A Topsy-Turvy Song

Sermon on Luke 1:51-55

Peace to you brothers and sisters. We are in the Christmas season because it is 12 days of Christmas. Can I have a show of hands from those who had a good Christmas? I used to look forward to Christmas, but now, not so much. As an adult, nobody gives me presents anymore. Now people give me books on how to preach better. But Christmas isn’t about presents, it’s it? It’s about the coming of Christ. And if you ask someone why the coming of Christ is important, they would say it is because Jesus Christ brings salvation. And this is the true meaning of Christmas, isn’t it? Jesus Christ comes so that we might have salvation. Advent is a time of preparation, where we meditate, we anticipate and we await the coming of Christ, because it is Jesus Christ who brings salvation. Today, at the start of Advent, I wish to talk about salvation. Yet, what is salvation? Very often, our concepts of salvation are too small, too narrow and too otherworldly. And the reason is because we think that salvation is only about getting to heaven. And my contention today is this, salvation is as much about this world as it is about the world to come.

A teacher was testing the children in her Sunday School class to see if they understood the concept of getting to Heaven. She asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?"
"NO!" the children answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"
Again, the answer was, "NO!"
"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?" she asked them again.
Again, they all answered, "NO!"
The teacher was very pleased with herself. She must be teaching very well. Her kids obviously know the right answer to the question. The only way to heaven is to believe in Jesus Christ, and not any of the things she has listed.
And so finally she asked, "Very good little children, then how can I get into Heaven?"
And a little boy shouted out, "Well, first, YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!" [1]

That’s funny and somewhat sad at the same time, isn’t it? Even little kids know that if salvation is only about getting into Heaven, then it is only relevant for the afterlife. It would only matter after you are dead. But is that what Christmas and the coming of Jesus is about? Is that all that salvation is about? From our passage today, I would argue that such a perspective would be too small, too narrow and too otherworldly. That is certainly also not how Mary would think of salvation, and when she sings about salvation, in the passage that we’ve read, I feel her dreams are so much bigger, her dreams are about this world as well. It is not about her getting to heaven, that is a very individualistic and anthropocentric way of thinking, it is much bigger than her; it is about her people, it is about God transforming the world.

Mary’s song is actually a summary of Hannah’s song, and if you think about it, they both have similar stories, they were both promised a son by God, and both were during the times which the people of God does not have their own king. Hannah’s song was sung during the time of judges. It was a time where everybody did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). There were also lots of oppression from the neighbouring countries. In a way, Hannah’s song reflected the kind of hope and dreams that she had for her people during these difficult times. I would like to read part of Hannah’s song together slowly. Let us appreciate the power of the words and the kind of imageries it might stir up in you.

1 Samuel 2: Then Hannah prayed and said:
4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.
(What do you think of when you hear these verses? This is the like a Topsy Turvy Song! Rich becomes poor, poor becomes rich, strong becomes weak, weak becomes strong, every reversal, every turnabout imaginable.)

(What do you think of when you hear these verses? This is the like a Topsy Turvy Song! Rich becomes poor, poor becomes rich, strong becomes weak, weak becomes strong, every reversal, every turnabout imaginable.)

Hannah lived in a world where everybody did what is right in their own eyes. It is a world where might is right. The rich and the powerful can be proud because they can control their future and the fate of others. The strong and the wicked can get away with things because there is no one to stop them or to bring justice. If you have read the last few chapters of judges, this is indeed the world that is presented. The judges were violent and corrupted, the tribes were in fighting and the philistines were invading Israel with their military superiority. And this is similar to Mary’s world. God’s people may have returned from exile, but they live under the oppression of Herod and the Romans. The religious authorities care more about their own rights and privileges than about the people. Why else do you think Mary would sing such a song about her hope and dreams? “Nobody would normally thank God for blessing if they were poor, hungry, enslaved and miserable. God would have to win a victory over the bullies, the power-brokers, the forces of evil which people like Mary and Elizabeth knew all too well, living as they did in the dark days of Herod the Great, whose casual brutality was backed up with the threat of Rome. Mary and Elizabeth, soaked themselves in the psalms and prophetic writings (including songs like Hannah’s song) which spoke of mercy, hope, fulfilment, reversal, revolution, victory over evil, and of God coming to the rescue at last.”[2] Mary and Hannah both lived in difficult times where might is right, and that is just wrong. And this is why they dream and sing of God to make things right. And it isn’t just Hannah’s world or Mary world. I have to ask, Is our world really different today? Have our values really changed?

