Mary said:
With all my heart I praise the Lord, and I am glad because of God my Savior.
God cares for me, his humble servant.
From now on, all people will say God has blessed me.
God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and his name is holy.
He always shows mercy to everyone who worships him.
The Lord has used his powerful arm to scatter those who are proud.
God drags strong rulers from their thrones and puts humble people in places of power.
God gives the hungry good things to eat, and sends the rich away with nothing,
God helps his servant Israel and is always merciful to his people.
The Lord made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his family forever!
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then she went back home.
Luke 1:46-56
Reflect on the word SALVATION for a few moments.
Why did the writer of Luke’s Gospel place such extraordinary words on the lips of a young woman who had just received some astounding news? The opening lines of the hymn echo the prayer of Hannah [1 Sam. 1:11] who was barren and who longed for a son.
It also echoes the words of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth [Luke 1:25] when she knew she was pregnant in her old age. Mary belongs to neither category. Yet she gave to the world a legacy to live by: Salvation is here. It is not to be found at some time in the future. She sang of salvation (liberation) as:
? a personal experience: recognizing God’s presence and care
? a moral experience: acknowledging God’s challenge to make right choices
? a social experience: discerning God’s power to change oppressive social orders
? an economic experience: discerning God’s call to care for those in need.
A new social order. Is it here? Do we see it reflected in Australia’s social order? Or are we looking to some distant future to see it happen?
Dare I sing Mary’s song, God? Dare I make it my own song too?
© Ranjini Wickramaratne-Rebera
For a number of years, our dear friend Ranjini Rebera wrote Biblical reflections for the use of Gungahlin Uniting Church and others, usually for Advent and Lent. We were privileged to receive these, as Ranjini had a working history of writing and teaching on a global stage. Each time she completed the considerable work on one of these studies for us she would announce firmly, ‘That’s it. That is the last one I’m writing. No more. End of story!’ But as Advent or Lent came around again she would start hinting that she’d had an idea for a reflection – and she would write another one.
When she completed a Reflection for Lent 2021, we were not to know that this really was the last one. Ranjini died on 13 October 2021. We miss her intellect, her leadership, her vivid personality, her artistic gifts, her deep faith and her pastoral heart. We have lost some colour from our world.
The Gungahlin Uniting Church Worship Team, where Ranjini served for several years, offers Ranjini’s study material, first produced in 2015, as we give thanks for her life shared among us.