Who Would’a Thunk It?
Reflections on Luke 1.39-55
RCL Advent 4C
23 December 2018
Holy Trinity Cathedral
Luke 1.39-55
1.39In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit42and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
In the autumn of 1986 Paula and I were in the midst of a number of challenges. Paula was at the end of her second pregnancy, the first having ended in a miscarriage. We were both so very conscious of every movement and of every quiet moment as the due date drew near.
I had completed my two years’ of course work for the Ph.D. and was now preparing for my candidacy examinations in the early spring of 1987, a series of oral and written exercises designed to show that I could do the research and writing required to complete a Ph.D. thesis.
Then, out of the blue, came a telephone call from David Holeton, then professor of liturgical studies at Vancouver School of Theology. I was familiar with his name from my studies. He asked me, ‘Would you be interested in applying for a teaching position in Vancouver?’ I asked for a day or so to answer him, so that I could consult my mentor, Jim White. When I asked Jim if I should apply, he said, ‘Why not? The worst case scenario is that you get a free trip to Vancouver and, if you’re not selected, your name will begin to circulate as a potential candidate for other positions. The best case scenario is that you are offered the job and you and Paula can live and work in one of the most beautiful cities in North America.’
So, I applied and the rest, as they say, is history. David was born. We moved to Vancouver. Two more children joined their older brother. Paula began her theological studies and was ordained. I enjoyed many years of teaching and, as a professor, travelled throughout North America and even a few fascinating international engagements. And then, in the fullness of time, I came here to Holy Trinity Cathedral. As folks say where I grew up, ‘Who would’a thunk it?’
Then there’s Elizabeth. Luke’s gospel describes her as ‘barren’ and implies that she and her husband were somehow past it in terms of having a child. By ‘past it’ Luke probably means that she was in her twenties or thirties. Then her husband, Zechariah, in the midst of his priestly duties, is interrupted by an angel who makes an outrageous promise, so outrageous that Zechariah is struck dumb by the possibility. But the child is conceived and the family’s future takes a new turn. I can hear Elizabeth and Zechariah mutter to themselves, ‘Who would’a thunk it?’
Then there’s Mary. Luke describes her as a ‘virgin’, a betrothed but not yet married young woman. She was the member of a family whose glory days lay in the past when David was king of a united Israel and Judah. Her family has managed to make a good match for her with Joseph, also a member of a family with a similar history but with the benefit of a highly-valued trade as a carpenter. Not a glorious future but a stable one in unstable times. But then come those pesky angels, one to tell Mary she’s going to bear a child who will change the world, one to tell Joseph not to be upset about being the foster father of God’s child. I can hear Mary and Joseph mutter, separately or together, ‘Who would’a thunk it?’
As we come to the end of our Advent journey and draw near to the celebration of the Word made flesh, the Christ-child, the child of Mary, we are asked to ponder what unimaginable things God may ask of us as a community faith and of each one of us as disciples of that remarkable child, Jesus. Whether we are just beginning our journey of discipleship or find ourselves somewhere in the middle or may think ourselves coming to its end, God still is sending angels, messengers, to invite us to ‘do more than we can ask or imagine’.
Perhaps an angel will ask us to take a risk and to heal a broken relationship with a member of our family or one of our friends. Perhaps an angel will ask us to embark on a journey of faith by taking on new responsibilities or by re-committing ourselves to projects or activities that we have long found life-giving to us and to others. Perhaps an angel will ask us to leave something behind in order to grow and thrive as a human being. And, after the angel has left us, I can hear us muttering to ourselves, ‘Who would’a thunk it? – or whatever regional variation comes naturally to you.
I doubt that Elizabeth and Zechariah or Mary and Joseph imagined what would be the outcome of their encounters with the angels of God nor how their beloved sons would lead people into a new relationship with the living God that would embrace people of every language and nation, every culture and ethnicity. But here we are.
I doubt that the settlers who built the first church on this site one hundred fifty-nine years ago imagined that their successors would be asking the questions we are asking about how we might best continue their legacy of ministry to this community of New Westminster. But here we are.
I doubt that any of us imagined what it meant nor what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and where our discipleship would lead us and is leading us. But here we are.
‘Who would’a thunk it’ – perhaps a God whose loving knows no boundaries, whose compassion embraces all of creation, whose wisdom sustains the universe. That’s ‘who would’a thunk it’.
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