This morning, I have brought with me copies of two of the world’s most revolutionary documents. The first is the United States Declaration of Independence. It reads in part, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government."

And so we did, but it took a revolution to make it happen.

The second revolutionary document I have brought is a copy of today’s Gospel text, the Magnificat, Mary’s song extolling God, and predicting what God’s Son, her son, would do. It reads in part; "He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts 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 the rich he has sent away empty."

Revolutionary words, indeed. Back before India won it’s independence, it was under British rule. The bishop of the Anglican Church instructed his missionaries not to read the Magnificat in public, fearing that it would be so inflammatory that it would start a revolution among the Indian people, and cause the British government there to be overthrown.

This document is all the more remarkable when we consider that it came from the lips of a simple, teenaged peasant girl named Mary. Mary grew up in the obscure village of Nazareth in what is now northern Israel. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she had been chosen to be the mother of the long awaited Messiah. Gabriel also told Mary that her old relative Elizabeth, who was well beyond child-bearing age, was also pregnant. And so Mary went to visit Elizabeth. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, both women became aware that God has chosen them for special tasks, and would do great things through their children. We know those children as John the Baptist, and Jesus.

Then, Mary was given by the Holy Spirit words too profound for a simple teenager to come up with on her own. She declared the impact that her son would have upon the world. She announced the revolutionary activity that her son would instigate and activate. She spoke of this revolution in the past tense, as if it had already happened. And the world has been reeling ever since under the influence of our revolutionary Lord.

When Mary predicted that the powerful would be brought down from their thrones, she was referring to the Roman government that ruled over her people. But this past week, with the capture of Saddam Hussein, I couldn’t help but think that the Magnificat applies to tyrants of any time and any place.

It would be a mistake for me to stand here today and tell you that God was involved in the United States action to topple Sadaam. We can’t put God’s name on our own efforts, no matter how noble they might be. But it would also be a mistake for me to claim that God does not bring down mighty and corrupt rulers from their thrones. Mary, the Mother of our Lord says he does. Wrongs, one day, will be righted. Evil is for a day, but justice is eternal. No doubt, you saw the pictures of the hole in the ground where Sadaam was found. There was a certain justice to it;

Mary’s stunning announcement about the high and mighty being brought low and the lowly exalted is at the heart of the Christmas story. Jesus, king of kings and Lord of Lords, would not be born in a glittering palace, but in a cattle stall. Mary herself is a poor young woman, part of an oppressed race, living in an occupied country. Her prayer is the hope of the downtrodden everywhere, a prophesy that those who rule by wealth and domination—rather than by serving the common good—will be overturned because of what happened in the Little Town of Bethlehem. Mary’s proclamation can be applied to any rulers or regimes that prevail by sheer power, rather than by doing justice.

As citizens of the world’s last remaining super-power, we would be wise to listen to Mary’s words. The United States of America is a wealthy, proud and powerful nation. We must take care to wield our power with justice, showing concern for the common good, not for our own vain-glory. Our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, lays out the principals on which our nation was built; "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

As we go about the business of nation building on behalf of others, we need to remember that these principles apply to them, as well.

And we need to keep Mary’s prophetic words in mind; "He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought the powerful down from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly."

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