Magnificat Anima Mea
Rejoice – And Get Your Ducks In A Row
Dear Friends,
In the last many months I’ve developed something of a verbal tic – I’m constantly saying that I’m trying to get my ducks in a row. Or that I’m trying to get my bearings. Which has turned into me sometimes just saying things like “bears and ducks.” And, well, with about a week until Christmas, I imagine that’s about the state most of our lives are in, whether you’re here because you’re a parent or because you’re a church professional. (If you’re not here for one of those reasons, I’d love to know how you wound up here!)
Ducks and bears. Bears and ducks.
We’ll keep this brief.
My Heart Magnifies The Lord
This past Sunday was Gaudete Sunday and this coming Sunday’s lectionary includes the Magnificat, so I’ve been in All Mary All The Time mode. Actually, because the traditional telling of the Godly Play Advent story highlights Mary on this third Sunday, I chose to tell the newly revised Mary the Mother of God story to my older children this past week, along with spending some time with the text of the Magnificat. I also obviously wore my Magnificat t-shirt.
Whatever your agenda for the weekend or this Sunday, it’s worth spending some time with a few different versions of Mary’s Song. The Latin from Taize is a lovely place to start –
There’s also the Rain for Roots version with Flo Paris -
One of my first personal prayer practices involved the Magnificat setting from Holden Evening Prayer –
And finally, while I’m not really a fan of the texts from the Message, it’s so startlingly different from the more traditional text that I’d recommend looking at that version of the Magnificat. It was one of the ones my class of tweens used this past weekend and the beginning, “I’m bursting with God-news” is a charming way of thinking about the extraordinary joy of being the Theotokos.
A King Is Coming
In these final days of waiting, I am grateful for another year with you all – I’ll be on hiatus for the next two weeks or so. Until the new year –
Consider supporting the Godly Play Foundation, the backbone of my work here and across all areas of my life, as a Star Seeker! Star Seekers help sustain our work fostering the spiritual lives of children each and every day.
Need a moment away from pageant prep? I highly recommend Anne Neuberger’s That Baby in the Manger.
Don’t forget to prepare for Epiphany door blessings! I know that by the time I get my head back on straight after Christmas, it will be time to get those materials our at work.
May all your ducks and bears be sorted out! More to come in 2025 –
Peace,
Bird