Daily Bread

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
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 sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever."

The wonderful opening line, "My soul magnifies the Lord," can sound a little traditional or old-fashioned to our modern ears. Mary used the Greek word psyche which can be translated as soul or life. Perhaps, today, we would say, "I amplify God with every fibre of my being." I like that — we are to be 'human amplifiers of God's love'. We are to take God's love that is poured into us, amplify it, and broadcast it to the world. So what does that look like in practice?

There might be one or two clues in Mary's song. To amplify God's love means to 'look with favour on the humble', 'have mercy', 'lift up the lowly', and 'fill the hungry with good things'. They are all actions that build up, strengthen, add value, and ascribe worth to someone. To amplify God's love is to reach and invest in those who are marginalised, broken, hurting, and lost.

This week, Helen and I, along with our members, have been reviewing the Values of FAB, and at our core, it is our vision to build community, foster generosity, celebrate diversity, demonstrate authenticity, practice inclusivity, communicate positivity, and encourage creativity. Each of these values, we hope, will help us be amplifiers of God's love.

We are still in the early days of FAB Church, and some of you will decide it's not for you — and that is okay. Some of you will be happy to stay on the sidelines and we hope our spiritual content will continue to bless you — and that is okay too! And others of you will say, "Yes! I want to be a part of this thing!"

Today, my prayer is simple, that every one of us, visitor, guest, or member, will be amplifiers of God's love. Wherever you are, whatever your plans for this day, may you know God's presence with you as you seek to be Jesus to the world.

Holy God
Through the presence
of your Holy Spirit,
pour into my heart
your gift of love.
And may your love
grow in me and
be poured out to
those who need it most.
This day and forever.