A Love Song for Christmas

INTRODUCTION:

We are a profoundly lonely people. Love is never a greater craving - than when you are isolated - cut off from not just human contact - but from human contact with someone who knows you and loves you.

43 percent of Americans agree with the statement: “Nobody knows me well”.

Where does the idea of love come from? Love doesn’t come from Atheism. In consistent atheism, love isn’t a choice, not a feature of design, because there is no design … No, what you think is love is nothing more than the accidental consequence of chemical reactions in the brain.

Love isn’t an essential feature of any other religious pathways to salvation .... Allah, the god of Islam existed in solitary isolation for all eternity until he decided to make humans as servants to obey him. If Allah could exist by Himself without anyone to commune with - then love is obviously not essential to him. As for the pantheistic religions of many gods - they usually look a lot like those tv shows where a bunch of people are thrown into a house and have to live together with no escape. The scene quickly becomes dominated by conflict and fights - love is certainly not the default mode.

Christianity alone has love at the core: At the root of all existence, there is a TRIUNE GOD - perfect loving communion for all eternity -

Human beings are created in the image of THAT GOd and friend, you were created, not because of a lack of something in God that He needs you to fill in … You were created out of the overflow of THAT love within the Godhead.

Now, every pathway to God recognizes that this world is broken - and it offers a solution … a way to make sense of why it’s broken and the way to a future ...

Christianity explains that the problem with the world is us - our sin and rebellion that we have been examining in our study through Paul’s letter to the Romans. And the solution … Christianity alone, out of every other religious answer offered, Christianity alone declares that the solution is provided by God Himself - the offended One. He has done this out of the overflow of His love.

And Christmas demonstrates God’s love in such a powerful way:

"If God has really been born in a manger, then we have something that no other religion even claims to have. It’s a God who truly understands you, from the inside of your experience. There’s no other religion that says God has suffered, that God had to be courageous, that he knows what it is like to be abandoned by friends, to be crushed by injustice, to be tortured and die. Christmas shows he knows what you’re going through. When you talk to him, he understands." - Timothy Keller

This morning we are going to focus our attention on an inspired love song - a poem spoken or sung by Mary. This poem is known by many as the Magnificat. It’s been powerfully put to music by Bach. But what you need to recognize is that the love that dominates this song is not primarily Mary’s love for God. At its foundation - Mary is recognizing God’s love for her and for us today. So hear this message as God’s love song to you, Christian.

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1 A SONG OF LOVE FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH (FROM THE OUTSIDE-IN)

Luke 1:39-48

Before we get into the song itself, we need to recognize the context. Mary has just been visited by the angel Gabriel who has come to her with the news that she is going to have a child, who will be God’s Son and will take the throne of David and will reign over a kingdom that will never end.

So this is a birth story, but it’s no ordinary birth story. Now, there really is no such thing as an ‘ordinary’ birth. You who have children - whether you’ve birthed them yourself or adopted them - there is no ‘standard birth’. There are always unexpected

But when your birth is announced to you, by an angel of God … when your birth is announced, despite the fact that you are not married and have never been intimate with a man … well that just takes the regular unexpected adventure of having children - and charges it up to an infinitely greater level.

Mary finds out that she is going to be pregnant with a child - who is going to be the long awaited RESCUER of God’s People.

Mary runs off to her cousin Elizabeth … much older cousin. Mary arrives at the home of Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah - hoping to find a safe place and a wise, trusted, older mind to help her process the way her life has just been turned absolutely upside down.

Elizabeth hears the knock at the door and her response cements the truth of the wonder of the Angel’s words to Mary. Luke 1:42, “… and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! (43) And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

‘The mother of MY LORD’. The word translated ‘Lord’ here is Kurios - its the title used in the Old Testament to point to God. Mary uses it that way right here in v. 46.

Elizabeth is saying, “The child you are carrying is so special - that he deserves the title reserved for God Himself. He is heaven’s gift.”

Now Elizabeth is going through her own extraordinary birth story. The angel Gabriel appeared to her husband to tell him that they were going to have a son - even though they were way past the childbearing years. When Zechariah doubted - he was literally dumbstruck - he couldn’t speak at all, until the son was born - as a sign that the promise given to him was ultimately from God Himself. This son was a child of promise - he was going to be the one born before the great Messiah - Rescuer, to prepare the way and get the people ready for this mighty inbreaking of God into history.

So by the time Mary shows up at her door, Elizabeth has already been to the local clinic for a pregnancy test. Can’t you just see her, pushing her walker through the hospital doors to the receptionist? “I’m here to see a doctor”.

“Okay - the geriatric ward is to your left”. “No, I’m here for maternity.” “Oh, how sweet - are you here to see your new grandchild?” “No, I’m here for a pregnancy test.” “A pregnancy test? The receptionist looks her up and down and suggests, “Did you maybe want the psychiatric ward?”

Well, Elizabeth gets her test and sure enough, this elderly lady is having a baby. Her baby will be John the Baptist.

