He has scattered the proud in the imagination 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 sent the rich away empty.
—Luke 1:51b-53
Even before his birth, Jesus is turning the world upside down.
Mary of Nazareth receives the news that she will bear a child called the Son of the Most High and goes “in haste” to visit her cousin Elizabeth. She proclaims to Elizabeth the marvels of the subversive love this new king will bring, a love that challenges the status quo and tears down systems of oppression.
This disruptive love abides in us through the promises of our baptism. We live it out each day, called by Jesus to be instruments of his radical love in the world. Our practices, like the gospel they embody, propel us beyond ourselves. We do more than pray. We endeavor to do justice every day and to see the vision of equity Mary sings about realized in our world.
The shared and emerging understandings of justice and equity that are part of our ABIDE practices—Luther Seminary’s distinctive approach to accountability, belonging, inclusion, diversity, and equity—are complicated. We think deeply and communally about how we live together, asking the Spirit to help each of us reflect God’s justice in the world, through the systems, governance, and practices of which we are a part.
The biblical foundations for this work are clear. From widows and orphans to failed leaders and misguided disciples, the biblical witness offers countless stories of mighty things being done by the least of these. God not only subverts the powers of this world but also lifts up the lowly, the humble, and the meek.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in us as we go about this complex, messy work of living into God’s vision of justice. And even as our own efforts fall short, we are met with a love that is consoling and a hope that anchors our salvation in Jesus alone. In Jesus, all schemes of self-salvation are put to rest. Jesus brings forgiveness to the sinner, healing to the suffering, and hope to fractured communities mired in conflict.
The anticipation of Jesus’ birth was itself enough to set kings, princes, and rulers on edge. Jesus’ subversive, redeeming work in this world is for each of us, no matter how lowly. Mary sings her praises to a God who does not forget us as we hunger for justice and peace.
Child of God, in this season of incarnation, remember that you, too, will be filled with good things.
Peace,
Robin Steinke
President
Read other installments in our Fall 2024 series on Luther Seminary’s commitments to accountability, belonging, inclusion, diversity, and equity (ABIDE).