Joy to the World - Pt 4

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And 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 mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46-55 ESV).

Most Christian churches begin the month of December with some presentation of Christmas music. At our church we worship with contemporary music; however, the worship team always incorporates the old carols sung to newer arrangements. In fact, one of the ministries of the church is “Tavern Hymns.” During the month before Christmas the church rents a venue, serves burgers and barbeque, and sings carols. It is always attended well with half or more of the folks in attendance not regular attendees of any church. Christmas carols have a way of attracting people from many backgrounds and beliefs. I think this is really the foundational message of Advent. Our reading today is the first Christmas carol. In it we see a wonderful principle of truth. Mary understands the work of God in her life and sees clearly a most remarkable thing about God: He is about to change the course of all human history. The most important three decades in all of time are about to begin. And even more incredible is to note that God has chosen to occupy himself with two obscure, humble women. One is old and barren (Elizabeth), and the other is young and virginal (Mary). And Mary is so moved by this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks out in song. This song has come to be known as “the Magnificat.” Mary and Elizabeth are wonderful heroines in Luke’s account. He loves the faith of these women. The thing that impresses him most, it appears, and the thing he wants to impress on Theophilus, his noble reader, is the lowliness and cheerful humility of Elizabeth and Mary. Elizabeth says, “Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me?” (Luke 1:43). And Mary says, “He has looked on the humble estate of his servant” (Luke 1:48). We have the opportunity to do this as well. We should begin by understanding that the only people whose soul can truly magnify the Lord are people like Elizabeth and Mary, people who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the condescension of the magnificent God!