When we look at Mary’s song, all the verbs are in past tense. She sings with a certainty of the fulfillment of God’s promises. When we look at Zechariah’s song, we experience a reminder of what God has done in the past, what God is doing in the present, and what God will do to bring about God’s beloved community on Earth. The gift of these songs is that they weave together past, present, and future in telling God’s unfolding story. They remind us that God will be the one and only reason a weary world can and does rejoice.
December 21, 2025
How does a weary world rejoice?
“We sing stories of hope”
Luke 1: 46-55; 67-80
Rev. Dr. Heather W. McColl
Luke 1: 46-55
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; indeed, 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 imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Luke 1: 67-80
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his child David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.
We sing stories of hope Luke 1: 46-55; 67-80
This is not our typical sermon because I am not the one going to give the sermon. We as a community of faith are going to give the sermon this morning. As we gather on this fourth Sunday of Advent, we hear again the message of God’s love, a message which transcends space, time and place. No, I’m not going to give the sermon this morning. We are going to give the sermon this morning by singing a song of hope. Because as a wise colleague reminded me, the ancient story matters more than the latest trend. It does not need me to explain it. It does not need me to put it into context. It does not need me to define it. The ancient story of our faith simply needs us to sing it, to share it, to tell. Just look at Mary’s song, all the verbs are in past tense, meaning she sings with a certainty of the fulfillment of God’s promises. Just look at Zechariah’s song, it is both a reminder of what God has done in the past AND what God is doing, what God will do to bring about God’s Beloved Community here on Earth for all of God’s people. The gift of these songs of hope is that they are the ancient story in all its glory for us as people of faith. They weave together past, present, and future in telling God’s unfolding story. They remind us that God will be the one and only reason a weary world can and does rejoice. And more importantly they remind us as people of faith that although we may never see the realization of our hopes and dreams for God’s Beloved Community, we still show up. We still trust. We still have faith. We still work together sharing our time, our talents, our hearts and minds to bring about healing and wholeness for all of God’s people.
Or let me say it this way…For the last few weeks, a phrase from a well-known Christmas carol has been leading us in wisdom, strength and love. At its core, it is a song of hope because it sings the ancient story of our faith. How could it not…it was written by an atheist, composed by a supposed outsider in his larger community. It inspired a movement of liberation. It was the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves. And legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man who lifted his eyes to the heavens and began singing this song. Then a German soldier stepped into the open and answered the Frenchman’s song with Martin Luther’s “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come.” The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day.
And this morning, I invite us to sing it as our song of hope. Let us join our voices with Zechariah, and Mary and let the whole world know that love and light will always have the last word. And don’t worry if we can’t hit that high note, I’ve got us covered….
At this point in the sanctuary, we played the video “O Holy Night” by Josh Groban. Due to copyright restrictions, we could not stream it and the sermon ends here.
See also: Theology Tuesday for Sunday, December 21, 2025 – We sing stories of hope Luke 1: 46-55; 67-80.
Additional sermons are available in the Sermon Library.
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