Advent Peace

The Magnificat: A Song of Praise and Promise

Bible Passage: Luke 1:46–55

Introduction

It’s here. We’ve made it to the final week of Advent! In this final week, we are invited to explore the gift of peace. Christmas is so close—and all the excitement and anticipation that come with it, especially when it is only a few days away. But this week, I invite you to continue to live into the anticipation of this last Sunday of Advent.

Often we associate finding with something we do at the end of a journey. This week, I invite you to find peace in the space where you are, rather than hoping it will show up in the space where you want to be.

Anthony Bloom tells the story of an elderly woman who had been working at prayer with all her might but without ever sensing God’s presence. Wisely, the archbishop encouraged the old woman to go to her room each day and “for fifteen minutes knit before the face of God, but I forbid you to say one word of prayer.

You just knit and try to enjoy the peace of your room.” The woman received this counsel, and at first her only thought was, “Oh, how nice. I have fifteen minutes during which I can do nothing without being guilty!” In time, however, she began to enter the silence created by her knitting.

Soon, she said, “I perceived that this silence was not simply an absence of noise, but that the silence had substance. It was not absence of something but presence of something.” As she continued her daily knitting, she discovered that “at the heart of the silence there was he who is all stillness, all peace, all poise.”

– Richard J. Foster

Richard J. Foster, Seeking the Kingdom: Devotions for the Daily Journey of Faith, HarperOne, 2010.

In our journey toward peace, we find ourselves reading Mary’s song this week. These words are a beautiful expression of joy, trust, and peace in response to God’s plan unfolding before her.

If you’ve been around for any length of time, it’s very likely you’ve heard the song “Mary, Did You Know?”

It’s a popular song during this season, and even though the music is beautiful and the sentiment feels inspiring, the song is often disdained in theological circles. Why? Because the song implies that Mary did not know what a gift the person of Jesus Christ was to be.

It implies Mary had no knowledge or foresight of who Jesus was and the ways Jesus would transform the world.

However, one only needs to read the words of Mary’s own song, not only to recognize the foresight Mary had but also to see the praise Mary brings to God, both for what God has already done and for what God is going to do through Jesus.

1. “The Magnificat”

Luke 1:46-48

Mary’s song of praise is often referred to as “The Magnificat”—which comes from the Latin word for “magnify”—because Mary begins her song by proclaiming the greatness of God.

46–50 Mary rejoices at the birth of her child and the prophecies about him. Her words, My spirit rejoices in God my Savior are from Habakkuk’s prayer for help in the midst of trouble.

This is fitting considering Mary’s situation. Savior, sōtēr, is infrequent in the Gospels, occurring only here and in 2:11 and John 4:42 (see Acts 5:31 and 13:23). It evokes a common phrase from the OT (Pss 24:5; 25:5; Hab 3:18).

Like the barren Hannah, Mary characterizes her status as that of God’s humble … servant (v 48; see 1 Sam 1:11).

This thanks extends to the way God has acted in her own life, such as choosing her to be the mother of the Messiah.

Mary’s response to God’s choice is not one of fear or trepidation. Instead, she bursts forth into a melody of praise.

In understanding God’s favor upon her, Mary sets an example for us all.

Mary's soul magnified the Lord despite her humble status, teaching us to lift our praises amidst all circumstances.

Mary describes God’s mercy as extending to those who fear him from generation to generation (v 50). This shows continuity with the OT tradition and its past heroes and heroines and identifies the present characters as living links in this pan-generational story (see 1:1–2). And it also implies that the drama reaches into the future with the promised children yet to be born.

2. God Chooses Mary

Luke 1:49-50

a. Mary was an unlikely choice for mother of the Messiah.

