Mary's Song

We're taking a break here from 1st. Peter will get back into it the beginning of the year will finish out first Peter. But looking back on what day looks forward to is what we're looking at right now. Well about 10 years ago. Was actually within the first few months that my wife and I had been married after church on a Sunday. So we decided to go to Baldy's Restaurant on West Side of Bend. We're going to church on that side of town where the hell should have been was meeting and one particular Sunday we showed up there and if you're not familiar with all these they're all about their barbecue sauce and you know, they put some on there and you always need a little bit of extra sauce that goes on and so we're seated and it's just her and I and we're kind of talking and end begins to walk the church crowd. They're unmistakable on a Sunday after church, right? So a little sermon when a little long dressed up a little nicer than usual and in walks this family and it was a couple probably in about their 50s who was taking a mom or a grandma out because this lady that sat down with them she had to be about 90 91 She shows up wearing all white all white like a wedding and you're at Baldy's that's not a good good situation. Well, I'm there the most tactful man in life. And when I want something I'm like we're going to have this now and so just can I order our food and they bring it out and set it on the table and I grabbed the sauce and I squirt the sauce and nothing comes out. So I shake it and squeeze it and nothing comes out one more time. I shake it and squeeze it and almost everything comes out all over this 91 year old woman. Here's the deal. She's so old she doesn't even know. I'm not even kidding. She doesn't even Flinch and for whatever reason the people that she's talking with they don't notice either and I look at Jess and she sees it all over my face and I think this was the point where she realized what kind of man she married and I looked at her with Switch off on her skin. It's on her white dress just like you cannot do that. We have a 10-minute discussion on whether or not I was actually going to tell her so finally we're getting ready to leave using man as yeah, I go. Them sauce bottle was clogged and I squeezed it really hard and it went all over your dress and she starts laughing is oh my goodness, honey, and just kind of lets the whole situation go I open up with this cuz it was quite embarrassing it was humorous. I was also sitting at baldy since last week with somebody and I are about supported them with the sauce. So I have like if you invite us over don't do the real sauce with me, right? I'll get it all over you and I just began to think about how do we respond in life? Cuz life is filled with opportunities for response, right? Good things happen to us. We can respond to certain way bad things happen to us. We can respond to certain way strange things happen to us. And what comes out of us in those moments of life. We have opportunity to respond. And here we are this morning looking at a text where Mary had just had a visitation of an Angel and Angel comes to her and he says Mary you're going to have a baby. She like I'm going to be married soon as I know. This is something very unique. The holy spirit is going to impregnate you. You're going to have a baby growing inside of you. I mean, like don't think weirdness but God is placing this child. I shall this be I'm a virgin

