Mary, the Mother of Our Lord - April 9, 2025

It’s Not About Mary

Mary was pregnant. It was a miraculous conception, but who would ever believe that? It must have been hard for Mary. But God’s angel had told her of Elizabeth, once barren but now also with child. So the virgin mother decided to pay her relative a visit. We can only imagine how Mary must have felt as she traveled—her fears, her concerns, her worries. But once she arrived, how her spirits must have soared when Elizabeth, filled with Holy Spirit, said to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” (Luke 1:42).

Today, some 2,000 years later, we still get excited when we hear these words, and we thank God for the Virgin Mary and what He accomplished through her. Although some Christians have mistakenly exalted Mary far more than is right, nevertheless we would do well to remember her today as an example of true faith and obedience.

When we listen to the words of today’s text, Mary’s famous song, the Magnificat—of which Mona and Celeste sang a beautiful arrangement—was her response to Elizabeth’s greeting, we realize that this day is not really about Mary at all but about God—the gracious God—who acted through her to bring salvation to us. For

Mary May Be Our Example, but Mary’s Son Is Our Savior.

I. God’s Grace in His Son Saves Us.

What was so special about Mary? There were many other young girls—Virgins—in Israel at the time, and undoubtedly some were like Mary—waiting for God to keep the promises of which the prophets had spoken. So what made Mary so special, so different from all the rest?

Many have speculated, and some have even insisted, that it was Mary’s character, her piety, even her sinlessness that made her a fitting mother for Jesus.

But of course, this is quite wrong, for Mary was just like us, the offspring of sinners and, therefore, one also.

Indeed, in her song she tells us that she rejoices in God her Savior, who has been mindful of her humble state and who has done great things for her.

Mary is saying that what made her exceptional was not anything in her at all, but instead it was God’s goodness toward her: he chose her to serve him in this special way freely out of grace and mercy, not because she deserved it.

This is exactly how God acted in the Old Testament as well—choosing the undeserving to accomplish his saving purposes.

Just think of how he chose Abraham from out of anonymity in the Ur of the Chaldeans; or Moses, a refugee from Pharaoh’s court and wanted for murder when God called to him at the burning bush; or David, just a boy, a shepherd boy, the youngest son of his father, when Samuel anointed him king.

These men were not exceptional in their accomplishments until God chose them.

God choose them to serve him in order to fulfill his saving purposes toward mankind. 

They became instruments of the Lord for fulfilling the promise that God first made to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden to send the seed of the woman, who would crush the head and power of the serpent, as Genesis 3:15 tells us.

Slowly over the centuries, God elaborated upon that promise through men such as Abraham, Moses, and David. It wasn’t that God was looking for someone who deserved to be chosen. Rather, God is constantly choosing those with weaknesses and sins. Because, you see, human weakness and sin cannot stop a merciful and gracious God from keeping his promises.

So Mary was one more in a long chain of undeserving persons, whom God chose for special service in preparing the way of salvation.

Mary was no different from the others; but there was something unique and significant about what God accomplished through her—no longer the repetition, extension, and development of the promise, but now its fulfillment.

Now God would send not another prophet, but his Son, “born of a woman [born of Mary], born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Gal 4:4b–5).

In Mary’s Son, there arrived the one who would make good on all the promises of God.

For he, Mary’s Son—not Mary—was the sinless one, because, as the angel had told her, he is “the Son of the Most High,” that is, the Son of God.

And through him—not Mary—God would accomplish the great things of which Mary sings, lifting up the humble and filling the hungry with good things, while he sends the rich away empty and scatters the proud.

In Jesus God acts to show mercy to the humble, the downtrodden, the suffering, the rejected, the poor.

Those who realize the consequences of their own sinfulness, their separation from God and coming death.

God acted not only by clothing Himself with our nature, but also by taking our sin and our death to the cross and into the tomb, where he left them behind and forever when rose from the dead on Easter morning!

So God blesses those who are willing to let him do it all—those who accept him as gracious and merciful and make no claims for themselves because they understand both their own need and the wonders of God’s love in Jesus.

On the other hand, it is clear also that God threatens wrath and punishment against those who exalt themselves over people and against God, who think they know better, indeed think they are better than the God who made them and loves them. In pride, they refuse to recognize themselves as sinners, refuse to recognize their need for God’s mercy. Thus, they receive the judgment they deserve.

So, God’s grace in his Son saves us; Mary’s faith is our example in life.

II. Mary’s Faith Is Our Example.

Of course, Mary is our example because she makes no claims for herself, but rests content with God’s promises.

When Mary sang the Magnificat, she had not yet seen the fulfillment of God’s mercy or judgment, for she was speaking on the basis of faith.

God’s angel had come, and Elizabeth had prophesied. That was all she had, but it was enough. Their word was the basis of Mary’s confidence and song, for she recognized what they said was the very Word of God—and she knew that God did what he said: the baby would come, the Savior would be born!

So faith—yours and mine—always lives by the Word, never by sight.

True enough, we have many reasons for faith—not least the record of God’s fulfilling his promises, starting right here with the selection of Mary as the mother of God’s Son.

But we do not see with our eyes the mighty deeds of God—in fact, we often see the opposite: the wicked seem to triumph and the lowly are trodden underfoot, and taken advantaged of.

But it is only apparent, for God does what he says: he promised a Savior, and that Savior came.

Just so today, he still promises salvation to sinners and offers it freely in the most humble of means (water, words, bread, and wine). By these he certainly accomplishes all that he says—forgiveness, eternal life, and heaven. He has spoken; it will be so.

Like Mary, then, we rely on the Word, not on ourselves. Like Mary and all the saints, we stand before God in our weaknesses and faults.

But also like them God has chosen us to be heirs of his grace and forgiveness in Jesus.

And this we can surely believe—just like Mary in any and all circumstances—for God not only makes promises, he keeps them. And to sinners like us he promises mercy in his Son.

Holy is His Name. Amen.