December 20, 2017 - Advent Dinner Study, Holden Evening Worship - Another Grammar Lesson for Advent

Last week the Advent Study insights centered around the personal pronouns used to refer to God.

Today's revelations came from shifts of tense in Mary's Magnificat written in Luke 1:46-55:

 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 

In our evening's discussion Pastor Ray introduced the term prolepsis which is a rhetorical/literary device. It refers to a future event as if it had already occurred and, therefore, exists as a present condition; as such, it expresses anticipation and assurance regarding that future event. (As when one is invited to a party and says, “I’m there,” or when a soon-to-be executed prisoner is referred to as a “dead man walking.”). Last week's verses from Isaiah were another example of prolepsis.

My soul magnifies the Lord. Mary begins in her present tense and what a glorious statement for someone, anyone, to make. This is a beautiful observation that has both little to do and everything to do about who Mary is and what she has done. Also this is an incredible invitation that we could and should personally affirm. Yet I believe most of us would hesitate declaring that our souls magnify the Lord.

The song then references the future. All generations will call me blessed because God has done great things for me. The reader is again included in the song. We are another generation that would call her blessed and God's mercy works for us.

The rest of the Gospel reading now employs the past tense prolepsis. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Ours is a God of reversals as these verses directly address. The past tense, the prolepsis, is another layer of reversal. Not yet here but already assured. God engaged in God's continuous activity through Mary and also how God includes us in the history of redemption.

We may not regard who we are or how we contribute to that redemption as important but God always affirms that importance.