And then the scripture say the angel gives a response. And she believes she believes look there and look one behold. I am the servant of the Lord let it be to me according to your word. It's not like YIFY, this is fantastic, but she responds with Okay, this is how it's going down lord. I believe I did the scriptures tell us something really really interested. But she's about ready to make her way to Elizabeth's house. And then we're going to get this song of Mary and it's really hurt response. She's soaked it in. She's met with her cousin. And now we have this overflowing that comes out of her and I want to ask us what led Mary to sing. De what led married to burst out in this song that we have here before us because if you've ever just read through the Gospel of Luke and you're reading that first section of scripture and you get this idea that Luke is riding to Theophilus and he's trying to tell them tell him about the sureness of his fate and who this God is where Jesus comes from a beautiful Story You've got Mary to burst out in song What Makes a sing think about this just on a practical level? What made you sing this week? No, it might be a good old country song or something up warmed up some Nostalgia within your heart when Amy Grant Christmas came on and there you are in the kitchen cooking you thinking while the warm memories and then all these moments in our lives I can cause us to sing but Mary has this very strange strange ordeal happen and she bursts out and saw no, we live in a culture that is obsessed with singing don't we? I think we have like 15 shows on ABC about singing you can tune in at any time. We have concerts and we have choirs and we have programs going on and we sing to entertain we seem to bring Unity. We seem to express how we feel on the inside to pass on a message to someone else to recapture a feeling. We have all these reason to sing and Mary breaks forth and song. I think we find some very interesting reasons as to why He sang before we get into that when you delete read a little bit of the backstory and Luke 1:39. It says in those days Mariah Rose. And went with haste Into the Hill Country to a town in Judah. She entered the house is Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth and when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and she explained with a loud cry blessed. Are you among women blessed is the fruit of your womb? Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? It's important the mother of my Lord. She's recognizing something very important to get into it. For behold when the sound of your greeting came to my ears the baby in my womb leaped for joy and blessed. Is she who believed her by the Lord. This is really intriguing and it's highly trinitarian what I mean by that is the doctrine of the Trinity is found within the set of scripture. You got Elizabeth houdart even told that she was going to have a child as Zechariah was in the temple. We looked at that last week. She was beyond the age of having children. She was as good as dead as old as dirt. How could this be? And it happens for her and then it says you're in the scripture. My Lord has come to me blessed. Are you married in your room is my Lord now? It would be incredibly strange Even in our culture. If any of Benjamin my six-year-old son antes called him Lord Benny. We don't go around doing that even as a title and she's not just describing some sort of title to him. And that's even the idea of my Lord the king. He has come to me, but then she also says check this out blessed. Are you who believe the Lord? Deeply feel logical here. The father is God. The son is God. You even see the Holy Spirit feeling her who is God In this passage? And what does In This Moment is it begins to pull together? Everything that Mary has been pondering she had this intense moments with an angel who appeared to her. This is what's going to happen to you immediately makes haste to go to Elizabeth's house. And it's Elizabeth Caesar and greets her as God moves in her. She is confirming the word that was spoken and what this is such a beautiful picture of the one-on-one relationships that we have in Christ.

Me think about it. For those of you that have 12 13 year olds 14. Maybe she's 16 17. Is it going to specs of an angel coming to you and telling you you're going to be pregnant? It's a little bit terrified when she say Make a shake a little bit, I going to explain this one to Mom and Dad. How am I going to tell my husband? What is society going to think of me? And she goes to her cousin's house and her cousin Elizabeth says the Lord has come the Lord Has Come. And redeemers listening very practical in here that I want for all of us and I desperately desire for our church. Genesis idea of Leaning into Community to Friendship Because Elizabeth is reassuring and confirming what Mary was told. It would have been comforting it would have been welcoming. It would have been warming really interesting this last week as I was thinking through this passage. I spent some time with the family and they're telling me that they just had a rough terrible week. It is ever going through this week. I've had a friend from this church actually call them to check in with them and to see how they're doing the same thing you were on my heart. How can I pray for you? And it just why did their heart that somebody else would care and have that concern but they felt that pressing will I also I talk to you later that week the very person that called them not knowing that I talk to the other person you following me on this and it should you know, this week was just a strange I woke up with this person on my heart. And I kind of get the like I don't want to be invasive. I'm a Pacific Northwestern kind of person. Maybe I shouldn't call them. Maybe I shouldn't bother them but I'll just pray for them how I want to be prayed for for myself and I could not shake the sense that it actually needed to call them and to connect with them pushing out. The feelings of maybe they won't share with me. Maybe they won't talk with me. But yes, I need you. Press end to this relationship and I need to see how they're doing. And what was so unique about it was me as a pastor sitting back orchestrating none of this and watch how God work and moved. Feel like we can sometimes miss a lot of opportunities in the most mundane simplest forms when we confuse add lunch for the Holy Spirit and don't listen to what he's laying on our hearts concerning other people can get so into our heads that I don't want to speak out and I don't want to ask and I don't want to pray and I don't want to confirm that we miss opportunities to connect as the body of Christ. What we see in this story just as kind of a out their point is this idea that God is working both in Mary and Elizabeth at the exact same time and I can hear the protest in people's heart. It's not convenient to always reach out to somebody. When is God ever been convenient? I mean look at our story this like a dear old lady and a virgin having babies a lot of pregnant women picture yourself in either one of those situations carrying a child a t i mean hard pass my time pass. No. Thanks. When is there ever been convenient?

