Our Souls Magnify the Lord!
Luke 1:46b-55
† In His Name †
Grace and peace,f rom God our Father, and our Lord, Jesus, the Messiah!
Hilarious News!
Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, and You
Sarah thought it was most amusing, Hannah realized it was a gift of God, delivering her from her misery, a gift beyond any comprehension, Elizabeth’s felt similarly, and her husband was so awe-struck by the news, that despite being a preacher, he couldn’t speak for 9 months! And Mary, well Mary said words, that have become a song, words that echo through churches even until now.
They all reacted to the same news, that they were pregnant! Joy, laughter, relief, filled their hearts, praises flowed from their voices. Well, except for Zechariah, Elizabeth’s Husband, and probably Joseph’s, who had a bit of trouble believing the news.
As we work our way through our Gospel reading this day, I want you to see yourselves in Mary’s shoes, to realize the awe that she felt, to rejoice with her, to share in the joy, of knowing what it means to be pregnant with Christ, to bear Him in love, not just for your salvation, but for the salvation of the world.
For you see, by the end of the sermon, I hope you will understand, each one of you, even the guys, are pregnant. Yes, I did say, each on of you is pregnant. Ladies, stop looking at your husbands and picturing them pregnant. Seriously, you bear Christ the Messiah, and you have the incredible blessing to deliver Him to the world, just as this young lady did.
We are going to look at this song of Mary today, at her claims of how God has worked in her life. As we do, we will realize that God is working in our lives, in the exact same manner.
And then, our souls shall magnify the Lord, and our spirits rejoice in God, our Savior.
(pause)
1. Low Estate of the slave/servant–
a. Mary wasn’t anything special
b. Devastated, slave to sin
c. You ain’t there? You will be
We shall deal with the opening of the song, towards the end. In verse 48, we start examining the song,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
The humble estate of His servant, is how Mary describes her situation, at least in this translation. Her situation was not what we call advantageous; even as we translate the words into English, the translators are kind. The words used to describe her, are in other places translated as humiliation, instead of humble estate, and slave, instead of servant. Her future was not what we would call bright, her future husband, nothing more than a common construction worker, the kind that is hired by the day. Yet to this humble lady, we find an incredible blessing coming.
Yet, even here, we can identify with Mary, for before we bear Christ, we to are in a situation that, should we think about it, is humiliating. The stigma for a young woman, unmarried, to be found pregnant in those days, was incredible. People assumed that it was evidence of sin, and yet she bore it. Can you imagine if the evidence of each our sins were so clear to see? What kind of humiliation would we have put ourselves under? She was called a servant, a slave, because of economics; whereas we were slaves to sin, unable to serve any other master. What humiliation, to realize that we are enslaved to the sins, and passions that so easily betray us.
Yet, when God gave this young woman the Messiah, and that was known, she was called blessed. So too are we blessed, when the Holy Spirit calls us to life, and we are joined to Christ in our baptism. When we are given forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. All shame is gone. Like Mary, we find the truth of verse 52 – He does lift up, for that is what exalt means, he does lift up those who are humiliated. He forgives us, and takes us from the lowest of the low, and makes us children of the King.
It must be noted, that God does humble those who refuse to recognize their need. Those who believe they are at the top, that they do not need God, for they have achieved everything else themselves. Part of me wants to rejoice, for I see the powerful humiliated; yet even more, can I rejoice, when I see, that because they are humble, they can see God, and be exalted along with us! That is part of the incredible work of Christ that we deliver to the world, that enemies can be reconciled.
2. Done great things
a. Salvation
b. Bearing Christ to the World
c. Filled our Hunger
We consider next, verse 49, for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name!
I suppose it is possible, that this young lady, when hearing that her son would be the one who will be given the throne of David, that she believes the blessing will be that she will be mother to a King. Yet, the rest of the song bears witness that her joy is based in more than that.
Her song depicts the Lord’s mercy given to all, not just her. As we looked at Wednesday night in our Advent Service, Mary notes that God’s mercy was to all who fear Him, to all who realize that they need His grace. That mercy, towards the end of this praise song, sees all Israel helped by God’s mercy. He fulfills the promises to Abraham, the promise that God confirmed to generation after generation. More than just her hunger is filled, as God gives righteousness to all that are starving for it.
It amazes me how much of this song is directed, not to what God does to Mary, but that God does to the world, because of the Baby that she bore. And she recognizes that!
Yes, it was for her salvation, she was lifted up, but so are millions, that come to know her Child, the One who would die for the world. Just as we find our salvation, and yet, we realize that His work in our lives, continues to impact the rest of the world. It is an amazing thing that our Lord does to us, in calling us to faith, in elevating us our of the humiliation that existed because of sin.
3. The praises ring forth!
a. My Soul Magnifies
b. My Spirit Rejoices
c. We realize He remembers, even as we do!
Though we don’t give birth literally, as we go through life, working in our jobs, enjoying our hobbies with others, living next door to our neighbors, we bring them Christ.
What incredible joy, when we see their new birth in Christ! What joy when we see evidence of the life that Christ calls them to, appear! It is enough to bring the strongest man to tears of joy, it is enough for a church to spontaneously praise God in song or applause.
It is enough to make you want to sing, to pour our voices in praise! Even as Mary did. To realize that along with my salvation, is the salvation of all those who trust in God.
I think back to some of the baptisms I have done, where loved ones stood looked on. To see the tears of joy fill their eyes.
It is truly amazing. To see such makes one want to praise God with everything they are. It also makes one even hungrier to see the word of God take root in the lives of people. To see them realize the incredible blessing of the Lord’s Supper, to know that bread and wine is the Body and Blood, given and shed for us, for the forgiveness of sins.
It is not hard to understand Mary’s words about Her soul magnifying her Lord, about her spirit rejoicing in God, our Savior.
In a few moments, we are going to remember the mercy of Christ, as we share, as the family of God, in the Lord’s Supper. A mercy that is not in the past, a mercy that is as incredible now, as it was that day when Mary uttered those words. A mercy given to those of humble estate. A mercy that exalts us, lifting us from enslavement to sin, to be able to bear Christ, to the world.
Truly, the realization of this, brings joy and peace beyond my words,
May that Joy and the peace of God, that is beyond all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!