There was a recent interview with former US Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on a talkshow called the Colbert Report. They were talking about how super-PACs, which are political fund raising organisations, have strongly influenced the most recent USA election campaign. Gingrich lost in the republican presidential primary against Romney. Gingrich says he has a billionaire friend who helped in his campaign. Colbert said “great friend to have.” Gingrich said, I had one, Romney had 26, it turns out 26 billionaires beat one. He then added sarcastically, “this was a great revelation to us”. Colbert replied, “that would make a great reality show, billionaire fight”. Gingrich replied, “we just had it, it’s called the election.” Gingrich was insinuating that the election wasn’t so much about the best person getting elected, but who can raise the most money for their election campaign funds. In the end, it was the rich that decided the Republican presidential nominee.

We live in a topsy turvy world. And sometimes we feel very helpless when power is in the wrong hands. A few top bank executives can manipulate the world economy. A few countries can control the world security. A few selfish mistakes can destroy the world climate. It doesn’t seem right, and yet we can do nothing. Or can we? Mary had sung a topsy-turvy song for a topsy turvy world. In a way, the song goes beyond her hopes and dreams. She personally experienced the transformative ways of God. God did not pick the rich or the kings to change the world. In Hannah, God picked a mocked childless woman. In Zechariah and Elizabeth, God picked an elderly couple. In Mary, God picked a simple village girl. And so the lyrics of the topsy turvy song comes alive in Mary’s own life. Mary experienced what it means go from death to life, and from poverty to wealth, and from insignificance into world changing honor. In an upside down world, Mary understood what it meant to live a life rightside up.

I know of a little boy named John. He is one of the smartest boys in his class. But he has one problem. He could only read words written upside down. Nobody ever wrote anything upside down. But it was only a little problem. John was still in the high reading group. He just turned his book upside down. It was easier for John to turn his book upside down than to learn to read correctly. But the easiest way isn’t always the best way. And so the teacher said to John, “John, you can’t go on reading like this. You can’t spend the rest of your life turning your books upside down.”
“Why not?” asked John.
“Because I said so,” said the teacher. “Besides, what happens when I write something on the blackboard? You can’t turn the blackboard upside down.”
“No, I guess you’re right,” said John.
“I know I’m right, “ said the teacher. “There is only one obvious solution. You are going to have to learn to stand on your head.” [3]

In a topsy-turvy world, you need a topsy-turvy song that allows you to see the world upside down on a handstand. Only when you do so, then perhaps you can see the world as it should be. In the beginning, we talked about what is salvation. And I contend that salvation is not just about the afterlife, it is also the transformation of the world we live in. But do you still see a world that is topsy-turvy? Do you think this is a world that needs salvation? Perhaps you might have gotten used seeing things topsy-turvy. If you were to ask a young person if they care about their salvation, they probably might not care. The afterlife seems like a distant world for them. Christianity becomes a fairy tale of heaven and hell for them. But if you were to ask young people about the transformation of the world, I think they would care about it passionately. They are not jaded by the difficulties of change. They are not worn out by the cynicisms of failures. They have not been placated and lulled into a conservative comfort zone. Young people yearn for a better world. I believe that in Mary’s song, we have a salvation that speaks to them. In the coming of Jesus, God makes things right. Jesus didn’t come just to bring us to heaven, he was also making heaven on earth. May God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Salvation is about God making a better world. And so, we need to tell this salvation story, especially with the youth in mind. It is like teaching them how to do a handstand so that they can look properly at an upside down world. They need this topsy turvy song for a topsy turvy world. In this story, the world is not in the hands of the rich and powerful, the world is in the hands of God. And God has chosen the humble and faithful to transform this world. Those were his promises to Abraham, and in Christmas, the coming of Christ, God is keeping his promise. God fulfills his promise to save and bless the world, not only in the final result, but also in the methods and ways.

And so in this time of Advent, as we use the Gospel of Luke to communicate the salvation of God, let it be a story that changes not only the afterlife, but one that also changes the world as we see it. Forget not the hope and dreams of a village girl. All that is asked of her is her obedience. Forget not the birthplace of a humble manger. What can change the world can come from the simplest places. Forget not the shepherds. Even the lowliest professions can bear the most powerful witnesses. Forget not your God, who uses words and promises, the simplest things in life, to accomplish his works.

So ask yourself, why do you look forward to Christmas? Do you still believe that God is in control, and he can change and transform the world? When Jesus comes, in humility he comes, the world changed. This is not just Mary’s and Hannah’s song, it is also our song. Jesus has entered into our lives. And God has kept his promises. Salvation has come.

[1] http://www.ebaumsworld.com/jokes/read/207492/
[2] Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone, pg. 15
[3] Louis Sachar, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, p. 74-75