My Soul Proclaims

Y o u r

Greatness

Luther Seminary • Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

A d v e n t D e v o t i o n a l • 2 0 0 9

My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness, lord; I sing my savior’s praise!

you looked upon my lowliness, and i am full of grace.

now ev’ry land and ev’ry age this blessing shall proclaim—

great wonders you have done for me, and holy is your name.

To all who live in holy fear your mercy ever flows.

with mighty arm you dash the proud, their scheming hearts expose.

the ruthless you have cast aside, the lowly throned instead;

the hungry filled with all good things, the richsent off unfed.

to israel, your servant blest, your help is ever sure;

the promise to our parents made their children will secure. sing glory to the holy one,

give honor to the word, and praise the pow’r of the most high,

one god, by all adored.

“My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness,” ELW 251 © 1995 Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted with permission.

Dear Friends,

The theme for this year’s Advent Devotional is the quiet, powerful song of Mary.She sings of the greatness of her Lord, who looked upon her in all her lowlinessand chose her to bear the Savior of the world. Like Mary, may you experience anoverwhelming sense of wonder and gratitude this Advent season as you discoveragain that God has come to dwell with us in Jesus and we are full of grace.

These reflections for each day of Advent were written for you by faculty andstaff at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, Calif., and LutherSeminary in St. Paul, Minn. They are our gift for you to enjoy and savor as youwait through the dark days of December for the light of Christ to come again.They come to bring you blessing. They come also in the spirit of gratitude forthe many blessings that have come to these two seminaries through you.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ dwell in you richly this Advent seasonand fill you with grace and peace and love!

Phyllis Anderson Richard BliesePacific Lutheran Theological Seminary Luther Seminary

My Soul Proclaims

Y o u r

Greatness

Thursday, November 26L u k e 2 1 : 2 5 - 3 6

Mary’s experience with God transforms her worldview. Since God could choose a “lowly”person like a peasant girl from Nazareth (now unwed and pregnant) to bear God’s son, everything looked different. God was no longer apparently captive to the powerful and professionally religious. The fortunate in the world were no longer the fat and powerful.Because of what God did for Mary, she understood that the least in the world were especiallyfavored. What a creation-changing gift Mary gives!

God of the lowly, you nurture the poor and hungry. Help us be your hands and heart to thelowly of our world this season and, in them, let us meet Christ. Amen.

Friday, November 27J e r e m i a h 3 3 : 1 4 - 1 6

In Mary’s view, “The ruthless you have cast aside, the lowly throned instead” (ELW 251). In the daily life of our world’s empires, this is not self-evident. But to those who have faith,God’s humbling of the proud and powerful has already begun. What is prophetic promise inJeremiah and Luke emerges. In the world’s politics and economies, change is slowly perceptible.Through the eyes of Christian community, the disposed and impoverished are the focus ofGod’s future. We trust that, in this season of promise, we will be infected with love for thosewho need it most.

O God, let us praise the power of the Most High by gracing the hungry and homeless, andbeing lifted up with them, for we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saturday, November 28J e r e m i a h 3 3 : 1 4 - 1 6

In Jeremiah’s eyes, the Holy One has promised to institute justice and righteousness. In a world full of injustice and unrighteousness, this is good news indeed. Imagine how the powerless in the Middle East or women in the Darfur region hear this promise! In theMagnificat, Mary understands that God is already at work turning reality on its head. Peopleof faith are called, in the coming Christ, to live by the light of God’s future rather than in thedarkness of this world. We are to focus on God’s future and, through the Spirit, let it come to life in us.

Lord, in the darkness of these winter days, use Christ, our light, to show forth justice andrighteousness. Amen.

