THE MAGNIFICAT
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‘To look inward and see him there’
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Prayer, Visio Divina
Mary magnified! God-revealing to the small, slight God-bearer, is no small thing. Mary magnified! The presence of God comes with Given grace, glistening, in splendor, hope, heaviness, sadness. Mary magnified! How did Mary magnify? My soul cannot contain like hers-- The inexplicable joy The uncontainable contained, housed, welcomed by her resolute “yes!” Mary magnified! How did she bear up under the weight of it all? Mary magnified! All the while the threat of death the coming pain of birthing a child into the world only to lose him, bleeding for him so that he might bleed for her. Mary magnified. I am bewildered. Praise be to God! Amen. “Bewilderment is the true comprehension. Not to know where you are going is the true knowledge.” -Martin Luther |
Prayer, A Collect for Pentecost, from Acts 2, Lectio Divina
Generative Spirit of God, The Spark who Sparked Mary’s “yes,” the Fire who burned bright and gentle inside her body igniting salvation on every tongue the mighty works of God: kindle within us that same “yes,” so that we walking in Mary’s prophetic light may bear bright, bewildering light to those trapped in darkness and the shadow of death. Amen. |
‘The Spirit descends’
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‘Formed from the dust’
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Prayer, after Psalm 139
Heavenly Father, you knit together Mary’s inmost parts to knit together her Son and Salvation. Before Mary was, you looked on her. Your eyes—wide enough to see the whole host of heaven and kind enough to look upon her humble estate with favor and grace. Look upon us with that same expansive kindness. Knit our inmost parts to become your home. Fashion us after Mary—woven vessels ready and waiting to welcome Christ as he comes to us—stranger, guest, enemy, friend. Amen. |
“Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman!”
“...turning the world rightside up again...” --Sojourner Truth Prayer God, among those who claim blessing because of place, prestige, and power, you came another way. You came to a Palestinian, Jewish woman, who claims blessing because of favor and grace. God, keep us in that family of blessing, who for generation after generation declare blessing to her who turned the world rightside up again by letting her world be turned upside down for you. And let blessing--real, empowering, justice-steeped blessing--fall on all those women, who, like Mary, have no place, prestige, or power, who go another way. |
‘More numerous than the stars’
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‘The Greatest Thing’
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(working up to a prayer)
God magnifies while her growing body magnifies the obvious-- Still, God magnifies honed in on salvation entwining his story with hers, his body entangled with flesh and blood. (God, the pain of it all!) |
Prayer, after Flannery and Karl
Confession to the God named Holy, or the Impossible Possibility God, there is something austere and untouchable about holiness. And yet a name gets to the most intimate parts of Being. I won't make excuses. I won't try to rationalize your intimidating holiness coupled with your incarnational intimacy. Instead, I'll confess. I confess that your holiness is an awesome, sometimes terrifying thing. Living for the God named Holy is impossible. Thank goodness for Mary, the girl who proves that nothing is impossible with the God named Holy. Mary, our sister who knows just how holy and intimate you are with us, just how possible the impossibilities of life are with You. The God named Holy is the God of limitless possibility, constrained only by straining grace. So living for you, my Holy God, is impossible, and grace abounds. Amen. |
‘Perfect, without limit’
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‘The Seat’
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Prayer
Mercy sits with us, Seated with Mary while she sat weaving the temple curtain (Jesus) only to be torn in two that we might sit with Mercy. Unmediated, total access to God: Here I am! Let me sit with you. Amen. |
Prayer
God’s mercy unwinds slow threaded throughout the generations sometimes invisible sometimes fractured. But in you we live and move and have our being-- have done so since the beginning, and all the while God’s mercy waits and weaves wonders through our veins. |
‘The Inheritance’
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‘Sown in weakness, raised in power’
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Prayer, on the Crucifixion, after the 16th St. Baptist Church Wales Window
God, before the foundation of the world, you are. By the power of Your Word, the world is. Nothing in heaven and on earth can contain your splendor, majesty, power, and might. But you made your home with us, Emmanuel. By the power of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary you were made human—legs, fingers, toes, arms, eyes, ears. Did your arms learn their strength from her? Did her own compassion and justice help you to arc your arms in justice and compassion? The uncontainable, unbending God contained on the cross, bent over by grief, Mothered by a strength stronger than death Strength to overcome the world. Let it be (amen). |
Prayers of the people, part one
