Slideshow image

WE PRAY

Gracious God, hear our prayers, we ask, and by your loving presence bring light to the darkness within our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

WE READ

Yesterday, we noted that God chooses to work through people who are often deeply flawed and imperfect. We found comfort in knowing God ’s steadfast love and faithfulness remain in our midst. Today’s texts have a slightly different focus. God works through the small and insignificant to do wonderful things. Like Zechariah and Elizabeth in yesterday ’s readings, Hannah is barren. Her barrenness was a mark of shame, relegating her to the margins of communal life. She is small and seemingly insignificant. The same goes for Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus. Mary is a young woman who finds herself pregnant, a shameful state in its own right. Mary wonders out loud, “How will this happen…,” a legitimate question. The angel’s response is instructive for us: “Nothing is impossible for God.” Though it may seem like we’re small and seemingly insignificant, God chooses the small and weak to raise up humble and faithful leaders, such as Samuel and Jesus.
Both Hannah and Mary respond to God’s movement in their lives with words of praise, recounting what God has done in the past and what God will do in the future. Psalms like Psalm 66 would have provided the rich background from which these two women construct their worship. Let us never forget that God works through the small and the weak.

Psalm 66

1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth!
2 Sing praises to the glory
of God ’s name!
Make glorious his praise!
3 Say to God:
“How awesome are your works!
Because of your great strength,
your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you,
sings praises to you,
sings praises to your name!”
5 Come and see God’s deeds;
his works for human beings are awesome:
6 He turned the sea into dry land
so they could cross the river on foot.
Right there we rejoiced in him!
7 God rules with power forever;
keeps a good eye on the nations.
So don’t let the rebellious
exalt themselves.
8 All you nations, bless our God!
Let the sound of his praise be heard!
9 God preserved us among the living;
he didn’t let our feet slip a bit.
10 But you, God, have tested us—
you’ve refined us like silver,
11 trapped us in a net,
laid burdens on our backs,
12 let other people run
right over our heads—
we’ve been through fire and water.
But you brought us out to freedom!
13 So I’ll enter your house
with entirely burned offerings.
I’ll keep the promises I made to you,
14 the ones my lips uttered,
the ones my mouth spoke
when I was in deep trouble.
15 I will offer the best burned offerings to you
along with the smoke
of sacrificed rams.
I will offer both bulls and goats.
16 Come close and listen,
all you who honor God;
I will tell you
what God has done for me:
17 My mouth cried out to him
with praise on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished evil in my heart,
my Lord would not have listened.
19 But God definitely listened.
He heard the sound of my prayer.
20 Bless God! He didn’t reject my prayer;
he didn’t withhold
his faithful love from me.

1 Samuel 2:1–10

Then Hannah prayed:
My heart rejoices in the Lord.
My strength rises up in the Lord!
My mouth mocks my enemies
because I rejoice in your deliverance.
2 No one is holy like the Lord—
no, no one except you!
There is no rock like our God!
3 Don’t go on and on, talking so proudly,
spouting arrogance from your mouth
because the Lord is the God
who knows,
and he weighs every act.
4 The bows of mighty warriors are shattered,
but those who were stumbling
now dress themselves in power!
5 Those who were filled full
now sell themselves for bread,
but the ones who were starving
are now fat from food!
The woman who was barren
has birthed seven children,
but the mother with many sons
has lost them all!
6 The Lord!
He brings death, gives life,
takes down to the grave,
and raises up!
7 The Lord!
He makes poor, gives wealth,
brings low, but also lifts up high!
8 God raises the poor from the dust,
lifts up the needy
from the garbage pile.
God sits them with officials,
gives them the seat of honor!
The pillars of the earth
belong to the Lord;
he set the world on top of them!
9 God guards the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked die in darkness
because no one succeeds
by strength alone.
10 The Lord!
His enemies are terrified!
God thunders against them
from heaven!
The Lord!
He judges the far corners of the earth!
May God give strength to his king
and raise high the strength
of his anointed one.

Titus 2:1–10

But you should talk in a way that is consistent with sound teaching. 2 Tell the older men to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in respect to their faith, love, and patience.
3 Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in their behavior, teaching what is good, rather than being gossips or addicted to heavy drinking. 4 That way they can mentor young women to love their husbands and children, 5 and to be sensible, morally pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, so that God ’s word won’t be ridiculed. 6 Likewise, encourage the younger men to be sensible 7 in every way. Offer yourself as a role model of good actions. Show integrity, seriousness, 8 and a sound message that is above criticism when you teach, so that any opponent will be ashamed because they won’t find anything bad to say about us.
9 Tell slaves to submit to their own masters and please them in everything they do. They shouldn’t talk back 10 or steal. Instead, they should show that they are completely reliable in everything so that they might make the teaching about God our savior attractive in every way.

Luke 1:26–38

26 When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, 27 to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David ’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 When the angel came to her, he said, “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” 29 She was confused by these words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. 31 Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. 33 He will rule over Jacob ’s house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom.”
34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I haven’t had sexual relations with a man?”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God ’s Son. 36 Look, even in her old age, your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son. This woman who was labeled ‘unable to conceive ’is now six months pregnant. 37 Nothing is impossible for God.”
38 Then Mary said, “I am the Lord ’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

WE THINK

  • What stands out to you from today’s reading?
  • Are you confused or stumped by what you’ve read?
  • Is there anything you encountered that makes you think, “I don’t know about that…”?
  • What resonated with you as particularly meaningful?
  • How do today’s stories challenge what you believe about who God uses to do important work in the world?
  • What do these texts teach us about the connection between humility and strength?

WE FEEL

  • In general, what emotions seem to be dominant at this moment?
  • How have those emotions affected the relationships you have with those around you?
  • What are you doing, or have you done, to submit those emotions to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
  • Where have you seen God at work this week?
  • Have you ever felt overlooked or too small to matter? How might God want to meet you in that place?
  • When you consider Mary ’s or Hannah’s story, what emotions rise up in you? Awe? Doubt? Hope?

WE BELIEVE

While we believe that God works through the small and the weak, we also believe these groups hold a special place in God ’s heart. But what if we don’t feel small or weak? Will God still work through us? Absolutely—God will work through anyone who allows God ’s Spirit to guide them. Yet the biblical witness reminds us again and again that God calls us to serve the small and the weak, just as Christ did. Psalm 66 and Hannah ’s prayer both testify that God lifts the lowly and humbles the proud.
As we approach Christmas, we remember that Jesus entered the world not in strength or spectacle, but in vulnerability. He came to love and serve the forgotten, the shamed, and the poor. As his followers, we are called to do the same.

WE PRACTICE

Choose one of the following practices to do today:

Affirm the Small

Write a brief note or text to someone you know who quietly serves others—maybe a janitor, caregiver, or someone behind the scenes—and thank them for how God works through them.

Mary's Surrender

Pray Mary's words aloud: “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Repeat them slowly. Ask God to help you trust and follow, even when the path feels uncertain.

PRAYER

Oh God, we are weak and small even when we don’t act like it. In our weakness, thank you for making us strong. Help us to focus on the weak and small around us, loving and serving them as we have been loved and served by you. Amen.