Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

This morning is the First Sunday of Advent and in line with this we are going to begin our new sermon Series, Songs of Christmas.

This will be a look at some of the key songs that talk about the birth of our saviour Jesus.

I think we’ll find throughout the next four weeks of Advent, that as we go through these songs we will hear the joy and excitement that they were anticipating as they waited for and saw the birth of Jesus.

And so this morning as we get started on this Advent journey we are going to talk about the anticipation that was welling up in the lives of the people at the time of Jesus’ birth and what that means for us 2000 years later.

Who here just loves Christmas.

Like loves this time of year and everything that comes with it?

I know for me I become a bit of a grinch this time of year until probably a day or so before Christmas.

And I think this grinchness is brought on by how my mind works.

Like I get wrapped up in the thought process of Christmas being about everything else but Jesus.

I find myself sitting on this thought that there is a lot of wanting that goes on during this time of year.

Like the only thing that I hear is how someone is wanting this and that and I find that it really begins to bother me.

This thinking is so different than when I was a kid and I’d be so stinking excited about Christmas in October.

Like after Halloween my mind was wrapped around Christmas coming.

And I remember all the anticipation that was going on in my mind and just the desire to be off school, hanging out with my family, getting gifts and just having the best time during Christmas.

Cause you know as a kid you have that one track mind, not many negative things cloud your thoughts as a kid.

The innocent desire to see Christmas for what it is, a time of celebration and anticipation of gifts, is so amazing.

And I look back at that time and I’m jealous that I’ve let my adultness and grownupness almost ruin this for me.

And I think this is really why Jesus would say in , “unless you becoming like little Children, you will never see the kingdom of heaven”.

Because Jesus knew that we’d let our grownupness strip us away of the innocent and simple desires and anticipations that we had as kids and we’d cloud it with our thinking and negativity.

I hope I’m not the only one going through this but I hope that as we spend this time together this morning that we will see and feel the desire and anticipation that was had by Mary, Jesus’ mother as she carried our Saviour, and her Saviour in her womb.

And that if you’re like me that we’d maybe readjust our thinking this Christmas season, starting with this first Sunday of Advent, and that we’d anticipate this time leading up to Christmas and the celebration of Jesus.

Background and Passage

We’re going to look at this morning.

This story is often called the Magnificant, which is the latin translation of the first few words of this passage.

And as you are turning to this I just want to quickly look at what has taken place so far in the book of Luke.

It actually starts with a miracle through a woman named Elizabeth.

She was a relative of Mary, Jesus’ mother.

The bible describes that she was advanced in years and that an angel of the Lord appeared to her husband Zechariah, who was a priest.

This angel told Zechariah that his wife would bear a child, and this child would be named John and he would “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God”.

What he would do is to evangelize and tell people about Jesus.

He would make them ready and prepare them for the coming of Jesus.

Elizabeth and Zechariah then conceived a child and await his birth.

Then after we learn that the angel Gabriel was sent from God to Nazareth to Mary, a virgin that was due to be married to a man named Joseph.

She is told that the Holy Spirit will place a baby inside of Mary to be born and this child will be the son of God.

And then Mary says some of the most profound words.

In verses 37-38 is says about her situation, “For the word of God will never fail”.

Or in other translations, “For nothing will be impossible with God”.

And then Mary responds with these words, “I am the Lord’s servant.

May everything you have said about me come true”.

She was available and willing to be used by God in whatever way possible.

From here we see Mary visit Elizabeth.

And as she entered and greeted Elizabeth, just the meer sound of Mary’s voice caused the baby in Elizabeth to leap.

And Elizabeth recognized the importance of what was going on inside of Mary and she cry’s out to Mary that she’s so excited that the mother of her Lord has come to visit her.

You see Elizabeth has gotten it.

She has recognized and has experienced this excitement and anticipation of Jesus.

This brings us to our passage this morning.

Where we see Mary responding to all of this taking place.

And I want us to spend the rest of our time this morning looking a Mary’s response to what is taking place in her life and her outlook on it.

And what I hope we leave here with on the first Sunday of Advent is a new look at this season.

says - 46 Mary responded,

46 Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,

and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

49 For the Mighty One is holy,

and he has done great things for me.

50 He shows mercy from generation to generation

to all who fear him.

51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!

He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

52 He has brought down princes from their thrones

and exalted the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away with empty hands.

54 He has helped his servant Israel

and remembered to be merciful.

55 For he made this promise to our ancestors,

to Abraham and his children forever.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

This morning friends, as we consider the anticipation and hope that is packed into this season and how we can refocus and get ourselves in a position where we can really celebrate this season and get ourselves into a position where we can be truly excited and ready for what is to come.

I have 5 postures or thinks that I think we should consider from Mary’s song of praise that I think we can take into this season.

And what I’m committing myself to as I get myself out of my grinchness and into celebration and anticipation mode.

Tyndale House Publishers.

Holy Bible: New Living Translation.

Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015.

Print.

Praise Verses

1. Mary begins her song in a way that is fitting and really how we should all be entering into this Christmas season.

She starts with the words, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”.

We find that right away that Mary acknowledges the goodness of the Lord and brings attention to him at the start.

Her soul praises or glorifies the Lord.

And then she does a most profound thing.

She does what each of us must do.

She recognizes her need for a Savior.

She knew she needed a Savior!

This right here is huge, because it tells us that Mary understood that she was someone who was in need of a Savior.

Some groups elevate Mary to be a deity in her own right, like they bring her up to the same level as God and Jesus, but what Mary is saying herself is so against this.

The reality is that only sinners need a Savior, and Mary is saying that she is someone who is rejoicing and in need of the hero to come and save her.

And I realize that as we wait in anticipation for Christmas it is fitting that this would serve as the beginning of our outlook on this season.

That we would realize that the reason that we celebrate this time of the year, the reason we can be excited about it, is that it all revolves around our need for a Savior.

And God’s amazing and gracious act in where he sent his Son to earth for us.

There is our Hope on the first Sunday of Advent.

Billy Graham shares an incredible note on hope.

He says, “Our world today so desperately hungers for hope, yet uncounted people have almost given up.

There is despair and hopelessness on every hand.

Let us be faithful in proclaiming the hope that is in Jesus.”