Upside down
In the late 1800’s an experimental psychologist, George Stratton, performed an experiment. He constructed a mirrored apparatus worn on his head that inverted what he saw. After about a week wearing his contraption, he claimed his brain had adapted to the upside down image. His experiment has been repeated numerous times over the years e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kohUpQwZt8
Why doesn’t the world look right?
Often, when we stop to take the time to observe the world, it doesn’t seem “right” — it can look upside down or we feel disoriented. Have you ever experienced this? We struggle through some bureaucratic red tape, we hear news of government corruption, we witness poverty or homelessness, we see footage of refugees fleeing war torn areas.
Why doesn’t the world look right? I think this is because we’re born wearing upside down googles. Our brains then become accustomed to seeing the world the wrong way up. We get used to seeing the weak being oppressed, the poor being ripped off by the rich, etc. But we have this sense something is not “right.”
Mary’s Song (Luke 1:46–55)
In our New Testament reading we heard an Advent hymn sung by Mary. This song reveals the upside down world that our brains have been trained to see. But this song is much more than a lullaby for an unborn baby. This Advent hymn is wild and revolutionary; it tells how our untame saviour plans to turn the world the right way up.
Proud, powerful, rich
The song firstly reveals three different types of people responsible for turning the world the wrong way up:
(1) The proud — see themselves above others, want to be seen and revered by others, they stand on the pedestal and look down on others.
(2) The powerful — those in high positions who abuse their elevated privileges to oppress others.
(3) The rich — the wealthy who hoard their power and affluence, they live in wasteful opulence.
All three find comfort in their own status. They rely on themselves and exclude others. They sit at the top of food chain devouring the weak.
But we must be careful before we point fingers. From birth we’re born wearing upside down googles (called “original sin”), so we learn to be them, we are the proud, powerful, and rich.[1]
Who do you look down on? Those with untidy front lawns? Those with an old tractor? Or perhaps those with a new tractor? Those who drink too much? Those who are divorced? People with a criminal record? As you sit on your throne, who do you look down upon?
Jesus has come to turn the world the right way up
Mary’s Advent hymn then speaks of three reversals (Luke 1:50–53):
(1) God ‘has scattered those who are proud,’ but ‘his mercy extends to those who fear him.’ Those who fear him are God’s people, they are not caught up in what others think of them, but what God thinks of them, hence they ‘fear God.’
(2) God ‘has brought down [the powerful] from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.’ The humble — or lowly — are those who are oppressed, of low social status, living on the fringe of society. Before the reversal they lack hope.
(3) God ‘has sent the rich away empty,’ but ‘he has filled the hungry with good things.’ The hungry also includes the poor, those who lack in themselves what they need, those who long to be filled.
Notice it is God who does the work: God has scattered, God has brought down, God has sent away. God does this through the baby that is growing in Mary’s womb. Jesus will grow up to turn over tables in the temple, he will stand up to the political and religious rulers of his day (Caiaphas, the high priest, and like Pilate, the Roman governor). Jesus will live with “sinners,” those on the fringe of society like prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers. And as he spent time with those others looked down on, and gave the hopeless hope to imagine a different future.
Jesus even went to his death on the cross as an ultimate upside down act — God the creator suffered and died at the hands of his creatures?! It is Jesus’ death and resurrection which turns the world the right way up. In his death the proud are scattered — you can’t receive God’s gifts if you’re proud, only those who fear receive mercy; Jesus’ death brings down the powerful — the hopeless are given hope of a new creation; the rich are sent away because they think they have no need for Jesus.
This reversal is not merely spiritual. It’s not just the ‘poor in spirit’ who will be filled, but literally ‘the poor.’ The work of God on the cross affects more than our spirits, but also our bodies, town, country, governments, economies. This is not a tame Jesus. This is not safe. This is uncomfortable. Following this untame saviour will turn your world right way up. This untame little baby wants to rock the boat, challenge the establishment, turn the tables on oppressors, dethrone those who abuse power, and deflate those puffed up with pride.
God does this work through individuals
God turns the world the right way up through Mary. He gives Mary a promise. It’s an uncomfortable promise: in a society that already oppressed women, God asks Mary to have a baby outside of marriage, potentially driving her fiancée (Joseph) away, and leaving her with no means of support. Talk about making life uncomfortable!
God turns the world the right way up through you. This sounds unsafe! What is God going to disrupt in your life? God works in four areas:
(1) Family — God turns our family the right way up. Family is not a place to raise successful children who achieve great things in the world. Family becomes a place to practice forgiveness and humility. It’s through our spouses, our parent-child relationships that God makes us into saints — people who forgive, who look to the needs of others, who discover they can’t do life in their own strength but need God’s help.
(2) Workplace — God turns our work the right way up.[2] Work is not about earning money, respect, or power; but to serve God and make a contribution to the well-being of our neighbours (e.g. growing food, providing a needed service, etc). The same for school, retirement, and other workplaces — it’s not about me and my pleasure, but serving God and our neighbours as we walk with God through different life phases.
(3) Community — God turns our community the right way up. God calls us to welcome those on the fringe of society. We’ve already seen this as Walla works toward welcoming refugees. This is hard work and uncomfortable at times, but this is what happens when the untame saviour turns the world the right way up.
(4) Church — God turns our church the right way up. Oh dear this sounds scary and uncomfortable! How might God turn our church the right way up? God scatters the proud — I wonder what we take pride in about our church? Our building? Our traditions? Our organ? Our money? When we place our trust in the wrong area, God promises to heal the wrong and heal us in the process. Have we lost focus on those without hope, those outside our fellowship and walls?
Mary’s song promises that God will lift up the humble. So let us become poor, and welcome Jesus with empty hands. May our untame saviour turn our families, work, community, and church the right way up, no matter how uncomfortable the healing process. Amen.
[1] In addition, Australia is one of the richest countries in the world, ranked 3rd on the UN Human Development Index.
[2] Workplace does is not just your job, but your day-to-day activity. For students “work” is school, for retirees “work” is your retirement, for mothers “work” is the home.
