The Joy of Christmas

Introduction

Luke among the Gospels

The OT roots of the Incarnation narratives

Matthew rooted in Hebrew history/geneaology

John rooted in the Creation

Luke rooted in Hebrew poetry

The canticles of the Saviour

4 canticles

Mary - Zachariah - the Angels - Simeon

Appended to the Psalms in the early church and known by the Latin names

The magnificat - the Benedictus - Gloria in excelsis Deo - Nunc Dimittis

Graham Scroggie “the last of the Hebrew Psalms and the first of the Christian Hymns”

These canticles help us to understand and to focus our attention on the true meaning of Christmas

Over the next three weeks we will be exploring: the joy of Christmas, the blessing of Christmas and the glory of Christmas.

We start today by exploring the joy of Christmas in Mary’s beautiful song, the Magnificat

Mary’s Magnificat

Roman Catholic theology uses this passage to support its Mariolatry.

Mary’s magnificat does not magnify Mary but rather magnifies God.

It magnifies God’s salvation, God’s judgment, and God’s faithfulness and all of the attributes that lead up to it: God’s power, God’s holiness; God’s mercy;

We are going to look at the Magnificat in detail to understand how it expresses the true joy of Christmas.

Christmas is a time of joy and happiness. Children rejoice on Christmas morning with their presents; Adults rejoice at the thought of being with family and friends.

But these portraits of joy are but pointers to the true joy of Christmas. The true joy of Christmas is Jesus Christ - the salvation he brings, the judgment he promises, and God’s everlasting faithfulness.

What is the source of your joy this Christmas? I hope in this message to remind you of the true and enduring joy that is ours in God’s salvation, in God’s judgment and in God’s faithfulness.

God’s salvation

The first line of Mary’s poem shows us that the main topic of her song is the joy of God’s salvation

Mary had reasons to be joyful - she was with child. She also had reasons to be fearful - she was not yet married to Joseph and Joseph was not the father. Even so, it is her joy that bursts out in the first line

Reina Valera Revisada (1960) Capítulo 1

Engrandece mi alma al Señor;

47 Y mi espíritu se regocija en Dios mi Salvador.

There is a parallelism here between the two parts of the line - the soul is equivalent to the spirit, magnify is equivalent to rejoice and Lord is equivalent to the God of my salvation.

The source of Mary’s joy and the object of her magnification is the Lord, the God of her salvation.

Roman Catholic theology holds that Mary was sinless. Mary was not sinless. Mary was in need of a Saviour and the God she rejoices in is the God of her salvation.

Mary’s joyful exultation reminds us of Psalm 103:1-5

Reina Valera Revisada (1960) Salmo 103

Bendice, alma mía, a Jehová,

Y bendiga todo mi ser su santo nombre.

2 Bendice, alma mía, a Jehová,

Y no olvides ninguno de sus beneficios.

3 El es quien perdona todas tus iniquidades,

El que sana todas tus dolencias;

4 El que rescata del hoyo tu vida,

El que te corona de favores y misericordias;

Mary’s soul, like the psalmist’s, jumps for joy at God’s salvation - his benefits, his forgiveness, his healing, his rescue, his crowning

Mary recognizes that her salvation is the product of the inimitable and exclusive attributes of God: his power (Luke 1:49), his holiness (Luke 1:49), and his mercy (Luke 1:50)

God’s saving work is always powerful (Romans 1:16)

Reina Valera Revisada (1960) Capítulo 1

Porque no me avergüenzo del evangelio, porque es poder de Dios para salvación a todo aquel que cree; al judío primeramente, y también al griego.

God’s saving work is holy. It sets us apart for God (Hebrews 12:10) comparing our earthly fathers with our heavenly Father says

Reina Valera Revisada (1960) Capítulo 12

Y aquéllos, ciertamente por pocos días nos disciplinaban como a ellos les parecía, pero éste para lo que nos es provechoso, para que participemos de su santidad

God’s saving work is merciful (1 Peter 1:3)

Bendito el Dios y Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que según su grande misericordia nos hizo renacer para una esperanza viva, por la resurrección de Jesucristo de los muertos,

We often think that the joy of salvation is the benefit that we derive from it. But the real joy of salvation is the joy of God’s awesome attributes at work in us. The source of our joy is not that we are saved, but rather that we have such a great Savior who wrought such a great salvation.

