Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
TUESDAY, May 31 The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1 Samuel 2:1-10. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts.
These words, from a song sung by Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother, bear a strong resemblance to the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-58) sung by the Virgin Mary more than a thousand years later. Many scholars have speculated that Mary’s song is based on that of Hannah.
The two songs are both comforting and threatening. Most of us like to think of God as compassionate, comforting, and reassuring. God is those things. We don’t like to think of God as strict, unsettling, and dangerous. But God is also those things. This does not mean God is inconsistent. Both faces of God reflect the divine character, and there is no contradiction in the character of God.
Which face of God will you see when you look to God? It depends on who you are, where you stand, and what you stand for. Read both Hannah’s song and Mary’s song. Those songs give hints—some subtle, some not so subtle—about who God is and what God is about.
PRAY for the Diocese of The Northern Territory (Queensland, Australia)
Ps 113; Romans 12:9-16b; Luke 1:39-57
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Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com or Oremus Bible browser.
A Meditation for Pentecost
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strictness, the desire to unsettle, and the desire to be dangerous is of the devil.