Fourth Sunday in Advent (2025)

Luke 1:39-56

Ah my brothers and sisters in Christ, the Candles are all lit around the Advent Wreath and now we wait with joyful expectation for the final candle to be lit to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can see this joy in our Gospel lesson as Mary and Elizabeth meet, and even John the Baptist in the womb is ready to fulfill his calling to point others to Christ and to say there is Jesus, the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World. Then for this to be followed by Mary’s song where she glorifies the Lord.

Magnifying the Lord

The focus is on the Lord.

This isn’t a false humilty that we find in the heart of Mary that speaks only of the Lord as a way to get herself famous. There were folks like that who will use the name of the Lord to achieve fame, notoriety and gain in this life, but what we find in this passage here is an honest recognition and confession of who and what she is.

Who is Mary?

She admits that she is of low estate, that is to say she is nothing, there is no reason that God should look upon her, and consider her for this role. She has done nothing great or spectacular, nothing that is praise worthy, she is an unlikely candidate for if you were to choose someone through whom the savior would be born, then you wouldn’t you choose, a queen, a princess, someone of great means, and yet the Lord looked upon her with favor and bestowed upon her this gift.

She recognizes God has blessed her.

For if God had not chosen her, if God had not entrusted Jesus to be born of Mary, then she would be forgotten. What was she? A young lady that was going to marry a carpenter of the day, a construction worker, but how many were there just like here, that we don’t known or remember.

Humility Before the Lord

She praises God alone.

For this is the heart that we are to have, that does not exalt itself or prides itself on who we are. For we are God’s creation, we are His subjects before the presence of Lord, our King, our Maker, before our God. For God is Holy and Righteous and above us in terms of power, wisdom, knowledge, ability, Mary recognizes that she hasn’t done this, it is the work of God. This song praises God, for

God helps the lowly.

Those who have nothing, the Scripture speak of His care and love for the widowed and the orphaned that those who treat them poorly, might think they are easy targets, but the Lord is their avenger and will bring judgment upon those who wrong them. God watches over all creation to give them their food at the proper time, however,

God doesn’t exalt the proud.

He does not lift them up, quite the opposite in fact. He casts them down and doesn’t care about what they may have accomplish how great they might be in the eyes of the world, He doesn’t care about their riches, their abilities for they refuse to acknowledge that it is God who has given them all that they have. This remains a deadly sin to this very day for it is one that cultivate continuously.

Pride in God’s Presence

What does this sin look like?

Pride can be tricky to diagnosis. It takes a bit of time to unpack, and to see what’s going on. We jump to assumptions, but its like trying to diagnosis narcissism. There isn’t a flag sitting on top of someone’s head that says, hey here is a narcissist, quite often the attributes of a narcissist make them fun to be around for a time because they want you to join in, and like them, and so they will pull you in, and its goes well, until you cross them. Then you find yourself in this nightmare. The problem with Pride is that

It resides in the heart.

It’s a question of who is most important to them? Are they emphasizing the I in Idol? Are they always boasting of themselves? Or perhaps they make sure that everyone around them looks worse than they do, because they can’t stand to see someone who is better. Do they make sure that everyone apologizes to them, but they never apologize? Do they ever forgive, or do they make sure that anyone who crosses them suffers as much as possible, and then continue to tear them down? Don’t get me wrong, whenever we commit a wrong, we should apologize, but don’t expect a proud person to forgive, they will demand that you pay what you owe. So why is pride such a problem today?

Today we call it self-esteem.

It sounds nicer than pride, but it is the same thing just dressed up with a more softer name. For everyone should have self-esteem, self-respect, etc. Now I’m not saying that people should be depressed all the time, but imagine for a moment if you asked someone who do you look up to? Who do you have the most respect for, and they answered well myself. There is something seriously wrong there. So that is why the Lord scatters them, and brings them down. Because

It is God who Matters

This why the first commandment is tough.

It attacks the pride that sits inside all of our hearts, and forces us to recognize that we are not in charge, we are not masters of our destiny, we are not in control, but are subject to God and He is the one that we need to bow our heads before. We are often tempted to forsake His WOrd, and instead

We seek to be exalted by men.

We don’t want to upset the balance we have with friends, family, our neighbors, and so instead of submitting to God’s will, we trade the Word for the praise of men, but this is foolishness, for what are they? What are any of us?

We are but dust.

and to dust we shall return. Why be praised by the dust, why to be exalted by dust? Rather we should recognize who we are before God and seek His will, and let ourselves be humbled by His Word, and rather seek to glorify Him. For this great reversal that the World doesn’t want to really embrace, that we find out our value, our worth, and the reason for our existence not in looking to the perishable things of this world, but rather in seeing in laying aside our pride and looking to our Creator.

Your Value and Worth

You are loved by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

That’s what gives you value, and worth, not that you love yourself, or respect yourself, for what are you and I? We might be something amongst our fellow men, but compared with our creator, we are nothing, and yet, God showed love to you, you who are His creation, you who He has called by name, You whose days He has set and ordered, and given up His Son, Jesus, that you might have eternal life.

Everything has been given to us.

We are recipient of God’s grace, and that is why we sing Mary’s song, the Magnificat years later, for we,. like her, find ourselves receiving these many and great blessings, not because of who we are, or what we have done. For if God had not sent Jesus, then we would be forgotten, but because God has given Jesus to die for you, your name is written in the book of life that will endure to the new creation. For

God has also blessed you.

He has blessed you through the very same child that was given to Mary, that Word become flesh who joined us in the the dust of the earth, that He might lower Himself for your sake, and become nothing, and be called a worm and not a man, but by His Sacrifice He wins eternity for you. So let us cast aside all pride for there is nothing here that we have earned or deserved, but let us remember the mercy that God has shown also to us.

My Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope this sticks with you everytime we sing the Magnificat. For it is a beautiful song, inspired by the Holy Spirit that emphasizes the fact that God is our Savior, and we rejoice and give thanks for the blessings bestowed not only upon Mary but by the whole world through this child that is born in Bethlehem, as God fulfilled the promises spoken to Abraham, and to His offspring forever, and He has shown to us mercy. In Jesus name Name. Amen.