Praise the Lord, O My Soul!

Announcements

Special Business Meeting - Wednesday at 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall; voting on the budget for next year

Christmas Activities

Meal - 12/18 after morning worship; need desserts, salads, tea, and rolls

Wed. Activities canceled on 12/21

Christmas Eve service at 5pm

Christmas morning - Sunday School and Worship as normal

Reading: Psalm 146

Psalm 146 ESV

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!

Prayer

There is something about the God we worship that draws us to him. Mary experienced this when she learned about her pregnancy. Her song is called the Magnificat after the first word she says in Latin.

That attitude of praise is also found throughout the Scriptures. This week, there are two Advent readings that really struck home with me. One is Psalm 146. As I read through this Psalm in particular, I began to see why it’s an advent reading - it’s a call to Praise the One Who

God Calls Us to Praise Him Perpetually

Psalm 146:1–2 ESV

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

God Calls Us to Praise Him Exclusively

Psalm 146:3–4 ESV

3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.

God Calls Us to Praise Him Trustingly

Psalm 146:5 ESV

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

God Calls Us to Praise His Creativity

Psalm 146:6 ESV

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;

God Calls Us to Praise His Faithfulness

Psalm 146:6 ESV

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;

God Calls Us to Praise His Righteousness

Psalm 146:7–9 ESV

7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

God Calls Us to Praise His Eternal Majesty

Psalm 146:10 ESV

10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!

The second advent reading that struck a chord in my heart this week was Mary’s Song - the Magnificat. I’m not alone - there have been numerous composers who have either been inspired by or have directly written music for this song of Mary. Johann Sebastian Bach even wrote an entire composition of this song with twelve movements, one for each line! Don’t worry, I’m not going to compose for you today. But I do want us to see how Mary praises God, and see how we can direct our praise to God too.

Reading: Luke 1:46-55

Luke 1:46–55 ESV

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

What insights does a young virgin woman who lived in Nazareth 2000+ years ago have to teach us alive today about praising God?

Mary’s Song Teaches Us to Praise God for His Nearness

Luke 1:46–49 ESV

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Mary’s Song Teaches Us to Praise God for His Holiness

Luke 1:49 ESV

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Mary’s Song Teaches Us to Praise God for His Mercy

Luke 1:50 ESV

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

Mary’s Song Teaches Us to Praise God for His Might

Luke 1:51–52 ESV

51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

Mary’s Song Teaches Us to Praise God for His Provision

Luke 1:53 ESV

53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Mary’s Song Teaches Us to Praise God for His Memory

Luke 1:54 ESV

54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

Mary’s Song Teaches Us to Praise God for His Promises

Luke 1:55 ESV

55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”