Joy Overflowing Series

“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.’” [1]

The Christian Faith is marked by joy, joy that is evident in the hymns that are loved and which are integral to worship offered by the Lord’s people. The joy that marks the lives of those who follow the Christ is not extinguished by opposition or persecution. Oh, we resent those who attempt to extirpate the Faith, and none of us are eager to experience the wrath of the mighty who occupy this fallen world, but we are secure in the knowledge that God loves us and that He will never leave us. For us, the words of Scripture are a source of hope and comfort. We have received the promise, “[God] has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say,

‘The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

What can man do to me?’”

[HEBREWS 13: 5b-6]

Our text in this hour is the hymn known as the Magnificat within church liturgies; it is the spontaneous praise that Mary spoke when she was greeted by her older cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s paean had blessed Mary, realising that God was using this young girl to bear His Son into the world. Early in the words of praise Mary offered up was the acknowledgement that her spirit rejoiced in God, whom she confessed to be her Saviour.

A review of the words Mary spoke after Elizabeth had pronounced a blessing on her will encourage believers, equipping us to find joy in the goodness of our Lord as we prepare for the concluding days of this Advent Season. My prayer is that as we focus on the joy of this season, we will not neglect the possibility that the joy we experience will characterise our lives for the entirety of the coming year and beyond.

GOD EXCITES OUR EMOTIONS —

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

[LUKE 1:46a-47]

The young mother-to-be heard the words spoken by her cousin, and she responded in the way that those who know the Lord respond to this day—she glorified the Lord God. Let’s clarify that the Faith of Christ the Lord is not defined by our emotions, but this does not mean that His presence does not excite our emotions.

Where Christ reigns, joy marks the life. Christians are known as a joyful people. Our hymnody reflects our joy. Other religions have dirges, have chants, but the Faith of Christ the Risen Lord is marked by psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. His people are noted for singing and making melody to the Lord with the heart. Paul describes what occurred when the saints gathered as he wrote the Church of God in Corinth. The Apostle noted, “When you gather, everyone has a psalm, teaching, revelation, other language, or interpretation” [1 CORINTHIANS 14:26b ISV]. Services in the early churches were participatory, with all participating in the service; and music was central to all that was done. Surely, this was a reflection of the joy.

I recall a missionary who had returned from Angola and was delivering a message to a pastoral meeting here in Canada. That missionary showed a film that made a great impression on me. The people who had gathered for worship were impoverished by our standards. They had trekked, in some instances, for more than fifty kilometers just to share in a service of worship. Among those present that day in a congregation that appeared to number a couple of hundred people, were a startling number that had suffered horrible wounds from the mines buried and strewn about that land.

What especially struck me was the joy when the leader of the service announced collection of an offering. Everyone rose and began to laugh and praise the Lord. Then, each person came down the aisle, a dirt path between the rough-hewn pews where they had been seated. As they brought their gifts, they danced—DANCED!—lifting up whatever it was that they had brought to share. One might have a single coin to bring, but she danced and rejoiced that she had a coin. Another might have two chickens bound with a thong to keep them from running away. Yet, he lifted the birds in the air and laughed that he had chickens to share. The birds would shortly be prepared for a meal in which all present would share following the service. Another man had a goat to give, and another woman had some cloth that she could give—it made no difference what was offered, all alike were joyful and excited at the opportunity to worship. That is the Faith! That is the impact of Christ in the life of His people. It touched my heart in no small measure because it reminded me of receiving the offerings in a black congregation in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas as each member brought what was to be offered one-by-one.