Christmas Principles

Introduction

Principle 1: Daily Renewal of Our Deepest Need - A Savior

These verses are called the Magnificat - named for the first word in the Latin version. Following Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and Zechariah we read this song. It most closely resembles a Psalm, and it is filled with allusions to Old Testament images and quotations.

This morning, I want to focus on 5 principles that Mary’s song shows us about God’s love as we celebrate this final Sunday of Advent.

Principle 1

Luke 1:46–47 HCSB

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,

Mary begins with a bold proclamation - one that we should consider every day.

Her soul and spirit sing of the greatness of God and sing simultaneously in His saving grace.

Mary saw herself as part of a remnant that had served Yahweh. She identifies a deep, personal, and intimate connection to God as her Savior. She doesn’t mention the nation of Israel as a whole - it’s not a thank you on behalf of -

Mary begins with herself -

Luke: A New Covenant Commentary Song of Mary (1:39–56)

She testifies to the favor that God has bestowed upon her, not for self-elevation but to declare what God has done and will do for his people as he has for her. God

How about you? Has God’s love for you caused you to testify daily, to be renewed daily by our need for a Savior? That God provided by His own Son?

We should make the love offering of Jesus at Christmas a daily act.

Principle 2: Stay Humble

But Mary doesn’t stay there. She speaks of her humble condition in verse 48, but it is done in the context of God’s grace.

Luke 1:48 HCSB

because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed,

But is it just for Mary? Has He only looked on Mary’s humble condition? Only looked on Mary with favor? No!

Look, we’ve got to be very careful with the words we use and we have to be careful with the words in Scripture. At the end of the first phrase, Mary uses the word slave.

But every member of the Israelite community knew their nation’s history.

Luke: A New Covenant Commentary Song of Mary (1:39–56)

The exodus is the paradigmatic event of God’s deliverance of his people. Through the time of the judges, the kings, the exile, and the post-exilic period, Israel continued to experience God’s help when their enemies came upon them. Israel was lowly, oppressed, afflicted, and weak, but God always came through. God’s past acts of deliverance form the basis of Israel’s hope for future salvation

Stay humble. God did that, not you. Our only contribution to salvation was the use of the shovel that dug the hole we found ourselves in.

Everything about the manifestation of God’s love at Christmas is humble.

Principle 3: God Offers Timeless Gifts

Have you seen those commercials where the narrator says “this timeless (thing)” and you look at it and think, how so?

Mary knows that what God has offered her and what He has demonstrated in Israel’s history is timeless. What God was offering through the child she was to bring into the world - timeless.

Luke 1:50 (HCSB)

His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.

Principle 4: Recognize God’s Heart and Character

Luke 1:51–53 HCSB

He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; He has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

I pray that you caught all of that.

Luke: A New Covenant Commentary Song of Mary (1:39–56)

He liberates those who need deliverance and punishes those who deserve condemnation. On the one hand, the lowly, the poor, the oppressed, and the underprivileged are lifted up. On the other hand, the proud, the rich, the arrogant, and the powerful are brought down.25 The reversal levels the playing field.

Mary is showing God’s heart for people. But you will also notice that God is just. Verse 51 is about the tower of Babel. Verse 52 is a reference from 1 Samuel 2:7-8.

Luke: A New Covenant Commentary Song of Mary (1:39–56)

But that is not all. The polarities between power and lowliness, hungry and rich, and so on, have a spiritual dimension. The lowly ones who earnestly seek after God will enter the kingdom, and those with power and an inflated sense of self-righteousness will be denied

Principle 5: Speak with God Often

Luke 1:54–55 HCSB

He has helped His servant Israel, mindful of His mercy, just as He spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

It’s intriguing that much of Luke 1 and the birth narrative of Jesus in Luke 2 is connected through dialogue. God is the main character and He is the main speaker.

God has always been speaking. It was the means by which all things were created. God speaking is the means by which Abraham, Moses, Paul, and every other Christian leader comes to be.

God is still speaking today. Are we listening and speaking in response? Mary’s song, the Magnificat, is a powerful picture of God’s love proclaimed to the world.

Is speaking often with God a priority in your life?

Consider that we celebrate the second coming of Christ, as Mary anticipated the first coming of Christ. Are we hopefully expectant as she was?

Speaking with God and then pausing to listen refreshes our soul and magnifies the gift of His personal connection to us.

How are you experiencing and sharing God’s love with someone else?