Mary our model of Adoration

Prayer

Father, your word has been and continues to be a light at out feet and a lamp on our path. Would you illuminate your scriptures to us, helping us understand the importance of your son’s story. Amen

Luke 1:39–56 LSB

Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has looked upon the humble state of His slave, For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me blessed. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me, And holy is His name. “AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. “He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. “HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS, And sent away the rich empty-handed. “He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his seed forever.” And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

Already is the first half of this part of the story, we hear of Elisabeth stating 3 Blessings,

Blessed are you

luke 1:42 “And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Blessed are you among women

Blessed is the fruit of your womb

luke 1:45 ““And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.””

Blessed is she who believed in the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise

There is two words here that are used to describe the state of Mary’s blessed state.

Eulogēmene: which is a proclamation of that she is blessed or to help us understand better. She is declaring that Mary is Favored of God, that she has found herself under happy circumstances. The same word is used to describe the blessed nature of the fruit of Mary’s womb.

Makários: describes a person in an enviable (favorable) position from receiving God’s provisions (favor) - the term in its literal sense means extend, to make long, large through God’s grace (benefits).

This type of blessings happens with obeying the Lords production of faith. This blessing (Makários and Pistis) or faith are closely associated.

This is why Elisabeth emphasized Mary being blessed because she believed that the Lord would fulfill what he had spoken!

Adoration as a response to Blessing, Mary’s Magnificat

Mary’s state of being blessed does not draw her to chase her blessing, or seek her next blessing, it draws her to an act of adoration. An act of awe and wonder as she

She starts by saying “My soul Magnifies the Lord”! She declares the Lord to be Great!

luke 1:47 “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”

She responds to God’s “blessing” with adoration and an acknowledgement of her need for a savior and her joy in God as her savior.

She would not have called God her savior is she had no need of one.

Luke 1:48 ““For He has looked upon the humble state of His slave, For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me blessed.”

She states that all generations will call her Makários, will call her blessed or favored in an envious situation! People will look back at her story generation after generation in awe and adoration of the mighty arm of God and all he has done.

Luke 1:49 ““For the Mighty One has done great things for me, And holy is His name.”

She gives us an example of what our adoration towards God should look like.

Make the name of God great, magnify him

Rejoice in the salvation that comes only from God, recognizing that ER are indeed recipients in need of salvation

acknowledging our humble state in life, but not discounting the favor of God over us!

celebrating the great things God does for us and knowing who that God is who does great things for us.

luke 1:50 ““AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.”

5. she recalls the nature of God proclaims who he is by quoting Psalm 103:17 “But the lovingkindness of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,”

luke 1:51 ““He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.” luke 1:52 ““He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.”

Quite literally worships God for raising the humble and humbling the proud, throughout scripture God is declared to be one who humbles the proud in heart. This gives us an image of the Emperors who would parade themselves through the streets seated on thrones and carried by servants. Is is these who God brings low, these people who proclaimed themselves God and Elevated a humbled young woman to be the one who would carry God made flesh. An illusion to Job 5:11 “So that He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to salvation.”

luke 1:53 ““HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS, And sent away the rich empty-handed.”

She quotes Psalms 107:9 “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”

Mary shows us that her adoration of God is backed with her knowledge of who he has revieled himself to be through His scripture. This is why it is so important for us to read And know our bible. It revealed God to us! She worships by declaring who God has showed himself to be, and soon she would give birth to invisible God, come to make himself visible to Us. She would soon not just know God through scripture, but tangibly through flesh and blood.

Luke 1:54-55 ““He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his seed forever.””

She ends by declaring God’s faithfulness to His promises. He had made a covenant with Israel, and through the fruit of her womb, he intended to make good on His promises!

Mary’s Example of Adoration

Mary’s example of Adoration gives us a glimpse of what our worship should look like.

we worship a God who we can know, who has been revealed to us through not just the Old Testament, but through flesh and blood in Christ Jesus. We can know him as Mary did, as she knew God through the OT, we can know Jesus through both the OT and NT. Through prayer and adoration.

Mary’s adoration leaves us an example that includes

Magnifying of God

recognizing our state before him

thanksgiving For how he has blessed us in our humble state

adoration of who God has revealed himself to be!

As such, Jesus is still alive today, and we can respond to this knowledge by speaking with Him.