You seem nice. We just kind of have this passive idea. Well, I'll just pray for them in and I'll let God Comfort them. I understand that even in Genesis The Sovereign God who creates and makes partners. 40 + rule to man to Adam and Eve to cultivate and create to go and be a part of the world and to encourage one another he wants to partner with us. Not that God cannot do it alone. Not that God can't intervene into someone situation and speak in his way the right and correct words, but God desires to use us in one another's lives. Can you see it you have Mary who shows up on Elizabeth's doorstep and the the mute husband the one that can't talk because he doubted he opens the door and it's like boom and then all the sudden Elizabeth goes you're here. My lord is here and it just resonates.

God works through his body to build one another up. Do not miss these opportunities. It's not always going to be convenient or comfortable when we feel those promptings press into those next receipt Mary's response in this and I want to read vs46 all the way through 55 says and Mary said my soul magnifies the Lord. And my spirit rejoices in God my savior for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant for behold from now on all generations will call me blessed is he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name and his Mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation is shown strength with his arm his Scout of The Proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their Thrones and exalted those of a humble estate gets filled a hungry with good things in the red. She sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his Mercy as he spoke to our fathers to Abraham into his offspring forever. Suddenly Mary says my soul rejoices in God my savior. It's all coming together for Mary Ann from the deepest chamber of her. So she begins to let out this praise unto who God is and that he is exalted and as we look at Christmas, we see Mary singing her hope of the world has entered our world in our situation and we see here that the meaning of Christmas is it shows me who God is You know, what's really funny around Christmas time. Everybody tends to get a little nicer. Even on Churchville. And the guy down at Freddy's and he's got that ring and down just nice everybody seems to find a little bit of extra change to throw into the Salvation Army. Everybody seems to have a little bit extra time to invest with somebody else or drop a gift offer to do something kind. It's incredible this time of year and what it produces and somebody but then January one hits and it all breaks out. Again. We're reminded of how hard our family is after they came and visited us. We can't continue to play nice until next year at Christmas time. We can't just keep pretending and we run dry because we just sort of runoff The Nostalgia the emotion the past feelings of what we think Christmas should be like answer for short time people act kind towards one another but if we see who God is if my life is changed by him. If a radically work out in our everyday life in a way in which we love and care and have concern for other people. When she who got is as and Mary has done in this she says my soul my spirit the very depth of who I am. They magnify they glorified you marry does not say A coup interaction with God on a Sunday and I sent some improvements in my life. I discovered a new technique for overcoming negative thoughts. And watch Oprah. That's what she's doing. She says my soul my spirit. I have been moved to the very depths of my soul. I have been changed. This has gripped me and what Christmas. Is it shows us that God has come and if you are a follower of Jesus you understand this any Christian knows Christianity is not something that you just decide upon. It's like something from the outside has come on you and it's radically shifted your heart change your inner core. You're being a God has moved on your life. There's a sense of power from the outside coming in and intervening on you shaking you to the depths of your soul and this is Mary my soul magnifies God my spirit rejoices in God. She had every reason to be terrified and utterly afraid for her life. Because Matt culture in that day and that age and I'll repeat over the next 3 weeks. Could have been put to death for being pregnant outside of being married to Joseph should be scorned and laughed at of talking with one of her Elders last week. After the Gathering said think about when the Pharisees came to Jesus and said, we're not a legitimate children. He said one of his Seminary professors was telling him look that's a slight it was present. It was real but Merry here. She says my soul magnifies why you look at versus 48 and 49. It says for he has looked on the humble estate of a servant for the hold from now on all generations will call me blessed for he who is mighty has done great things to me. It's not cuz she got some warm fuzzies sipping Coco by the fire listening to Jack Frost.

She's not. God is moved in her life and she's completely revolutionize. I want to say something hard this morning only grass what Christmas is about? There are no bad Christmases.

There are hard Christmases.

