Songs of Christmas: The Magnificat

Introduction:

Christmas is a time where we love to sing the carols. They remind us of happy memories and moments of Christmas’s past. My wife and I recently started a devotion leading up to Christmas that examines the message in the Christmas carols.

Did you know that most of our most beloved carols were written to teach theology. That’s true of the hymns, both modern and traditional, as well. That’s actually the purpose of the Book of Psalms; so you could say that singing’s purpose in worship has always been to remind us of the truth of God’s Word.

I encourage you this Christmas as you sing the songs of Christmas to think about the words in those songs and not just sing them for their pretty melodies.

This morning, we are going to begin a series through the songs of Christmas, but we are not going to look at the carols, we are going to look at some songs actually recorded in the Christmas passages that we have in the Bible. We begin by looking at a song called the Magnificat.

Turn with me to Luke 1:39-56

Luke 1:39–56 ESV

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby 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 from the Lord.” 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.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Pray.

As we begin looking at this song, lets take a moment and get our bearings. Luke 1:39-45 give us a little of the backstory of what is happening.

Mary has already heard the announcement from the angel that she will have a child and give birth to the Savior, or the Messiah that all of the nation of Israel was waiting for. This would not be just any normal birth, but she was going to be overshadowed by the power of the Holy Spirit so that she would miraculously conceive.

I want to pause for a moment and let us take that thought in completely. Jesus was not going to be born from two human parents, but he would take on flesh by adding to His divinity His humanity by the virgin conception. This is a miracle and it is incredible for us to think about. How much more for Mary to believe it. But she did!

She was told by the angel that her cousin Mary was pregnant and this too was a form of a miracle because Elizabeth was old and barren.

Mary went quickly to visit Elizabeth and upon coming into the house, John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb jumps for joy and Elizabeth praises the Lord in song.

She already knows that Mary is with child and she praises her for accepting the message. How did she know? We can only say that the Holy Spirit must have revealed that to her as she prophesied.

I also want you to notice that their is a distinction between John in Elizabeth’s womb and Elizabeth. This is not a message about when conception begins, but you can see the personhood of John already in the womb and see that the Bible makes a distinction between the baby and mother, even before birth and God gives personhood to the child.

Mary responds with a song of praise herself and her praise comes in the form of personal praise and corporate praise.

1. Praise God for What He’s Done for Me (vv.46-49)

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 believed what the angel told her and was rewarded. She was blessed.

The song is called the Magnifact because it begins with a declaration of praise from Mary’s soul. The opening lines in Latin are Magificat. Mary says her soul magnifies God.

We don’t want to just praise God with our lips. We need to praise God with our soul - every day!

She says her soul or her spirit magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.

Every day of the Christian life ought to be a day of rejoicing over what God has done for us. He has saved us! He has rescued us!

Mary’s humility was on display here. She could not believe that God would take a poor girl like her and not only give the nation the promised king of David’s line, but the Savior of the world.

She knew that she would be blessed in all generations, but she was not calling for veneration. She was recognizing God’s blessing on her.

It’s okay for us to celebrate Mary and her character and faithfulness. We just have to make sure that we do not worship her. She was not unlike us in that she needed a Savior too.

She says God has done great things for her.

What has God done for you, besides securing your salvation if you believe on Jesus? We forget so easily.

2.Praise God for What He’s Done for Others (vv. 50-56)

Luke 1:50 ESV

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

He’s had mercy on those who fear Him.

What does it mean that God has had mercy on someone. What does mercy really even mean?

“Mercy” and “grace” are two terms that get thrown around a lot. Mercy means that we don’t get what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.

Think about it this way. God was sending a Savior to a nation that had outright rejected Him and chose to worship other gods of the very nations that God had driven out before His people. They didn’t deserve another chance.

That’s the same way it is for us isn’t it? We have all blown it with God. We’ve sinned and we constantly rebel against Him and His commandments. We don’t deserve a Savior. We don’t deserve another shot. But God is merciful.

His mercy is towards those who fear him from generation to generation.

What does God require of us to show us this mercy? He requires that we humble ourselves and we come before Him.

Now the second term that we use is “grace.” Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. That is Heaven?

God saves us and forgives our sins because He sent Jesus to live a sinless life and keep the Law for us. He became our substitute. God accepts us because He accepted Jesus.

That’s the reason for the virgin birth. Jesus had to come so that we could have a faithful representative. Jesus had to come so that we could have our sins forgiven because He would bear the wrath of God that our sins deserved.

We celebrate with Mary that we have a Savior. Mary needed a savior and wasn’t without sin. She says Jesus is her own Savior in vs. 47.

The question today for you is whether or not He’s your Savior.

Every person has to make that decision for themselves. You can’t depend on someone else to save you. You can’t depend on your works to save you. You need the mercy of God from on high to overshadow you and regenerate your dead heart so that you can believe.

This morning there is an invitation on the table for you to believe. Believe that Jesus didn’t come to give us a holiday, He came to save you. He came on a rescue mission.

That’s what we are about to celebrate this morning. We are celebrating the Lord’s Supper to not only remind us of Jesus’ birth, but also His death.