by Pastor Charlie Woodward, Natalie Heimann and Kathy Whited
We are anxiously awaiting Christmas Eve next week, but before we get there, our focus this Sunday will be on Mary, and her song of praise, known for centuries as The Magnificat. This song is found in the Gospel of Luke 1. Mary, a young teenager, traveled to see her relative, Elizabeth, an older woman who had never been able to conceive and was thought to be beyond child-bearing years. Both women share a connection through miraculous pregnancies through God’s blessings, and for both of them, God had other plans.
Mary had been told about the miraculous child she has been asked to carry, for the Angel Gabriel shared the news. Have you even considered what it might have been like for the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:26-35), who foretold of the birth of Jesus? Frederick Buechner pondered this in Peculiar Treasures:
She struck the angel Gabriel as hardly old enough to have a child at all, let alone this child, but he’d been entrusted with a message to give her, and he gave it. He told her what the child was to be named, and who he was to be, and something about the mystery that was to come upon her. “You mustn’t be afraid, Mary,” he said.
As he said it, he only hoped she wouldn’t notice that beneath the great, golden wings he himself was trembling with fear to think that the whole future of creation hung now on the answer of a girl.
Mary accepts the news, and immediately heads off to see Elizabeth. When Mary arrives, not only does Elizabeth hear it, but the baby in her womb leaps for joy. This child who Elizabeth carries is none other than John the Baptist. These women carry The one who comes to prepare the way for the Word made flesh, and the one who is God With Us.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
One can imagine that it could well be at this point that Mary truly believes and accepts her role in the birth and raising of the Savior of our world. She does not break out in anxiety, but rather, embraces the job and praises God. By magnifying the Lord, she places her faith in God rather than amplifying an intimidating situation.
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
As we wait and prepare, we’d like to share a song that our Youth Praise Band will present this weekend. Let us follow Mary’s lead by glorifying and praising God’s holiness, while acknowledging our lowliness. Let us recognize ourselves as servants, as vessels for God’s plan. Let us trust in the Lord for everything, even in overwhelming situations. May hope, peace, joy and love be with you as we prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus.
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| My Soul Magnifies the Lord |