Fourth Sunday in Advent (2023)

Luke 1:39-56

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Gospel lesson this morning records a joyful event. John the Baptist, the one whom Isaiah prophesied would be the voice crying in the wilderness, hears the voice of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and leaps in the womb. He is eager to get started and to point everyone to the savior of the World!

The Incarnation of our Lord

It doesn’t begin with Jesus’ birth.

That’s why this lesson is placed here to remind us that Jesus’ incarnation began with His conception. It wasn’t that Jesus just began to live when he was born in Bethlehem, but 9 months ago, when Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel.

Jesus joined us in our beginning.

When we were weak at our weakest and most frail, a single and developed from there. This is an important passage here is part of the reason why we value life so much even in the womb. It isn’t just the fact that John the Baptist responds in the womb, Jesus isn’t even a month old at this point. Maybe a week or two, but that’s it.

This is cause for joy, for young and old.

We ought to take our lead from John the Baptist who came to point us all to Christ. For Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit, exclaims blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit if your womb, for here is the long awaited Messiah, here is the one who will redeem God’s people. This causes Mary to join in song under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Mary, Blessed by God

Mary glorifies God for what He has done.

Here we see the attitude and the heart of Mary, in today’s world we tend to praise ourselves for our great works, or because we have done something so well, We deserved to have all these blessings come upon us. But look at Mary’s words,

It was God who did the great work.

Not her, who is she is in the grand scheme of the world. He sent the angel to her, and fulfilled the promise that He had made to Eve many years ago, that He had made to Abraham, to Judah, and to David. It was God who had been at work throughout the centuries to bring all of these pieces together not Mary.

Mary was nobody, but God chose her.

If God had not chosen her, we wouldn’t even know her name. It would be lost to history as so many other men and women have been throughout history. Think about, should the world continue for another 100 or 200 years, who will remember you or know you?

The Magnificat

Mary praises God and her savior.

Mary recognizes this and doesn’t seek to glorify herself, but rather gives thanks to God above all others. She has seen the fulfillment of God’s covenant through the child that has been given to her.

Glory shouldn’t be given to men.

This is important for us to learn. For there are some that elevate and lift up Mary and even pray to her, but look at what Mary says here in the Magnificat. She doesn’t want that, she knows that she is flesh and blood, and the blessing that she has received has come from God, to whom she points others. Elizabeth calls her blessed, but doesn’t worship or praise her. Even the John the Baptist,

God stops the proud and the strong.

Those who exalt themselves are cast down, those who praise themselves and think of themselves as though they are mighty are brought low. Mary knows this from Holy Scripture, and what she says here is not false humility, but a recognition that God exalts and lifts up those of humble estate. for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

God cares for the weak and the lowly.

This is important for all of mankind, because compared to God what are we? As sinners, we can claim nothing of our own, we are dust that has had life breathed into us by our creator.

Raising Up the Lowly

It is by this baby that the world is blessed.

This child is the most important person in the entire world, for He has come to restore creation. To make good again that which had become evil and corrupt. He is the fulfillment of many prophecies and promises and God has kept his word, for His word cannot be broken. This is why everyone ought to join with Mary and Elizabeth, and John celebrating the incarnation of Jesus.

Why do many reject Jesus?

If it is such a blessed thing that Jesus appears and that he is in our midst. What the birth of this child means is significant for the world, but it also tells us some things about ourselves, that we don’t like to hear.

We don’t like to be lowly.

We don’t like thinking about those things that bring us low. That make use think of others as being greater than ourselves, or that all our strength, money, power, influence, isn’t because of our hard work, our intelligence, or personal greatness, but because we have been given it by God. That’s humbling, for what can we really boast of then? Nothing.

God scatters the proud.

We witness that time and again that those who think highly or mightily of themselves find that stuff falls apart despite all of their supposed power and might adn wisdom adn God reminds us that he is the one in control not us. For God is the creator of all things, who orders the sun, the moon, and stars, who established all of creation, and we are just dust that He brought to life, and he set the number of our days.

Jesus’ Humbled Himself

Jesus joined us in the flesh.

He became dust with us, that He might save his creation. What is man, that God is mindful of us. It is an amazing picture of the love that God has for us, that the Lord of all creation would enter into this world for our sake.

It wasn’t just in the good times.

He didn’t just hang out with the rich and powerful. We have all sorts of plans of what we would do if we were in charge, or had limitless power, and could make things as we want to. In those plans do we take suffering upon ourselves? Do we lay aside that power for the good of others? What type of dream is that? Yet Jesus joined us in the good times and the bad, and yet Jesus humbled himself and joined us in the grave that He might win for us eternal life.

He is Immanuel, which means God with us.

Knowing all that He has done to accomplish our salvation, and that is why the Magnificat has been included in our liturgy, for it praises God who is our savior and has shown mercy to those who fear him, for Jesus is the savior of the weak, the lowly, no one is more lowly than sinners before a righteous and holy God. So may we too rejoice at Jesus’ incarnation.

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Lord chose Mary to give birth to the savior of the World, and it is through her that we are blessed. Let us also learn from Mary who was humble, and didn’t give glory or praise to herself, but rather rejoiced in God her savior, for He is the one that has done great and mighty things, and that is who all of us should look to for help in every need. For we know that God does bring down the proud, and lifts up the lowly. So let us fear God, and rely solely upon the son of Mary, Jesus Christ our lord. In his name. Amen.