The Song of Mary

Luke 1:45–55 (NRSV)

And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Introduction

Mary is saying in her song of praise that the Lord is great, and her spirit is rejoicing with the news that has come to her.

This song is called The Magnificat, meaning “my soul magnifies the Lord” in Latin. The Magnificat reveals the power and the mystery of the coming of God. Mary uses lyric hymnody” to celebrate divine action. Elizabeth pronounces a blessing upon Mary for believing God’s word to her. She is blessed—because what she believed will certainly come true. It was because of her faith. Her song is rooted in who she is and the depth of her faith. This is the kind of singing that you sing when you say lord I’m your servant lord I trust your word and your will. Mary begins by praising God in a song. This hymn of praise expresses praise for God because had has looked graciously at the lowly state of his servant. He is taking her humble status and using it to exalt her for generations to come. The song inspired after Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. When Elizabeth asked, “How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Mary was overtaken with a spirit of praise. The great message of Christmas is that God sends to us salvation through the impossible a virgin to conceive in her womb the Son of the Most High by the Holy Spirit. Mary’s song is a bold praise because The boldness of Mary’s song comes from the simple fact that we are in the realm of what Brueggemann calls “the theology of the impossible” (Brueggemann, p. 141). Our singing should be bold. Bold in the way we sing …my soul doth magnify the lord Bold in what we say when we sing listen at mary magnifies,” “rejoices,” ”he has looked,” ”has done great things,” ”shown strength with his arm,” ”has scattered,” “has brought down,” ”has lifted up,” ”has filled,” ”has sent the rich away,” and “has helped” all serve to stress that this is, without question, God’s action. The birth says God can do things that makes no sense not even to us. God is the of the impossible the God who moves when it looks like nothing else can be done the song of Mary (the Magnificat; Luke 1:46–55) is about the unthinkable turn in human destinies when all seemed impossible: “For with God nothing will be impossible” (v. 37). When it looks like humanity can’t be saved it is restored God moves. Marys song sings that when Christ comes. The transformation is unmistakable.

Scriptural Text My soul do magnify the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. From now on the name of Mary will be known to all generations and they will speak of her rich blessing by God. The song proceeds with a more general account of the reasons why future generations will pronounce Mary blessed. The mighty One has done great things for her. God’s holiness is demonstrated in triumph over his enemies (Ps. 99:1–3). vs. 51–54 to refer to God’s mighty acts of salvation. (52) The proud are described as the mighty and the rich (v. 53), and contrasted with the humble and needy. The overthrow of rulers who do not obey God’s will is a sign of his power at work in history, and is here ascribed to the agency of the Messiah. The hungry are to be satisfied with the blessings that God provides (6:21; 11:13), while the rich are given nothing but deprived of what they already have He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, (God’s action is seen to be in fulfilment of his covenant with Israel). In her song of praise she recognizes the mighty deeds that God had performed and the mercies He has given to the people of Israel. God’s action is in accordance with his promises 55 according to the promise he made to her ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants, to her and to all who believe. She is expressing what God always does for those who trust in His word. While Mary may be feeling anxious living in a community that might ostracize her for being pregnant as a virgin, she knew by faith that God would not abandon after giving her this blessing to birth the Son of God. Mary did not worry about her situation. She decided to worship. She did focus on what people might say or think. She decided to shout a thankful praise. She chose to magnify God and not magnify the situation. What God has begun to do, and Mary regards prophetically as having already come to fruition, is described in terms of what God actually did in OT times, as expressed in Israel’s praise in the OT. The kind of power which God showed at the Exodus is demonstrated in the birth of the Messiah (Pss. 89:13 (88:11); 118:16 (117:15); Ex. 6:1, 6; Dt. 3:24.

Conclusion

Mary song of praise reminds us that God can make us sing what he has done for and through you as a part of your salvation. When you are blessed and favored for God’s purposes it will makes you sing ‘My soul do magnify the Lord and invite others and sing like David Oh magnify the Lord with me! We can learn from Mary’s song that we are to trust the God of our salvation. No matter the situation or circumstance, God has it all in his hands. If He brought you to it He will bring you through it. Have faith in God who is able to make the impossible a reality. Continue to sing this song throughout the year, not only on Christmas or during advent. My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Amen.

I’m Rev. Dr. Della J. Owens wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and blesseth Happy New Year! I love you, but God loves you the best. Grace and peace.

The Gospel of Luke c. Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth (1:39–56)

holiness is demonstrated in triumph over his enemies (Ps. 99:1–3