God, we pray for the proud (our pride), scattered throughout the earth, too often established in places of unjust power and authority. God, we see the injustices daily inflicted by the proud upon the powerless, and in our own pride we stand complicit. Scatter us, O God, dashing the thoughts of our hearts against the strength of your arm. Lord, in your mercy, will you hear our prayer? |
‘Broken vessels’
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‘The chastisement that brought us peace’
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Prayers of the people, part two
God, we pray for the rulers of this world who govern by a mighty hand. Disrupt their lofty rule; Cast down the mighty again, O God! God, you are the just expression of might. You are the mighty one who magnifies people like Mary—do it again, God! Do not leave those lowly and humble ones craning their necks, breaking their backs under the weight of these lofty thrones. Lord, in your mercy, do you hear our prayer? |
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” –C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
Prayers of the people, part three God, we pray for the humble, for those who didn’t even ask for that sought-after virtue, who nonetheless find themselves on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the tracks, the dark end of the color spectrum. Exult them, O God, as you chasten us who shoved ourselves onto the right (white) side of history, who somehow mistook forced humility and poverty as a virtue, not to be emulated, but to be pitied. Let us exalt and bless the humble and poor, yes God, but let it be the blessing of justice and righteousness, rolling down like the waters. Lord in your mercy, can you hear our prayer? |
‘A crown of ashes for a crown of glory’
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‘Satisfied’
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Prayer, Our Lady of the Passion
The Spirit of the Lord was with her and is also with you She lifted up her heart let us lift up our hearts to her Son. She magnified her Lord the Savior. Magnifying is just and right for us to do. God, Mary invites us to the table, welcomes us as she welcomed your Son, our daily bread, our living water. Let us know Jesus in the breaking of the bread--who gave the 5000 their fill and more, who lavished on the Samaritan woman an eternal lifespring, who gave his disciples his very body and blood, who feeds his church with the consuming blaze of the Spirit. May we be joined to that company as we open our hands, break the bread, kiss the earth, water it with our tears. May we set our tables and our lives with lavishing, extravagant abundance. |
“Jesus said to [the rich young ruler], ‘One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’
But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.” -Luke 18:22-24 Prayer Emptiness as blessing? negative space-- wombed and ready. this isn’t a curse-- (it hurts, yes!) but to be invited, that’s grace. Will we leave empty ready for annunciation and visitation? |
‘Naked as he came’
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‘He holds us fast and we are not consumed’
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Prayer
God’s Spirit in her, that blazing bright beacon of hope and holiness bare feet planted firmly on the ground while song soars from her lips she’s ignited sparked by simply “let it be:” let salvation and liberation and resurrection be! And it was, and is, and will be-- a consuming, healing fire catching on our tongues. |
“And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” -Luke 2:51
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” -Isaiah 49:14-15 Prayer God our Mother does not forget. Mercy, always mercy. God mothered by Mary re-members within God’s merciful womb. Do not forget your Mothering God, fellow laborers. Remember the God who asked to have a mother, dear children; and treasure all these things within you. |
‘The cost of grace | Do this in remembrance of me’
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‘The people who walked in darkness’
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The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. -John 1:14
Prayer Did those ancient mothers and fathers ever expect that God would speak-- would ask-- to be begotten? The promised one whispered through generations the Creator who spoke and formed the foundation of the world forming lipped sounds imitating his mother? God speaks and comes near, so near! (God, I’m crying!) You’re nearer to us than anyone ever could have imagined or dared to ask. (Thank you, dear God!). |
Prayer
God of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar God of Isaac, Ishmael, Rachel, and Leah; God uncontainable, contained God unbegotten, begotten: Sanctify us in the way of your Mother, burning with your Spirit, but not consumed. Annunciate to us, dear God; expand within us as we expand our bodies to welcome you. Stay near as we labor, groan with us as we work to bear the new creation into the world. Give us the audacity to believe even in the midst of the birth pangs that you have brought down the mighty, scattered the proud, emptied the rich, that you have filled the hungry and exalted the humble; even as you have remembered your mercy, do so again and again, forever. Amen. |
‘Your only son, whom you love’
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