And Elizabeth hears Mary come to the door and the baby in her womb, now six months along - says, in v. 44, “… when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (45) and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Last week I told you about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German martyr in World War 2 - and how he recognized the similarities between life in this world and a prison cell:

"A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, does various unessential things, and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent."

The door of freedom for him and for us today is still opened from the outside by the coming and second coming of Jesus Christ. This morning’s section of God’s Word reminds of the love of God that would drive him to break into our world to not just open the door of our cell to set us free, but would come inside and suffer with us, so that He could lead us, by the hand, to freedom.

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2 A SONG OF LOVE TO THE HUMBLE AFFLICTED

Luke 1:48-50

In verses 46 and 47, Mary declares her praise and her joy in her Savior. Then, in verses 48-50, she spells out why she praises God on a personal level:

“… for he hlas looked on the humble estate of his servant ...

That word, “humble estate” - translates a Greek word - means ‘lowly ...’

Things are not easy for Mary. As an unmarried teenager in a small town who is going to start showing a baby bump soon .... people will talk. People will jump to logical conclusions … things are about to get very dark for Mary. But actually, things are already dark.

Her name - Mary - ‘Miriam’ literally means, ‘bitter’. That’s a perfect name for her, considering the treatment she’s about to get from the people in her town. But ‘Bitter’ is also a great description for life in Israel in Mary’s day. Ever since the exile 600 years before - things have never been the same. Long, long gone are the glory days of David and Solomon, when Israel had a great reputation for power, wisdom and wealth in the international community. Even when the people were allowed to come back from exile just over 500 years ago, the people have never been free. There has always been a foreign power with the heel of its book grinding down on the people of God in the Holy Land of God.

Right now that power is mighty Rome with an Empire that covers much of the know world. And as far as the political experts can see - that Roman dominance isn’t changing any time soon. Not only are the people of Israel NOT free ...

But maybe worst of all .... God hasn’t even SAID anything to His people .... For FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. From the time of Malachi to Mary’s day - four centuries have passed in silence.

So, does that mean God has given up on His people? Well, honestly - why wouldn’t He? They have failed Him time after time.

To illustrate the 400-years of silence prior to the coming of Jesus, one author compares it to the Apollo 13 incident. On the evening of April 13, when the crew was 200,000 miles from Earth and closing in on the moon, a low-pressure warning signal on a hydrogen tank in the space craft. Alarm lights lit up in in the craft and in Mission Control, back on earth. Oxygen pressure fell and power disappeared. That’s when the crew notified Mission Control, with, those famous words: "Houston, we've had a problem."

For re-entry to the earth's atmosphere, there would be a blackout period, it was supposed to last for 3 minutes. It was a time filled with danger, since during the heat of reentry, the damaged ship could have easily turned into a fireball. There was nothing to do but wait and pray.

Three minutes came and went - and there was nothing. Mission Control petitioned, "Apollo 13, this is Houston, do you read me?" Nothing. “Do you read me?” Nothing. No sight of the capsule on the screen and no word over the radio … until finally, minutes late - the voice came through. The astronauts were fine.

The Apollo 13 blackout lasted only a few minutes. Imagine 400-years of silence. NOW the silence is broken. At the right time, God brought forth his Son, born of a woman and fulfilled all the promises and the prophesies. For unto us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God; Everlasting Father; Prince of Peace.

Well, in the events of Luke 1, we see that, not only does God break His silence and begin to speak again. It’s amazing enough that He hasn’t washed His hands of this faithless rebellious people, once and for all. But more than that - don’t miss whom it is that He speaks to first: Elizabeth and Mary. An old woman and a teenage girl.

God IS SPEAKING AGAIN … He hasn’t forgotten his people - and not only has He not forgotten the nation … but of all the people He could have spoken through and used - all of the religious scholars in their studies, priests offering their sacrifices .... royalty in their palaces … God hasn’t forgotten a 14 year-old peasant girl, on the far reaches of the empire, living in a one-stoplight town.

Mary gets it - she overflows with wonder into this song:

Verse 48, “(God) has looked on the humbe estate of his servant.”

Verse 49, “… for He who is mighty has done great things .... and holy is His name.”

Did you notice that I left something out of the verse as I read it? I did it because I know that there is a temptation that too many of us face - and that is to read the verse in that very way.

“God is mighty” - we get that. There’s nothing He cannot do that He desires to do. “He has done great things” - we get that part too .... Look at the creation around us … we watch the birth of a baby - the wonder of a new life and the perfect intricacy of this little person … It’s stunning!

“… and holy is His name” - I trust we understand that too. We serve a holy God, friend. I miss R.C. Sproul, for a variety of reasons. He impacted so many lives in so many ways. He made sound theology accessible and NOT dusty dry and boring. But there is no greater impact that he had than in leading a rediscovery and refocus in the later 20th century, on the holiness of God.