Mary is a woman at the lowest levels of village culture, and one now under suspicion of immorality. Her humility is born of shame and gratitude: for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name (v 49). The “Mighty One” is the warrior God (Zeph 3:17). Mary’s response to the situation is to declare God’s holiness, as Hannah did (1 Sam 2:2).

i. She has nothing to offer.

ii. She is a nobody from a lowly family.

iii. She is disgraced because she is pregnant without being married.

b. The only two extraordinary things about the person God chose to give birth to Jesus are:

i. her extreme ordinariness.

ii. her insightful understanding and acceptance of her role in God’s plan.

c. God’s choosing Mary reminds us that God usually doesn’t choose the person the world would choose.

God's action demands a response of awe and reverence, encouraging listeners to see His hand at work in their lives.

Through Mary as a testament to fulfilled promises, Jesus' presence today continues to bless and deliver us. Because of God's unending mercy through Christ, we are called to never falter in praise.

3. Messianic Hope

Luke 1:51-53

a. As we read through Mary’s song, we are reminded that it is a hymn of messianic hope.

b. This song is a prayer to God, who seeks to reconcile and restore all of creation through the birth of the Messiah—Jesus.

c. Mary’s song is a reminder that God’s kingdom looks completely different from our expectation.

i. Christ comes as a lowly baby, born to a lowly family in a show not of strength and power but of vulnerability.

d. Mary’s song praises God for overturning the typical structures of society.

i. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.”

ii. “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.”

iii. In God’s kingdom, no one is considered less based on lack of status or power.

iv. God’s kingdom restructures power in a way that allows for a social leveling for all.

God's intervention often flips societal norms, he reverses them, embodying divine justice in overturning the proud and lifting the humble.

Christians should advocate for justice in their lives, inspired by God's heart for the lowly, and reveals Christ's transformative power to restore and uplift.

4. Redemption of the World

Luke 1:54-55

a. Mary’s song is a reminder of the God whose love for the world will make creation whole, as seen in the promise of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

i. The person of Jesus is the beginning of God’s promise to God’s people.

b. We are invited to join the revolution that the Messiah brings. c. God’s restorative work begins with a baby in a manger—but that is not where it ends! d. We are called to participate in the restoration and redemption of the world, to be agents of rec- onciliation and peace for the kingdom of God.

Conclusion

Much like Mary, God’s people encounter moments when God’s plan appears to be elusive or outside our expectations. In these junctions, Mary’s example serves as an impetus for us, showing us that our peace is not contingent on our circumstances, and neither does it always align with our desires. Rather, peace is discovered in our surrender—when we yield to God’s unfolding plan with faithful trust.

Finding Peace

So you ask, “Where is peace to be found?” This question is answered clearly and powerfully in Isaiah 26: You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (vv. 3–4) This passage tells us where peace is to be found. It is never found in trying to figure out the secret will of God. It’s not to be found in personal planning or attempts to control the circumstances and people in your life.

Peace is found in trusting the person who controls all the things that you don’t understand and who knows no mystery because he has planned it all. How do you experience this remarkable peace—the kind of peace that doesn’t fade away when disappointments come, when people are difficult, or when circumstances are hard? You experience it by keeping your mind stayed on the Lord.

The more you meditate on his glory, his power, his wisdom, his grace, his faithfulness, his righteousness, his patience, his zeal to redeem, and his commitment to his eternal promises to you, the more you can deal with mystery in your life. Why? Because you know the One behind the mystery is gloriously good, worthy not only of your trust but also the worship of your heart. It really is true that peace in times of trouble is not found in figuring out your life, but in worship of the One who has everything figured out already.

– Paul David Tripp

Taken from New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp, © 2014. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.

On this final Sunday of Advent, let this reflection on Mary’s song be an invitation to find peace in embracing God’s promise for our lives. We need to recognize that God’s promises, though often mysterious and unexpected, are the very foundation upon which authentic peace is built. As we journey through uncertainties, may we echo Mary’s resolute truth, finding solace in the assurance that God will lead us with the promise of enduring peace just as God guided Mary through the unknown.

May we allow Mary’s song to resonate in our hearts, inviting us to find peace in the embrace of God’s transformative promise