As for the very first
time, I hear the words of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as she says: "Here I am, the Lord’s humble servant.
As you have said, let it be done to me." (Luke 1:38, The Voice)[1],
and I understand at a much deeper level her prophetic declaration in her Magnificat, when she says:
46 My soul lifts up the Lord!
47 My spirit celebrates God, my
Liberator!
48 For though I’m God’s humble servant,
God has
noticed me.
Now
and forever,
I will be considered blessed by all generations.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
holy is God’s name!
50 From generation to generation,
God’s lovingkindness endures
for those who revere Him.
51 God’s arm has accomplished mighty deeds.
The proud in mind and heart,
God has sent away in disarray.
52 The rulers from their high positions of power,
God has brought down low.
And
those who were humble and lowly,
God has elevated with dignity.
53 The hungry—God has filled with fine food.
The rich—God has dismissed
with nothing in their hands.
(Luke
1:46-53, The Voice; emboldening mine)[2]
Because of a fear of
being sent away empty-handed, I have heretofore, read myself into the station
of the hungry one(s) mentioned in verse 53a.
Metaphorically, I have oft
reasoned, I am hungry for so many things of The Spirit. But I have not been honest, for fear of being
turned away from the God who gives me my very sustenance. As I have learned to re-read these words
through the lens of the concept of kenosis,[3] I
have moved from a place of defensiveness to a place of security. Reading Mary's
words with kenotic eyes gives me the courage to be honest with myself and with
my God. What have I to fear from Him,
for He is my Abba and has my best interest at heart? To be dismissed with nothing in my hands no
longer seems daunting. Instead, it seems
freeing. After all, empty hands are more
capable of receiving and reaching out. Empty hands are also more available for
extending, and ...for embracing.
“Theological hope
can only come from a radical experience of our poverty.
As long as we are
rich, we rely on our riches.
To learn hope, we
have to pass through impoverishment.
These experiences
are the prelude to experiencing
the goodness,
faithfulness,
and power of God in a quite extraordinary way.
and power of God in a quite extraordinary way.
“Blessed are the
poor in spirit”
—those stripped of
everything by the Spirit—
“for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven."
~Jacques
Phillippe, Interior Freedom
[1] Luke 1:38, ibid.
[2] Luke 1: 46-53, ibid.
[3]Kenosis is a term, although not
mentioned specifically in scripture, is alluded to in the abovementioned
Philippians passage. More than humility,
kenosis is "The spiritual act of pouring out oneself, of 'emptying' the
self of its prerogatives..." and is "derived from the Greek word, kenoo, found in this passage of
scripture which refers to Christ, and which
means 'emptied himself'...'made himself nothing'..., and...'poured himself
out'. from Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life by
Darryl Tippens.