Has Mary gone mad?

Mary was a young woman of extraordinary faith. She had to be. She came endorsed from the most reputable of referees: God himself!

Even though she was a virgin, and having a baby while engaged would make her appear as upright as Tiger Woods in the eyes of the community, she simply trusted that God would take care of it. What faith!

She went off to consult with her aged Aunty Elizabeth who also seemed to be having a miraculous birth in her retirement years. But when they got together the two women got so excited that they went hysterical. Surely something crazy must have come over them. Mary sings her song of praise and it starts off sensibly enough by honouring God for his involvement in her private life like this …

    ⁴⁶ And Mary said:
       “My soul glorifies the Lord

    ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

    ⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
       of the humble state of his servant.
       From now on all generations will call me blessed,

    ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
       holy is his name.

    ⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
       from generation to generation. (Luke 1)

But then she goes mad by suggesting that this Saviour was going to be involved in politics! What madness! We all know that faith is a private thing and should be kept out of politics and business, don’t we? And yet she sings like this …

    ⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
       he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

    ⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
       but has lifted up the humble.

    ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
       but has sent the rich away empty.

    ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
       remembering to be merciful

    ⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
       just as he promised our ancestors.”

Can you imagine what would happen if Mary’s ideas caught on? Why, Christians would be involved in Government to ensure the poor were taken care of whether Australian or not. They would be involved in the Law to ensure that the powerful could not rip off the ‘little guy’. They would be involved in business ensuring that everyone got a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work regardless of whether the worker was in Vietnam or Australia.

No, Mary, we live in a secular society. Jesus came merely to make us feel good on the inside and to make us behave better as private individuals.

Graeme H