored to make the rich richer.  And, consequently, the poor, poorer.  But the rich contribute to political campaigns, not the poor, so the preferences of the rich are catered to by politicians.  They have to keep those donations flowing in.

And, of course, we have all kinds of data and charts and graphs documenting the state of things economically.  They show that the wealth gap in America is growing not shrinking.  And for those of us not inclined toward the analysis of economic data, there is the grocery store.  You can get a pretty good read on things as you traverse the aisles with list in hand.  And we know one thing for sure at the moment, prices are not going down.  It is often cheaper for a family to get discounted meals at a fast food joint then go to the store and buy actual food and prepare it at home.  No wonder America is having a health crisis.  

This highlights something that I think is of interest in the Magnificat.  The song of Mary is an economic manifesto.  Mary refers to her own servile status.  The proud, arrogant, and powerful are scattered.  Those are the rich.  You aren’t proud, arrogant, or powerful without money to back it up.  And the rich are sent away empty.  And the lowly are lifted up.  That’s the poor.  Those with little money, land, education, and access to power.  Lifted up.  Filled with good things.  

This Magnificat is very much an economic manifesto.  It doesn’t refer to gender, to race, to ethnicity.  Fix the economy and many other problems are solved.  There is the mention of promises fulfilled to God’s servant, Israel, in terms of economic well-being.  A complete shift in the power structure.  Based on economics.  But it is for all, not just for some.

It’s all well and good to talk about how God loves everyone.  It’s another thing to announce a complete toppling of current economic realities.  That’s what Mary does.  That’s what loving everyone amounts to.

Prayer:  To much of the world, we are the haves.  We are the ones with financial resources.  Help us to be part of God’s economic revolution announced by Mary.  Amen.

This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

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.

In the first century, the Jewish people were very much a community of solidarity, united against the occupying regime, the Roman Empire.  Oppression sometimes breeds solidarity.  People. band together against a common enemy.  

The most hated Jews were those who were in collusion with the Romans  for their own personal, individual benefit, like the tax collectors, and King Herod, and many of the religious leaders in the Temple in Jerusalem.  

One thing that is noteworthy in the gospels is that the promises of God are extended beyond the Jewish community to everyone and anyone in need;  including foreigners and those perceived as historic enemies like the Samaritans.  

Jesus extends Divine Love to everyone.  Ethnicity, religious connections, poverty, power, none of these things influence Jesus when it comes to embracing people with unconditional love.  Jesus is certainly not restricted by perceived blood ties to Abraham and Sarah considered the progenitors of Judaism.  

We notice this commitment foreshadowed in the song of Mary, the Magnificat.  We are told of the lifting of the lowly.  Not just the lowly who are Jewish, but the lowly.  Whoever they may be.  The poor are filled with good things.  All the poor.  Not just the poor from one group, tribe, religion, or ethnicity.  The insinuation is ALL the poor.  

And the mighty are cast down.  Not just the Jewish people who were colluders.  But all people of power.  Cast down.  Roman and Jewish and others.  

In the gospels, our blood ties are our ties as human beings, they are our ties as a species.  There is no place for preferential treatment for people of a certain color, or ethnicity, or language, or religion, or citizenship.  In the Magnificat, Mary expresses the commitment of God to justice, not to a certain group or sect or color.  Yes, the children of Abraham and Sarah will receive justice as promised, but it is not only for those descendants. 

Christmas is the most celebrated holiday in the world.  But do we really know what we are celebrating?  God’s love for everyone.  Even those we hate.

Prayer:  Like Mary, may I know that I am tied by blood to all people, not just to people who seem to be like me.  I am even in relationship with my enemies and those who consider me enemy.  Amen.

This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

Each of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell us of the ministry of John the Baptizer, getting people ready for the coming of the the Messiah.  Evidently, some prep is needed.  People need to be brought along to the changing of the world.  They need to be massaged a bit, made ready, for the pure love of God breaking into human reality.  

It’s a drastic message, so it must come from a drastic source.  John is known for wearing camel’s hair clothing and eating locusts, yes, the bugs, and honey.  That was way out, even for the first century.  But it got people’s attention.  And we are told that people flocked to the wilderness, to the Jordan River, to be baptized by John, to be prepared for what God was about to do.  

Now, how do we prepare for Jesus’ coming today?  We buy presents.  We buy more presents.  We perpetuate the story of Santa and the flying reindeer, who bring toys to girls and boys.  And we like heart warming stories where kids who might not have gotten any presents find gifts under the tree on Christmas morning.  We like to support efforts to bring a little Christmas to those who are left out the rest of the year.  This is all well and good, but then we wrap Christmas up, put it away, for another year. 

But John the Baptizer reminds us that there is more to the message of Jesus.  More than charity though that is certainly needed in our world today.  But John also speaks of justice.  A new world order.  Where there is no need because people are not taken advantage of, abused, oppressed, demeaned and degraded.  When the command for justice is fulfilled, there is very little need for charity.   

Prayer:  May we prepare ourselves for the new reality ushered in by the gospel of Jesus.  May we not be afraid of the power of the gospel.  Amen.

This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

We recently engaged in the annual ritual of watching the movie, “The Grinch.”   Not the original cartoon, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” but the full length movie made in 2018.  Each year, something different strikes me in the movie. This year, I noticed how everybody changes in the movie not just the Grinch.  Cindy Lou Who changes.  Her family changes.  The townspeople change.  They all come to see Christmas in a new way. There may be one exception.  The mayor of Whoville.  Does he change?  It’s a hard sell for him.  Probably because he is the most powerful figure in the town.  He has the most say so.  He controls and dominates everything.  So why would he want to change?  Why would he want the town to change?  Even the police chief softens toward the Grinch, but the mayor, he’s holding on to his grudge against the Grinch with both fists.   So, I’m imagining a ‘changometer.’  At one side of the dial, ‘extremely averse to change.’  And at the other end of the dial, ‘very open to change.’  And I am wondering where we might find ourselves on that spectrum.  Do we really want everything around us to change – like Mary says, the mighty cast down from their thrones, those of low degree exalted?  The rich sent empty away.  The poor full.  Are we at that ‘very open to change’ end of the spectrum?  Or are we a bit more reticent to see everything turned topsy turvy around us?   Some people around us say they want a LOT of change but it is not the kind of change Mary envisions.  In fact, it is the opposite.  It is ensconcing the rich in their power and position and denying the poor.   This advent season is a time to examine where we are with change and what kind of change we may want to see.  Is it consistent with Mary’s vision?   Prayer:  May we be open to change this season and every season.  Change that reflects the dream of God, the gospel values of Mary, the teachings of Jesus.  Amen. This devotion was prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.