First Sunday in AdventP s a l m 2 5 : 1 - 3

Psalm 25 begins with a petition. “Help me!” the psalmist seems to be pleading. “Do not letme be put to shame” (v. 2). Of course, there is no harm in praying for oneself. Often our ownneeds or those of someone close to us are what move us to reach out to God in prayer. Sothe psalmist begins with a petition for himself. Then, after a couple of sentences, his worldopens up. Petition becomes intercession. Singular shifts to plural. The plea changes as theone praying finds a bigger dream, a bolder prayer: “Do not let those who wait for you be putto shame” (v. 3).

Stir up your power, O Lord, and come. Come to the aid of all who wait for you. Amen.

Monday, November 30P s a l m 2 5 : 4 - 6

“When you’re up to your eyeballs in alligators,” the saying goes, “it’s hard to remember that you came to drain the swamp.” We would not blame the psalmist if he went on and onabout his enemies. Alligators abound, after all, and they have a way of demanding attention.Yet after verse 3, Psalm 25 speaks only once more about enemies. There are paths of the Lordto follow, and so the psalmist turns from the request about foes and asks for guidance for hisown way. It is not that the foes are not a threat. They are just not any longer the focus of theprayer. God is more than an enforcer against enemies. God is a trail guide leading away fromdanger to truth.

Come, O Christ, our way. Lead us into truth and life. Amen.

Tuesday, December 1P s a l m 2 5 : 7 - 8

Do you have to be a believer to pray? Do those of us who know how much we need God’srescue—precisely because we have made such a mess of things on our own—have any rightto ask for it? The psalmist asks for deliverance from enemies and for guidance along the pathsof the Lord. He also asks for mercy. Psalm 25 is the courageously honest prayer of one whoknows he cannot appeal for vindication on the merits of his case. Knowing this does not keephim from praying or cause him to defend himself. He simply says, “Be mindful of your mercy,O Lord” (v. 6). We are all in need of prayer such as this.

Your steadfast love became flesh, O God, in our Lord Jesus Christ. For the sake of your goodness, draw us into the love and life you share with Christ. Amen.

Wednesday, December 2P s a l m 2 5 : 9 - 1 0

A good and upright God might well want nothing to do with sinners or with the so-called little people. We might expect God to withdraw from those who lacked goodness or status.Yet the God revealed in Psalm 25 does not move away from sinners, the poor or afflicted, but toward them in order to show them the way. Here the mystery of the incarnation is prefigured: In the birth of Jesus, God moves toward rather than away from those who needGod most. The result is that everyone may know God’s own love and faithfulness in their lives.

Thank you, God, for moving toward us in love. Teach us your way so we might love as youdo. Amen.

Thursday, December 3L u k e 1 : 6 8 - 7 9

Zechariah, “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 67), begins his prophecy, “Blessed be the Lord Godof Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them” (v. 68). Where is theheart of the Good News for us in that announcement—being “visited” or “redeemed”? As achild in church, I thought the Good News was pretty much about being saved by a lovingGod for eternity in the life to come. That is indeed good news. The longer I live and the moreI move through hard times, the more I realize that it is also pretty wonderful news knowingwe are not alone in this life. Advent celebrates the “visit” of God. Jesus comes for a visit inthe flesh and stays on in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Gracious God, thank you for your presence with us both in eternal life to come and in thelife we are dealing with now. Amen.

Friday, December 4L u k e 1 : 6 8 - 7 9

A little child held tightly to his mother’s neck. He believed he would fall to the ground if he did not hang on firmly. As the child grew sleepy, he grew anxious, for as he relaxed intosleep his arms would start to loosen around his mother. He kept jerking awake and clutchingher more tightly for fear of falling. The good news for the child was that he was safe andsecure. His mother had hold of him and would not let him fall. Even better news would have been him knowing that. Zechariah proclaims that John the Baptist will “go before theLord…to give knowledge of salvation to his people” (v. 76-77). Good news for us—not onlyare we saved; we have the knowledge of it.

Heavenly parent, we relax in your arms with the knowledge of being saved. Receive our double thanks. Amen.

