Bruce Epperly: The Politics of Incarnation

When someone tells me with great assurance that the focus of the Bible is solely on personal salvation, heaven and how to get there and that social action contradicts the gospel message, I gently respond, “Have you read the stories of Mary’s pregnancy and Jesus’ birth? Have you ever meditated on Mary’s Magnificat?” Sometimes I add, “Have you ever read, Isaiah, Amos, and Micah?” Sadly, many of these “bible believers” respond, “What are you talking about? Is that in the Bible?”

The prophetic vision of scripture is one of the most neglected aspects of Christian spirituality. It’s as if the social dimensions of scripture from the prophetic writings of the First Testament to Jesus’ inaugural address, recorded in Luke 4:18-19 have been swallowed by a black hole in Christian experience, most especially in the white conservative church, motivated by the desire to connect free market capitalism with Christian faith.

The angelic visitation and the Bethlehem birth is, for most Christians, the primary focus of their Christmas experience. Yet, Mary’s Magnificat joins the personal and political in ways that have the potential of inspiring us to move from self-interest to world loyalty in the Christmas season.

Following the prenatal John the Baptist’s greeting of Jesus, Mary proclaims the wondrous power of God, the power of liberation and transformation (Luke 1:46-55):

God has shown strength with God’s arm;
God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
God has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
God has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
God has helped servant Israel,
in remembrance of God’s mercy.

In the spirit of the prophets, Mary has a preferential option for the poor and powerless. There are harsh words for the powerful and wealthy. While they are not the objects of divine hatred, the wealthy must, Mary proclaims, sacrifice their largesse so that the poor can enjoy “good things” – their hungers for security and sustenance are satisfied. They not only live; they are able to live well, without their simple pleasures questioned as extravagances by the wealthy and powerful.

Recently a Christian friend challenged my desire that every child experience high quality education and healthy diet with concerns that we will be supporting “dead beats” and saddling our grandchildren with the national debt. Such comments are thoughtless and uninformed, and a galaxy away from Mary’s Magnificat, considering that it has been estimated that 140 million USA citizens live from paycheck to paycheck, and that over 10% of our population fall below the poverty line. Yet, being above the poverty line is no economic picnic, and parents must scrimp to provide the basics not to mention a few extras for the holidays. If they receive any form of government assistance, then they must deal with slights from those who begrudge them “luxuries” that those in the middle class and upper middle class take for granted – cable television, a night out, taking a child to a sporting event, a glass of wine.

Mary, herself a member of the peasant class, speaks on behalf of all the voiceless and excluded. The Incarnation, for Mary of Nazareth, is not an ethereal abstraction. It is the flesh and blood embodied affirmation of abundant life for all God’s children, in particular the voiceless, vulnerable, and marginalized.

While Mary lacked political power, or the ability to advocate for the poor, her words convict those of us with power and largesse to magnify God by expanding our care beyond our immediate circle. We are, as Teresa of Avila says, God’s hands and feet. We are also God’s voice and heart, and we need to let our voices be magnified. To celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ by embodying God’s vision in our personal generosity and political activism.

There is, as Ebenezer Scrooge discovers, an open future ahead of all of us and changed hearts lead to changed actions and changed lives. Poverty, eco-injustice, incivility, racism, and incivility do not have to characterize the future of a dying nation and planet. Another world is possible – laughter in the streets, safe communities, and swords beaten into plowshares. Mary reminds us that we are part of this wondrous incarnation and that we can by our choices magnify God and take our place as God’s companions in healing the world.

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Bruce Epperly is a pastor, professor, and author of over sixty books, including “Mystics in Action: Twelve Saints for Today,” “Walking with Francis of Assisi: From Privilege to Activism,” “The Work of Christmas: The Twelve Days of Christmas with Howard Thurman,” and “Prophetic Healing: Howard Thurman’s Vision of Contemplative Activism.” He may be reached at drbruceepperly@gmail.com