Under Construction Gospel Reading May 31
Dear Sutton and Savannah,
Theology is a middle chapter. The first chapter is typically an experience of God that begs for an explanation. Theology is an attempt to provide such an explanation. However, there is always another chapter that doesn’t fit neatly into the boxes and categories that theology provides. The movement of God’s Spirit inevitably bursts the boxes we use to try to explain and contain God. Theology is a wonderful thing. It’s just not the final thing.
-Dad
Inside Out Lectionary Letters
Year A - Visitation (Texts, Art, Hymns)
Readings for Sunday, May 31, 2026
Samuel 2:1-10 / Psalm 113 / Romans 12:9-16b / Luke 1:39-57
Summary of Luke 1:39-57
Luke 1:39–57 includes Mary’s visit with her cousin Elizabeth and the beginning of what is traditionally called the Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise. Mary and Elizabeth are both pregnant. When they connect, Elizabeth’s fetus reacts, Elizabeth is filled with the spirit and pronounces a blessing on Mary.
Scripture as a Mirror of the Soul
This passage is filled with the expression of the feminine voice. The feminine voice is creative and procreative. The feminine offers blessing (Elizabeth) and song (Mary). At the core, the feminine side is relational, and finds joy in connection. The masculine voice is silent (Zachariah) and absent (Joseph), yet the voices of John and Jesus are about to burst forth.
The masculine and feminine voices are both essential. Each needs the other. This is true culturally as well as within each individual. Where the masculine sees boundary lines (important), the feminine sees bridges (equally important). Where the masculine sees hierarchy (important) the feminine sees common ground (equally important). When these energies work together rather than against one another, the result is not domination but inclusion. Through integration the rich and poor are both fed. The powerful and seemingly insignificant both have a place. Mercy and grace are for all.
This feminine voice resonates throughout scripture, and particularly in the life and words of Jesus. Mary’s presence is at the beginning of Jesus’s life and at the crucifixion. The influence is unmistakable and the integration is essential. The unification of the masculine and feminine, while maintaining the identity of both, is the path of the integrated inner life.
In this opening chapter of Luke, the temple, priesthood, hierarchy and religious authority have lost their voice (Zechariah). While pregnancy, blessing and relational investment express the movement of the spirit and carry the essence of new life. And the unborn fetus recognizes the power of this moment when it jumps inside of Elizabeth. The body often recognizes a shift, for the good or bad, before the mind has an explanation for what is happening. If allowed, the intuitive voice within creates space where new life can emerge before it is even rationally understood.
Before Jesus speaks publicly, before John preaches, before theology is articulated, the Spirit moves through relationship, embodiment, intuition, and blessing. Two women recognize what the established structures cannot yet see. The movement of God begins not with dominance or certainty, but with connection.