Saturday, December 5L u k e 9 : 1 - 6

Advent is a journey toward Christmas. During these days of that journey we encounter a cacophony of voices telling us Christmas is about buying, about having enough things. In a time of economic recovery, we may even be made to feel badly for not buying enoughthings. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples how things fit into the preparation for a journey: They don’t. As he sends them out to preach and heal, Jesus says, “Take nothing foryour journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money…” (v. 3). The focus of this journey hasabsolutely nothing to do with things. Hmmmm. This is a tough one.

Heavenly Guide, as we journey toward Christmas, help us find the balance between celebrating the good things in your creation—including the joy and generosity of gift giving—and awareness of the true and thing-less focus of this particular journey. Amen.

SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENTP h i l i p p i a n s 1 : 3 - 1 1

Brendon’s parents explained to him that Advent was “getting ready” for Christmas. “I like gettingready,” said 5-year-old Brendon. “I wish I could spend my whole life getting ready.” Brendon’s dadfelt an impulse to correct his son, to tell him people can’t spend their whole lives just “gettingready,” but he bit his tongue. Instead he read aloud Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “And this is myprayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help youto determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, havingproduced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praiseof God” (v. 9-11). Brendon’s dad no longer felt an impulse to correct his son. Instead he prayed,

“Dear God, fill our lives with loving and learning as we spend our whole lives getting readyfor your coming again. Amen.”

Monday, December 7I s a i a h 4 0 : 1 - 1 1

Brendon’s great-grandmother savored the 5-year-old’s excitement as he explained to her howthey were going to put the plastic baby Jesus in the empty manger on Christmas morning. In thesparkle in his eyes she saw the many Advents of her own life: anticipations of the baby and thesparkle of new life—“the Word made flesh” placed in that empty manger. At times, over herdecades of Advents, her life had grown dark with loss and sadness. Aging and the hard blowsof life had taken their toll, but nothing was ever able to quell the sparkle the baby Jesus alwaysbrings. Isaiah says it all: “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God willstand forever” (v. 8).

Faithful God, when our life withers and fades around us, thank you for the sparkle of new lifeeach Advent, each day and each moment in your promised forever. Amen.

Tuesday, December 8P s a l m 1 2 6

Psalm 126 is a shorty; just six verses. It begins with an account of the joy inspired by God’sfavor toward the people in former times: “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and ourtongue with shouts of joy” (v. 2). It then closes with a prayer that God would do it again:“Restore our fortunes” (v. 4) so we can again have “shouts of joy” (v. 5). That’s it. Psalm over.It seems our lives are both unlike and like this Psalm. They’re unlike it in that, as Christians,we understand that God does not favor us with grace, then take it away. God’s love and forgiveness are constant. Our lives are like the Psalm in that most people see their own life as a “shorty,” but it is often long enough that the magnitude of our former joy over God’sgrace can lessen over time due to familiarity.

Gracious God, open our eyes anew. Let us see the awesome gift that is you through never-ending tears of joy. Amen.

Wednesday, December 9I s a i a h 3 5 : 3 - 7 , L u k e 7 : 1 8 - 3 0

The helpless exiles to whom Isaiah prophesied are looking to the future for new courage andhope. Isaiah tells them God will come in glory, and the blind, lame and dumb will be healed.In Luke, John the Baptist—from prison—sends disciples to ask if Jesus is the “one who is tocome” (Luke 7:19). Jesus answers, “…The blind receive their sight, the lame walk … the deaf hear” (Luke 7:22). The answer does not free John from prison; he is soon beheaded.Nonetheless, knowing Isaiah’s prophecy had come to pass must have given John new hope.During Advent we prepare for a paradox: celebrating the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecywithout being able to celebrate a world free from all brokenness.

God of Glory, we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus—the beginning of your coming inglory. Give us new courage and hope as we join with you in bringing further healing to abroken world. Amen.

