December 20th Advent day 24

Today the reading is Mary's song of praise and the blurb is about a heart of worship.  And I suppose I should be wanting to explore that really.  As its ' my thing'.   But Im not sure that I do.

Having sat here for an hour looking at a blank page with nothing particular coming to mind I went back to Mary and her song of praise.  And in my mind I somehow started to associate this with a flashmob I saw today.  A video clip of people singing ( rather brilliantly) Ding Dong Merrily on High.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH8FvERQHtM&feature=share

This phenomenon of flashmobs has suddenly sprung up from nowhere in the past couple of years.  Did it start with a tv advert for a phone company?   But suddenly people took hold of the idea and they just started springing up all over the place.  Some of them are totally amazing.  Hundreds of people appearing in train stations and supermarkets and shopping malls.  I love them!   And the reason that I love them, and that everyone loves them, is that they are unadulterated good news.

Not for money ( I assume).  Not for fame and fortune ( although they do tend to go viral on the net) but mostly it would appear, just for the fun and joy and delight of surprising the general public with something creative and talented and fun.   We need more fun in our work driven, stressed, dull lives don't we?  We need to be surprised by joy occasionally.  It lifts our spirits, reminding us that life is good.  I really really hope to be caught up in the middle of a real live flashmob at some point in my life.   Maybe I should organise one myself.

Anyhow, what has all this got to do with Mary and her song of praise? or her statement of praise .  Im not sure that she actually sang it  Well, its a bit tangental I suppose, but Mary just spontaneously burst forth, out of the blue as an expression of what was going on in her heart.  I can imagine her dancing around Elizabeth's kitchen jumping and dancing, singing like a child would sing, exuberantly, possibly not terribly tunefully, but joyfully.  Singing is such an expressive thing. It's good for us, for our health and our mood.  We should all sing more. We should all shout for joy sometimes - be more expressive.  Especially in church :-)

' My heart is overflowing with praise of my Lord, my soul is full of joy in God my Saviour'  Luke 1: 46

When was the last time my heart was overflowing with praise?   When was I last full of joy?   As I have got older I think I have found it harder to be truly abandoned.  I have become analytical and critical and tired.  It takes energy to be overflowing.  You have to give yourself 100%, body soul and spirit to really worship.  It costs something.   I fear I have become less good at it over the years.  Why is that??
 Mary chose not to worry about what was going to happen.  About how she would be reviled.  About the practicalities of being the Mother of the Son of God.  She just rejoiced that she had been chosen.

This is Joyce Huggets prayer for today.  it says what I want to say better than I could say it myself

Lord Jesus
This Christmas as I sing the familiar carols, hear the familiar readings and ponder the familiar mysteries
give to me the gift of pure worship; that ability which Mary had of attributing to You Your true worth, Your full value, your inestimable greatness.  Teach me to be reverent, yet teach me to express the love that burns within my heart as I think of Your goodness to me;  That You have come to be light in my darkness, hope in my despair, strength in my weakness, shelter in the storm.  Yes, and my Saviour.