Sermon Notes – May 30, 2019

Feast Day Letter

Elizabeth continued ‘Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,’

Recently, I was encouraged to learn a little bit about the music industry when my ignorance of the difference between “sampling” and a “cover” song was highlighted in a conversation and brought to my attention. I really love Mickey Spice singing, “I am myself”, with a sweet reggae cadence that I find so refreshing. In sharing it, I discovered what is known to many that it is an original Neil Diamond song and has been sampled (parts of it used and parts ignored) by some, and now increasingly, more people are singing the cover (the whole song to different tunes with slight word variations) of it. This often times is with the goal of keeping alive beautiful music in new and refreshing ways.

When Blessed Mary visits Blessed Elizabeth, there is much music and joy in the air. In the midst of the visit from a pregnant, young, unwed Jewish maiden to an elderly, upstanding wife of an esteemed Jewish Temple priest also declaring her pregnancy, there is music in the air that over-rides the apparent tragedy of an out-of-wedlock conception and the possible tragedy of an older woman carry a child. Elizabeth courageously welcomes her young cousin into her home allowing her space for contemplation and strength to face the next thirty years of tumultuous living. There is music through songs of joy, thanksgiving, consolation. Yet, there are also songs of the coming spiritual revolution. Elizabeth samples the music of the psalms and Mary sings the cover of the Song of Hannah. (1 Sam.2:1-10)

Combined, this music playlist is a bold proclamation that God is about to act using the Holy Spirit within these women as His instrument. This is valuable lesson for us as we view modern women increasingly coming under fierce attack through our court system and our new divisive culture. As Mary faced the threat of being stoned to death for bearing a child out of wedlock, as if she became pregnant without a male and carries full responsibility, we see men persecuting women for a man’s irresponsibility in assisting a woman in becoming pregnant, even if it is without her permission. So, as some men sing old songs of male dominance, women will view Mary and Blessed Elizabeth’s as models and sing their own cover songs which will echo the presence and power of the God who stands on the side of the powerless.

It is our Spring/Summer ingathering when St. Elizabeth’s welcomes new members who are boldly joining our throng at St Elizabeth’s. It’s also a time to make a special gift offering towards our work of fulfilling the message of God’s love for the world.

​ Join us on Sunday as we celebrate our Feast Day as we boldly sing our version of
​“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,’