They're hard Christmas is because oftentimes reminded of loved ones that we don't share this time with anymore. Sometimes there can be such a stress and a pressure to have this pristine and picture perfect family around this time. And it all falls apart is the pressure just causes us to crack and crumble and we go through difficult Seasons, but often issue is we put a priority upon the season to fulfill our hearts. Maybe it's the materialism. Maybe it's emotionalism with people gathering around us and we look towards these things in order to fill our allies and we feel empty and broken and get with some of the Christmas blues later on because we feel so let down because it didn't play out how we thought it would but when you consider the fact that Christmas is God Has Come Emmanuel God is with us a radically revolutionizes our thoughts and our heart and a places the attention upon him know there are no bad Christmases for anyone had a bad Christmas. It was this woman traveling with her husband and not even welcomed into the end giving birth outside. Bringing up baby in a Manger putting them in that swaddling wraps and wrapping him up. I mean we talked about humility and Brokenness. Empty, we don't have it all together. Get there is joy and hope because What Christmas Means? I want to encourage those of us because I know that during this time of year. I had some going to go the other way.

Make a little bummed out and depressed because what was is not anymore. We put the wrong hope and expectations in the wrong places and things aren't working out. We had a Christmas one larger family and we were going to gather with all the family and as often happens around Christmas time. All my kids were puking my wife. It's Christmas day is Thanksgiving is one of those two. We didn't go grocery shopping cuz we intended to go out with the family and spend time with him. She just pulls out all this like freezer burnt meat that we had like stuff. It's about ready to go bad and things in a can and dumps it out as like this is it we're doing for Christmas. This is our celebrating and we look back on that and we laugh a little bit but we can because of our hopes are put in this pristine dinner and everything laid out or radically going to miss it understand. It's about what Christ has done as Mary has done and allows us to sing. I just want to close with some quick points here this morning. How can Mary sing? How can I say no, first of all, this isn't just the position of her heart. It's not her attitude or tone. But the richness of what she actually says Mary Noah's incredible. I'm not placing any kind of Burden or anything like that on our body but look how theologically rich it is what came out of her mouth many people bring up the song of Hannah and they can put those side-by-side and see the parallels between the two not only that she has strong references to Psalm. 119 Psalm 105. Some 15316 2nd Timothy even later on 3 16 through 17 and a half and it flows from her life J C Ryle wrote this about her. She gets expression with her lips. It would have been treasured in her heart. What has been treasured in her heart is God's word the holy scriptures.

What is treasured in our hearts this morning? Do we treasure God's word she knows her she knows the scriptures. This isn't just vital principles. But this idea that is actually in packing and moving in. Her life is not a head full of cramped facts of dates and moments and things that took place, but it's actually moving in her life. They informed how she's living. Do we let the scriptures do this in our lives?

To allow for them to show us who got it. I'm friend in here. We meet every so often. His mom's draft. The last 5 years is get to know God. Get to know God spend time with him allow for his word to move on YouTube fake quietly into process to contemplate to think do we do that as a body? Do we do that in our private time? Are we feeding our souls with that? What happens in as it allows for us as married to glorify God and worship him not based on what we presently perceive what we feel but on who God is and what God has done because I'll tell you what our body in the last year has experienced hard moments where we can easily look back and say where were you got even as a church at hole as we walk through difficult situations with people And yet when we know who God is and what God has done we don't just look at the circumstances but we look at the goddamn hind it all and were able to safe because we know your goodness we know something of your kind as we know something of your generosity we can encourage one another in the Seas of Christ because this is who you are it's not that we're just checking off Sunday and checking up Tuesday Morning devotion prayer time, it's at these are actually things that are forming and shaping our lives on a daily basis does the word of God do that in your heart and in your life are you spending time in that number to she knows herself with humility in verses 48 all the way through 53 She makes this general statement that God your name is Holy. That's your nature. That's your essence. That's who you are. You're completely free from sin. Your ways are not our ways are higher than our ways all his attributes are perfect. Anne-Marie begins to stress this in this song. She says he has Mercy on those who fear Him He exhausts those and low degree. It's filled the Hungry with good things. That's one side of God Holiness. The other side is that he opposes the haughty look at verse 51, he scattered the proud in the imaginations of their heart first 52e put down the mighty from their Thrones first 53 the rich gets sent away empty Mariah saying this God who is cam shows no partiality towards the rich or the poor. the powerful In fact, those who think that those are the ways to the kingdom there very far off there substitutes rather than God himself. Got too much to say on these issues of Pride and humility. I will get into at some point, but not today number 3. She knows God is good. We see she has gratitude gratitude. Wow. Struggles with this one. Sometimes you can like maybe Hast Mich put your heart up in there if that's yo, right. That's me gratitude. You really can't move from syllable two syllable in this song without realizing how thankful she is. I look at her situation. I just think it would be so hard and difficult at moments in her thought process and how is this all going to work in my life that she remains thankful in her situation? Even though culture can look down upon her. The first words out of her mouth that we read is my soul glorifies. My soul magnifies the Lord know every single one of us in every single day that usually have something to complain about couldn't we?