Thursday, December 10 I s a i a h 1 2 : 2 - 6

Songs of praise and thanksgiving to God for salvation of the faithful describe both theMagnificat and the reading from Isaiah 12:2-6. Both texts give voice to the mighty and gloriousacts of God, for Isaiah in the context of eighth-century B.C.E. Israelite history and for Mary in response to Elizabeth’s own song of praise. If read together, Mary’s words articulate whatIsaiah’s claim about God’s salvation can mean. The prophet proclaims, “… For the Lord God… has become my salvation” (v. 2) and Mary gives words to what God’s salvation looks likein her life. As the hymn writer notes, Mary can now say, “I am full of grace” (ELW 251).

O God, the great wonders you have done fill us with grace. Help us to look for and singabout your salvation in our daily lives. Amen.

Friday, December 112 C o r i n t h i a n s 9 : 1 - 1 5

“For God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7) seems a most appropriate line in this seasonof giving! The context, however, is Paul’s plea for financial support of Christian congregations.Paul goes on to say, “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that byalways having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work” (v. 8).What a difficult concept “enough” is for us. We like abundance, even crave it, and feel wedeserve it. But Mary reminds us that God knows our innermost thoughts and scatters ourpride, and we are left to ponder where and how enough is really enough.

Dear God, in this season of great plenty, bounty and seeming abundance, remind us thatyour mercy is enough. Amen.

Saturday, December 12L u k e 1 : 5 7 - 6 6

Luke 1:57-66 directly follows Mary’s song of praise. The birth of John the Baptist is narratedbriefly so as to place focus on the eighth day after his birth, the day of circumcision. Zechariah,silent since his encounter with Gabriel, is now able to speak, but we do not yet hear hiswords. Rather, we hear how those present responded: “All who heard them pondered them”(v. 66). After the birth of Jesus and the visit of the shepherds, Mary’s response is to ponder,placing everything in her heart. Indeed, after the Magnificat, we do not hear Mary speakagain. But can we hear her voice in her treasured thoughts? During this season of Advent,perhaps our first response to the wonder of it all is to be silent and ponder.

God of wonder, create in us the desire for silence, the courage to think and the willingness to ponder when we remember each and every gift from you. Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENTL u k e 3 : 7 - 1 8

The promises made to Zechariah in Luke now come to fruition. In John’s first recorded words we soon realize that the proclamation of Gabriel is coming true. Zechariah’s responseis disbelief in the good news: “How will I know that this is so?” He becomes mute until theday he is to name his son. His tongue is freed when he realizes that God’s promises were not just for him but for the redemption of all Israel. The response to John’s first words is not,“How can this be?” but “What shall we do?” We are invited to live in the belief that Godkeeps promises. We do not wonder if they will come to fruition but ponder what we will dowhen that happens.

God, you kept your word to those who went before in faith. Help us to live in trust and hopethat those promises are for us as well. Amen.

Monday, December 14I s a i a h 1 1 : 1 - 3 a

We live in a time that cries out for wise, global leaders to arise. Economic hardships, changingmoral values and tensions between nations are reflected in the news we hear each day. Thepeople of ancient Israel understood this yearning and anticipation. The prophet Isaiah promisesthat God will raise up a leader who will be wise about the ways of the world and God’sways. What problems would you set before such a leader today?

Holy God, mighty and majestic, even as you sent Jesus to be our hope and salvation, raise up leaders today who model wisdom and understanding for those they lead. We pray forthose in positions of responsibility in our community. Bless them with a spirit of wisdom and counsel. Amen.

Tuesday, December 15I s a i a h 1 1 : 3 b - 5

Isaiah’s prophecy anticipates Mary’s Magnificat as he sings this chorus that announces God’sfavor for those who are poor and meek. Without a doubt, Isaiah says, it is God who looksupon the whole earth with justice and righteousness. No more do those who have little powerneed to fear those with great power. For whom is this good news today? Who are those whoneed the encouragement of this prophet’s words?

