Luke 1:46-55
In New York’s Hayden Planetarium a special
Christmas holiday show was enhanced by an added
feature. A giant lollipop tree was projected onto the
planetarium dome, surrounded by a horizon filled
with brilliantly colored toys which came to life and
cavorted to the tune of “Jingle Bells.” At the climax
a huge figure of Santa Claus faded out in a snow
storm, and the star of Bethlehem broke through
into a sky that produced exactly the Palestine sky
on the night of the nativity. The designer of this
show may not realize that he dramatically staged
the supreme Christmas message our world needs
to understand: The recovery of the lost meaning of
Christmas. This is not said in any criticism of Santa
Claus; the effect must have delighted the hearts of
all the children who saw it, without doing violence
to their love of Bethlehem. But for adults it is a
tragic loss to substitute “Jingle Bells” for “Hark!
the Herald Angels Sing,” and a lollipop tree for the
manger of Bethlehem. The instinct is right to fade
out these things in the light of the Christmas star.
It is about God’s incarnation that the angels
sing–God with us.
Robert E. Luccock in James W. Cox, The Minister’s Manual: 1994, San Fransico: Harper
Collins, 1993, p. 218.
Last week we talked about Mary’s response to God’s
grace as He sent an angel to deliver the incredible news
that she would conceive and bear the Christ child who
would save the people from their sins. She responded
with humility, seeking understanding and acceptance.
Today we are going to examine the song that she sang
after visiting her relative Elizabeth who was also with
child because of the greatness and power of God.
You may have heard Mary’s Song referred to as the
Magnificat. This is the Latin word for magnify.
Magnify means to praise God by declaring His greatness.
And that is exactly what Mary does.
Luke 1:46-48
Mary’s Personal Praise
Mary sings about her soul magnifying the Lord.
David also magnifies the Lord in Psalm 35:3 “Oh,
magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his
name together!”
Mary also sings that her spirit rejoices in God her Savior.
Complete Trust in God
The way Mary mentions her soul and her spirit signifies
that she is totally and completely trusting God for what
He is about to do in her life. She is praising Him for His
greatness because she knows she has found God’s favor.
It’s also important to note that Mary calls God her Savior.
The Roman Catholic church teaches that Mary didn’t sin.
If she didn’t sin, why would she need a Savior?
The fact is that everyone outside of Christ is born with a
sin nature. We are all sinners from birth.
As the angel Gabriel told Mary, her son will be called
Jesus and He will be called Son of the Most High.
Humility of Mary
When Mary mentions her humble estate she is not talking
about her childlessness, but the nation of Israel’s
childlessness as it awaited the Messiah.
The humble estate refers to the fact that neither Mary
nor Israel can do nothing to save themselves. They are in
desperate need of a Savior.
St. Augustine wrote “For those who would learn God’s
ways, humility is the first thing, humility is the second,
and humility is the third.”
Blessedness of Mary
Mary sings that all generations will call her blessed.
This is not pride, but the understanding that something
incredible is about to happen to her and God has chosen
her for this special blessing.
No one else can hold the title mother of the Savior. I’m
not sure she completely understood the fact that people
would still be talking about her 2000 years later, but we
know that all Scripture is breathed out by God so even if
she didn’t completely understand it, it is the truth.
Luke 1:49-50
Mary Praises God’s Attributes
Mary begins with
God’s Power
She calls God mighty and says He has done great things.
She experienced the power of the Most High as the Holy
Spirit overshadowed her and conceived the baby Jesus in
her womb.
She confirmed the truth of the words of the angel who
told her that nothing would be impossible with God when
she went to visit her relative Elizabeth and found her 6
months pregnant despite her being barren and very old.
God’s Holiness
Mary knows that God is holy and the child who will be
born will also be holy. Again, the angel had told her this
when he came and visited her.
Both Isaiah and Revelation describe the worship of God
for his holiness when they cry out “Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord”
It’s what believers are going to sing when we get to see
Him face to face. We are going to be in awe of His
holiness and we are going to bow down and worship Him.
God’s Mercy
Mary sings that God’s mercy is for those who fear him.
Those who fear God recognize their own pitiful state.
They realize that their sin deserves death, but God’s
mercy is when He doesn’t give us death, but offers
eternal life through His Son.
The great part about God’s mercy is that it is available for
all generations of those who fear Him.
In the first part of Mary’s Song she sang about what God
has already done. In the final section of her song she will
sing about what God is going to do through His Son.
Let’s look at the last five verses.
Luke 1:51-55
Mary’s Prophetic Praise
Mary’s prophecy is written in the past tense. It’s the
prophetic past tense which views what God has said He
will do as if it has already occurred. It makes sense when
you know that when God makes a promise He keeps that
promise.
Jesus will turn things on their head.
The proud will be humbled and
The humble will be exalted.
The rich will be sent away empty and
the hungry will be filled with good things
Even more, this prophecy is about Israel.
God is going to have mercy on Israel. Even when they
don’t deserve it because they are stiff necked people.
God is going to fulfill the promise He made to Abraham to
make his name great and his offspring more numerous
than the sand of the seashore and the stars in the sky.
Jesus, during His ministry, always did what glorified His
Father in heaven.
APPLICATION
There are two lessons we should learn from Mary’s Song.
Praise Jesus
Christmas is about the birth of our Savior.
He is worthy of our praise.
Christmas is a great reminder that we should rejoice
because the Messiah has come. He has come to save the
people from their sins.
As Christians Jesus is our source of JOY.
We should look to praise Him constantly and celebrate
the amazing mercy of God.
Practice Humility
Christmas also reminds us that Jesus entered earth
humbly.
He was born in a stable and placed in a feeding trough
because there was no room for Him in the inn.
We should model the humility of Jesus.
We must remember that we didn’t earn God’s love and
we don’t deserve His mercy and grace.
We should put the needs of others before our own and
share the good news of the gospel with them.
How can you practice humility this Christmas?