I'm one of the ones in our house with the four little ones is just can I feel like we're just constantly walking behind them sweeping up messes picking things up and we can begin to Grumble and complain. You forget that. These are the very children. We were once told that we possibly couldn't have. Give us two ways to look at it. It's just picking on us. Our bosses are co-workers. Our friends are what we thought they would be they let us down. We all have reasons to find for grumbling and complaining.

Grumbling and complaining stems from a discontent Hearts. We look at others we look at what they have and what we don't have only Grumble When We complain we're ignoring my God is actually done in our hearts and our lives. It's a heart that is not presently satisfied of God and Mary says God, look at what you've done in my life.

Less than perfect and desirable at times look at how you work and look at how you've moved and the Christian Life is healthy when it's filled with gratitude and Thanksgiving Mary shows gratitude to more. She knows God is Sovereign Mary understand something of God's larger plan and versus 5355 says his Mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation is showing his strength of his army is scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He's brought down the mighty from their Thrones exalted The Humble of state is filled the Hungry with good things and the Rich has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his Mercy as he spoke to our fathers to Abraham and to his offspring for recipe for from generation to generation I'm just a part of his plan and I'm fit into his plan and she can see how God is working and how God is moving and she seen her reality and light of God's reality and what God has done Christianity is not about personal success.

I want us to remember that.

I get so irritated because I can see that as the message of so many churches and so many places. This is about your personal success and to get in good with the big guy upstairs. So he gives you stop by your succeed in life. And for Mary there's a sense of no, he's brought me into his plan about a part of something even bigger. She sees God's Sovereign plan in his hand at work. And life is difficult and hard is often hard to see that but she says this is God story. He's brought me into it. She knows God is faithful. He is helped her sister is servant Israel. She thinks back on the Promises of God and this morning if we're saying why should I sing? Why should I care? Why should I have hope for this? Very reason that God is faithful to Express gratitude and Thanksgiving to realize that were part of his plan. He's working and moving in us. And what does she sing here this morning? She truly sings the good news of the Gospel that God has come that God is with us that God is redeeming. It's incredible.

I miss the place where we find true and real Joy. Do you want hope at Christmas?

That's what this song is about. It's not about what Mary has done. Blessed is she the Catholics put her too high up and often times the Protestants look at her and just kind of brush around of the rug. She says I'm blessed. This is different. We're not to put her on the same plane as God. Get even she says your God has done something wonderful in me. And she's preaching seeing the gospel in this. Let me tell you something. We can sing like Mariah. We can. Because we are blessed. I understand the direct application of the scriptures talking about her exact situation, but when you look at the application of her saying because God has come because God has done something I chew and say that I am blessed. This morning redeemers. We have an opportunity much like Mary to sing our hope to God. We're about ready to enter into a time of worship and praise and James and I were talking this week and he actually wrote music to go with these words that we just studied here and looked at this morning. And as we sing this song the song of Mary. We could grab hold up because you have come you have moved. You have shown us who you are and come to your humble servant. We Proclaim that you are good, but you are God that you are can we can sing like Mary because God has moved in our lives as well as pray. Thank you for your words there. Thank you for the Gathering of the Saints and the encouragement that it is. And we come together for Fellowship communion. Thanksgiving and praise to study your word and how you move upon us. And that were built up in Jesus Christ. Thank you for the gift in the talents placed in this body. And as we come together, we we work and we serve and we desire to see your name from claims. I wish that you would move in us and encourage us and fill our hearts may we know that we are blessed because of what you have done.