Holy God, tender and trustworthy, help us see the world as you see it and to treat others with your justice. Where we have belittled others or sought our own advantage, forgive us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Wednesday, December 16I s a i a h 1 1 : 6 - 9

Amid the racks of Christmas cards picturing snowy scenes and penguins in holiday dress, one can sometimes find cards showing the lamb and the wolf, the calf and the lion in a posture of peaceful co-existence. That scene is as rare as the prophet’s vision in this text. In ordinary life natural enemies do not rest quietly in each other’s presence. But the comingof Christ, anticipated in Isaiah’s vision, is no ordinary event. It is the surprise of God’s gracebreaking into our world.

Holy God, gracious and good, you come to us in ways we don’t expect and give us hope for a world we have not known. We pray today for all those who live by Isaiah’s vision,including those who work for peace in our own neighborhoods and around the world. Place Isaiah’s hope in our own hearts. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Thursday, December 17J e r e m i a h 3 1 : 3 1 - 3 4

In “My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness” we sing with Mary, “To Israel, your servant blest, your help is ever sure.” We, like Mary, are the recipients of God’s great gift of grace to Israelcenturies ago when God established a new covenant with Israel. We, like Mary and ancientIsrael, have the law of God written on our hearts. We, like Mary and ancient Israel, are God’speople. We, like Mary and ancient Israel, have been forgiven, and God no longer remembersour sin. Thus we sing with Mary, “My soul proclaims your greatness, Lord,” and anticipateagain God’s coming in the person of Jesus during this holy season of Advent.

Ever gracious God, you fill us with joy as we anticipate the coming of the Christ Child. May we live out of the joy this day. Amen.

Friday, December 18P s a l m 8 0

Does God cause suffering? Is God in control of all that happens to us? Even God’s chosenpeople, as reflected in this Psalm, have been fed the “bread of tears” (v. 5) and become the“scorn of their neighbors” (v. 6). The psalmist cannot find God’s face shining in the midst ofthe dark threat of Israel’s enemies. But the psalmist is bold in challenging God to nourish thevine God brought out of Egypt. The psalmist beseeches God to save the people again, thatIsrael may live once more with the bold proclamation that should God come, Israel willnever turn back from God. May we be this bold! We cry to God to restore us and believeGod will indeed do so.

Steadfast God, we give you thanks that even in the midst of suffering, this season reminds us you have come to us in Jesus and continue to come to us each day. Amen.

Saturday, December 19I s a i a h 6 6 : 7 - 1 1

This concluding chapter of the prophet’s words to Israel makes it clear that with God anythingis possible. Despite her long domination by foreign powers, Israel will indeed be born anew,becoming a nation that nurtures all who cling to her. Israel will become God’s love madereal in the world. It is through this renewal and rebirth of Israel that the world will see God’sglory in all its fullness and God’s love in its abundant generosity. Our waiting to celebrate yetagain the birth of God’s love incarnate in Jesus is based in the covenant God made with Israelby which God’s faithfulness to God’s people was established forever. Just as Israel wouldrejoice in her deliverance, we too rejoice in God’s deliverance of us from sin and death.

Generous God, your abundant love enables us to believe that with you all things are possible.Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENTL u k e 3 : 7 - 1 8

If I had been in the crowd when John called the people following him a “brood of vipers” (v. 7), I don’t think I would have stayed to hear what else he had to say! So I admire thatthose there that day did stay and were able to pass down to us what John told them theyshould do in response to his preaching. I need to hear that I can live my life differently andthus be a witness to the one for whom John was preparing the way. I can repent and turnfrom my self-centered ways, allowing God’s extravagant grace to transform my heart and life.I can be a bearer of the good news of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in whomGod’s “mercy ever flows” (ELW 251).

God of grace, may your mercy fill our hearts and move us to share that mercy with all yourchildren. Amen.

