With each child, the world begins anew -The Midrash

The first mitzvah - the first "commandment" - in the Bible is "Be fruitful and multiply," from Genesis 1:28. For Jews, having children is both a religious obligation and the crown of human life, the source of the greatest happiness. The birth of Jewish babies is thus greeted with rituals that are both solemn and joyful.

All parents know that their baby is the center of the universe, a "fact" that is acknowledged by the Jewish view of time. Every Jewish baby is considered a link in the chain that extends back to the birth of Isaac, the first Jewish baby, and extends forward to the day when the world will be peaceful and whole. After all, any baby might grow up to be the Messiah, the person who will lead the world to redemption. The Jewish traditions and rituals...give voice to the powerful feelings that surround the birth of every baby: gratitude, awe, fear, humility, continuity, and hope.
(Anita Diamant, Living a Jewish Life, 2007)

In our Journey lectionary lesson for December 12, we have the verses from Luke 1:1:46b-55, referred to in gospel critique as the poetically beautiful "Magnificat." My soul "magnifies" the Lord states the frail, but blessed mother to be. And in true Jewish tradition, Messianic hopes were there too.

How does Mary express gratitude, awe, fear, humility, continuity, and hope in the light of news brought to her on the wings of a messenger? 

For today, how does this contribute to recognizing each person as an expression of God, as described in the Latin phrase - imagio dei - as we are said to be created.

Luke 1:46b-55
1:46b My soul magnifies the Lord,

1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

1:48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

1:49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

1:50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

1:51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

1:55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Walter Morton for Journey Across the Line