It is easy to become complacent in our “state of salvation.” It can become routine. We say, oh yeah, of course. I’m saved and one day I will get all the benefits of that. But that is not a source of true joy. Our true joy is in the God who saves us not in our salvation. Christmas should, above all else, remind us, cause us to focus our attention on our great Savior.

So, where does your joy come from this morning? Does it come from a label that you attach to yourself, or does it come from the God who sealed you?

God’s judgment

But Mary’s song does not rejoice only in God’s salvation, it also rejoices in his judgment. Notice in vs. 51-53 that Mary recites God’s judgment that results in what Leon Morris calls a “reversal of human values.” The proud, the powerful and the rich are given their due and the humble and the hungry are exalted.

Mary rejoices in God’s sovereign and wise pattern of lifting up the weak and putting down the strong. It is interesting that all of the characteristics that Mary mentions in her poem are repeated by Jesus in his Beatitudes. Who are the blessed, the happy, according to Jesus?

Reina Valera Revisada (1960) Capítulo 5

3Bienaventurados los pobres en espíritu, porque de ellos es el reino de los cielos.

4Bienaventurados los que lloran, porque ellos recibirán consolación.

5Bienaventurados los mansos, porque ellos recibirán la tierra por heredad.

6Bienaventurados los que tienen hambre y sed de justicia, porque ellos serán saciados.

This is God’s pattern to raise up the poor, the weary, the meek, the hungry and the thirsty. Look at Isaiah 55:1 and 66:2

Reina Valera Revisada (1960) Capítulo 55

A todos los sedientos: Venid a las aguas; y los que no tienen dinero, venid, comprad y comed. Venid, comprad sin dinero y sin precio, vino y leche.

Reina Valera Revisada (1960) Capítulo 66

pero miraré a aquel que es pobre y humilde de espíritu, y que tiembla a mi palabra

Mary’s song shows us the power, holiness and mercy of God’s judgment.

God achieves mighty acts with his outstreched arm (v. 51)

God exalts and separates the humble unto himself (v. 52)

And God showers the hungry with goods (v. 53)

The joy that comes from God’s judgment is not from a sense of revenge, but rather from the witness of God’s attributes in Judgment. We are joyful because we know that God’s attributes - his power, his holiness, and his mercy - will always make God’s righteousness prevail.

Maybe you are being chastened this morning. Maybe God is scattering your proud thoughts, knocking you off your throne, sending you away empty. Can you still rejoice? Yes! You can rejoice in knowing that God’s chastisement is a chastisement in mercy and holiness. You are being made holy and you are being shown mercy as you are chastised.

Like all of 2020 this Christmas will be unlike any other. Some are out of work. Some are unable to be with their loved ones. How can you find the joy of this Christmas? Rejoice in God’s incontestable power. Rejoice in God’s supreme holiness. Rejoice in God’s everlasting mercy.

God’s Faithfulness

Finally, Mary ends her poem rejoicing over God’s faithfulness. God has helped his bondservant Israel (v. 54) and he has been faithful to his covenant (v. 55).

The word help means “to grab hold of.” It is the picture of a father who grabs the hand of a child to keep him out of danger.

It is the picture of help presented in Psalm 121

God’s help is based on his power “que hizo los cielos y la tierra”, on his holiness “te guardará de todo mal” and on his mercy “Jehova es tu guardador Jehova es tu sombra a tu mano derecha.”

God is faithful to all his promises. God faithfully acts as our help in any situation. And the greatest manifestation of God’s faithfulness to his people is that in the fullness of time he would send his only begotten Son to take on flesh, to humble himself to death on a cross on our behalf.

RC Sproul wrote: “Aun si no volvieras a recibir ni una sola bendición de parte de Dios, aun si no sintieras su presencia por el resto de tu vida, no tendrías otra opción que vivir cada día en alabanza a El. No podrías hacer otra cosa que vivir en gratitud por lo que El ya ha hecho en tu vida.”

Conclusion

The true joy of Christmas is the joy that Mary expressed on that Christmas eve 2000 years ago. It is the joy of God’s powerful salvation. It is the joy of God’s holy judgment. It is the joy of God’s merciful faithfulness in your life and in the life of your family, of your church and of the People of God.