Monday, December 21C o l o s s i a n s 1 : 1 5 - 2 0

In these verses, the writer of a letter to the community of faith in Colossae is giving us anotherway to confess our faith in Jesus Christ. This passage is from a letter penned because of thewriter’s concern for some of the teaching being done about Jesus in the community. This theological explanation of who Jesus is reads like a powerful witness to the gift of faithreceived by the work of the Holy Spirit. The writer can hardly keep still. We have this proclamation many centuries later to help us understand who Jesus was and is for us. In thattiny baby born all those years ago in Bethlehem the “fullness of God was pleased to dwell”(v. 19). We look forward to welcoming him anew.

Loving Jesus, may our faith in you be bold like that of this author of Colossians. Amen.

Tuesday, December 22P s a l m 1 1 3

Scholars call this Psalm one of the “Hallelujah” Psalms. Seems appropriate to me! The lavishpraise cannot help but get us saying “Amen” frequently as we read it. What I really love aboutthis passage is that the great, glorious and powerful God it praises is also named as the Godwho “raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap” (v. 7). It is intrinsicto God’s nature that “the least of these” are always in God’s sight. God’s own Son was bornof a humble woman, lived in a simple village and died a humiliating death like a commoncriminal. As we contemplate his coming again to us, we are reminded that we, too, can minister to the least of these.

Gracious God, open our hearts to the needs of those around us and our hands to serve them.Amen.

Wednesday, December 23L u k e 1 : 5 - 2 5

When I read the stories of Zechariah, Elizabeth and John in this text, I am reminded howmany people have been my “forerunners in the faith.” Some of them I know only by name,and with others, like my dad, I have been privileged to share large portions of my life. Thislong history of so great a cloud of witnesses upholds and inspires us each day. As we live inthis ongoing history of the community of faith during Advent, our faith in God is renewed aswe sing, “Now ev’ry land and ev’ry age this blessing shall proclaim” (ELW 251).

Eternal God, may we be bold in our proclamation of your love for all people in all ages.Amen.

Thursday, December 24L u k e 2 : 1 - 2 0

We are told in today’s text that Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.Webster’s Dictionary claims that pondering is “to think or consider, especially quietly, soberlyand deeply.” Perhaps it was the dark of night or the foreignness of that place that createdwonder. Perhaps it is always true that, after the pain of labor and delivery, there is a necessarypause to be amazed, overwhelmed, even intimidated, by what is to come. If so, tonight theworld is welcomed to wonder and ponder in our hearts what this new birth of creationmeans for us and eternity.

O God, your ways are so wondrous and surprising that they exceed our grasp. So grasp us inthe embrace you bring to the world through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Friday, December 25L u k e 2 : 1 - 2 0

In my first parish, paramedics were called to the home of a woman in great abdominal distress.From the sound of the 911 call, they assumed something might have burst inside her. Imaginetheir surprise when, having placed her in the ambulance, she promptly delivered a healthybaby. She had no idea she was pregnant. In the hymn, “God the Sculptor of the Mountains”(ELW 736), John Thornburg writes, “God the unexpected infant…we are searching; meet usnow.” From Mary’s doxology in the Magnificat to our shock at God made incarnate as ahelpless infant, we truly are searching, and Christ comes to meet us now.

O God, forever defy our expectations and wash over us with your graceful new life in Christour Savior. Amen.

E D I T O R SJohn Martin Mann Seminary Pastor, Luther Seminary

Kelsey Holm Communication Specialist, Luther Seminary

W R I T E R SNov. 26–28 and John Martin MannDec. 24–25 Seminary Pastor, Luther Seminary

Nov. 29–Dec. 2 Mary Hinkle ShoreAssociate Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary

Dec. 3–9 Thomas G. RogersProfessor of Homiletics, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

Dec. 10–13 Karoline LewisAssistant Professor of Preaching, Luther Seminary

Dec. 14–16 Patricia LullDean of Students, Luther Seminary

Dec. 17–23 Cheryl HeuerDean of Students and Registrar, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

“My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness” is a publication produced jointly by Luther Seminary and Pacific Lutheran

Theological Seminary, schools of the Western Mission Cluster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

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