Luke 1:46-55 * Midweek Advent 1 2003 *
Pastor Leyrer
Dear Friends in Christ,
With Thanksgiving behind us, it is now unofficially but traditionally acceptable to play Christmas music. And maybe you have been.
The fact is that if ever there is a time or a season that we especially associate with music and song, it would be Christmas. We all have our favorite carols and hymns, many of which are so familiar to us and loved by us that we can sing them by heart. As the weeks progress we’ll be singing and hearing many of them in church…
With this in mind, for the next three Wednesday evenings as well as on Christmas morning we will be focusing on the great Scriptural songs of the Advent and Christmas season. There are four of them, and all can be found in the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke. Whether they were originally sung or chanted or just spoken is immaterial; they remain the highest hymns of the season and are worthy of our deeper consideration.
But first, can you name them? In their proper order, they are:
#1) The Song of Mary, the occasion and circumstances of which we’ll be talking about for the next several minutes.
#2) The Song of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, upon the birth of his son (in Latin called the “Benedictus”).
#3) The song of the angels on the night of Jesus birth (in Latin called the “Gloria in Excelsis”).
And #4) the song of Simeon, the aged man who was promised he would not die before seeing the Savior. Holding the eight day old Jesus in his arms, he spoke of how he could now “depart in peace” (which in Latin is “Nunc Dimittis”).
Tonight we will be considering the first of these great Christmas hymns. In some ways, we might consider it to be the very first Christmas carol ever written. It was composed and performed (if we may use those terms) by a 14 or 15 year old young woman who was looking forward to having her first child. This woman, of course, was Mary, and her song was a response to the fact that she was carrying within her body at that very moment nothing less than Immanuel (“God with us”) – the Son of God made flesh. Her words have come to be known as
THE MAGNIFICAT
and it will be our privilege to consider them on the occasion of this first midweek Advent service. In keeping with a model with which we are quite familiar, we’ll proceed by dividing Mary’s Song into four stanzas, looking at what each one has to tell us as we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth approximately three weeks from today. But first, let’s set the stage for this song…
Shortly after the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she
was going to be the mother of Jesus (an event referred to as “the
Annunciation”), Mary went to visit her relative
However, when Mary arrived for the visit,
Stanza 1: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his
servant.”
The Latin translation of these opening words of Mary is “Magnificat anima mea Dominum,” meaning “My soul magnifies the Lord.” That’s why we call it what we do.
In this first stanza Mary is almost beside herself with joy
and thanksgiving. She talks in terms of
her soul and spirit, meaning her gratefulness extends deeply inward and comes
from the very essence of her being. Her
words are reminiscent of King David in Psalm 103 when he talks about the need
for his “soul” and “all my inmost being” to “praise
his holy name.”
Mary is particularly in awe that all this is happening in view of her station in life. God didn’t choose Annas the High Priest’s daughter or Herod the King’s daughter to be His instrument; but he chose her.
Think about Mary.
Here she is. Common name, common
person. Probably in her early to mid teens. Probably poor. Lived in the small, nondescript town of
And yet in His grace and mercy God chose her to not only know Jesus, but to bear Him for the world. This must have sent her mind reeling…
There are some blessed parallels here, aren’t there? Think of Mary. Now think of us. Are we any less common folk than Mary. How many of us are high-born? How many of us grew up in palaces? How many of us have royal blood coursing through our veins? How many of us will find our way into history books after our time on earth is over?
Nevertheless, God has also been mindful of our “humble state.” We, too, have been chosen by God. Chosen to know Jesus as our Savior and to bear His image and His likeness before a watching world. Which makes us very blessed people.
And so we are confronted with the same question Mary invariably wondered about. Why? Why should we be so blessed? Why have we been chosen for the privilege of knowing and bearing Christ? Why is it that we know Jesus as Savior while others in this world are floundering around looking for answers. Why should we be so blessed?
The answer is found in a single word. A single word the depths of which can never be plummed by any mere mortal. That word is “grace.” Mary understood this and her response was to praise the Lord from the very depths of her being. Can our response be any different?
Stanza 2: “From now on all generations will call me
blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his
name. His mercy extends to those who fear
him, from generation to generation.”
In this verse Mary comes with more thanksgiving and praise. She is again struck with the greatness and mercy that God showed to her personally, a mercy which she knows extends beyond her to every generation before and after her.
Which means she’s talking about us. We are a part of the generations upon whom God has extended His greatness and mercy. As Mary was struck with the great things God has done for her, we also must think of all the great things God has done for us…
But it’s hard to think if our mind is on other things. And so the customary warning for Christians at this time to not get caught up in all the trappings of the season is in order. Here is a simple test you can administer for yourself to see if this is happening in your life. Today is December 3. If the knowledge that today is December 3 makes you feel like you are already “falling behind” in your Christmas preparations, well, maybe we’re at risk of spending too much time thinking about the “great things” we yet must do before December 25 and correspondingly less time thinking about the great thing God has done for us on December 25.
The message of Mary is to focus on the greatness of what God has done for us on that first Christmas… Because on that day “the Mighty One” did “great things” for us.
Stanza 3: “He has performed mighty deeds with his
arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble. He has
filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.”
In this verse Mary contrasts the blessings of God upon His Children with the judgment that falls upon those who do not fear Him. In God’s economy there is a decidedly different understanding of the “haves” and “have-nots.” It all has to do with Christ. And, thanks be to God’s mercy, we have Him…
Consequently, we who were once spiritually hungry have been filled with good things. Again, it all has to do with Christ. He fills us and satisfies us. With what? Unconditional love which is not dependent upon a certain level of performance. Forgiveness of the sins which rightfully ought to damn us. The knowledge that for us heaven replaces hell. Comfort in time of trouble. Confidence in time of uncertainty. These are the things which fill us up and satisfy us. These are the things which satiate spiritual hunger. These are the things that constitute real wealth…
And these are the things that are ours.
Stanza 4: “He has helped his servant
In this final verse Mary expresses joy and gratefulness for God’s faithfulness. In other words, He does what He says He will do. With God there are no good – but unrealized – intentions. No dashed hopes. No unmet expectations. Only kept promises.
And what has He promised? A Savior from sin. Mary rejoiced at the fulfillment which would soon take place and which she had the privilege of being party to. And we look forward to that promise being fulfilled in our midst once again this Advent and Christmas season as we gather to sing and hear about baby Jesus… Immanuel… “God with us.”
And so our text – and perhaps the world’s first Christmas carol – comes to an end. It’s a Scriptural song of God’s love and faithfulness and mercy, promises made and promises kept. It’s the basis for all the other Christmas songs and carols and hymns we sing at this time of the year. It’s also more than Mary’s song. It’s our song as well.
May God grant us a blessed Advent – an Advent through which we stay focused on “the reason for the season.” Let us use wisely this period before the celebration of our dear Savior’s birth. As we, like Mary, take time to quietly contemplate and meditate, we will, also like her, increasingly appreciate the great gift that God has bestowed upon us…
Then our souls will glorify the Lord, and our spirits will
rejoice in God our Savior. Amen.