God is holy, friend. He’s not your buddy. He’s not your heavenly genie - whose belly you rub with a prayer to get what you want. He’s not a fan of pop culture - as if whatever the trend is - whatever the hot-button issues of the day … ‘Well, obviously God must be a fan!”

NO - God is the holy Judge - He dwells in the heavens in inapproachable light. And every last one of us will stand before Him to give an account for how we have lived life in His world, according to His Word. And the biggest problem that any of us have in all of life - is the problem of how we as unholy people can restore our fractured relationship with THAT God.

I hope and pray that we all get that. Mary does. But she gets more than that. The part I left out of v. 49 - is the part that I want you to see and savour. “He who is mighty has done great things FOR ME! Holy is His name.”

“He has done great things for me”. A teenage peasant girl from a nowhere town, is chosen, by God Himself, to have the honor of being the mother of the Saviour of the World.

Hers are the hands that will wrap in swaddling clothes the long promised Saviour of the World. Hers are the breasts that will nourish the eternal King of Glory. Hers are the arms that will embrace, rock and soothe the Son of God in human flesh.

Yes, I guess that would count as doing ‘great things’ for Mary.

Let me ask you - do you recognize the truth of that statement for yourself? Can you say, “He Who is mighty has done great things for me?!”

Oh Chrisitan - no matter how bleak your situation - no matter how dark the horizon .... are you concerned about the political scene … are you worried about the future?

Is it a personal issue - health is breaking down … your heart is breaking at the loss of a loved one.

“He has looked on the humble estate of his servant”, Mary says.

“His mercy is for those who fear him, from generation to generation.” Do you fear God? Have you responded with faith in this Jesus? Then this song of God’s love is for you too.

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3 A SONG OF FAITHFUL LOVE THAT TRANSFORMS THE WORLD

In verses 51-55, Mary switches her focus from the personal, individual love that she has received - to what this love of God means for her nation and for the whole world. She recognizes that this blessing is bigger than herself - God is using her to bring into this world the One Who will save her people and will be THE Saviour of the world.

And Mary’s song shows that she sees that this child will turn the whole world rightside up. It comes through in these verses.

What are the ways our world measures greatness? I would suggest that there are at least 3 ways that you set yourself apart as one of the ‘stand outs’ whose life seems to count for something. The first mark of greatness is INTELLECT - we see it more and more in the media … there is a class called ‘experts’. They are the specialists and are considered to be smarter than others, so their opinions carry more weight.

Second mark of greatness is POWER - It almost goes without saying that whoever has the most might - sets the rules and has their way. Israel knows all about that, with Roman soldiers trudging up and down the streets and highways of the Holy Land.

The third mark of Greatness is WEALTH - If you’ve got money to buy whatever you want and flaunt it by the clothes you wear or cars you drive, or homes you live in … you’re considered great.

We may be separated from Mary’s world by 2000 years, but the same rules apply.

Well, see how Jesus Christ is a radical revolutionary that transforms the world in every one of these measures of power.

Verse 51, “He has shown strength with his arm.” How? Verse 51 continues, “He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.” They are arrogant - thinking that they can manage the world by their planning and scheming - - and Jesus Christ scatters them like puffballs on a breezy summer day.

Verse 52, “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones.” The powerful are de-throned and who does Christ replace them with? Keep reading: “… and (He has) exalted those of humble estate ...”. The mighty lose their place and the humble, like Mary, will reign with Christ for all eternity.

And then there are the rich. Verse 53, look at the second half of the verse: “… the rich he has sent away empty.” And who does NOT get sent away The first half of the same verse: “He has filled the hungry with good things.”

In Jesus Christ, God takes the world’s measurements of greatness - and turns them right-side up. The person he raises up in honor and glory is the humble servant who trusts Him and follows His Word. The person He humbles is the proud and powerful leader who thinks he or she knows better than God.

And in this world where Rome dominates on every side, God isn’t impressed. Verse 54, “He has helped His servant Israel.”

I want you to notice something about these verses, that may have slipped past your attention. Notice the tense of the verbs Mary uses. Notice that they are all in the past tense? Mary is praising God for the gift of her son, but when she’s singing this song - he’s not even born yet. There are no proud intellects scattered; no powerful kings dethroned; no tycoons have been sent away empty handed. So why the past tense?

It’s Mary’s faith. She knows that God is faithful. Verse 54, “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring forever.”

In other words - when God says something - when He makes a promise … IT IS AS GOOD AS DONE. It may take time. The heavens may be silent for year after quiet year and everywhere you look, the wrong seems to be winning the day. But if God has made a promise .... then know this, friend: “It is as good as done … already.” And with the growing baby in her womb, Mary knows that this means the great reversal has begun.

The Incarnation in the Gospels God Humbles the Proud

Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes the reversal that Jesus brings to human events, as Mary celebrated:

When the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords came into this world, he came into a stable. If you do not feel a sense of holy laughter within you, I do not see that you have a right to think that you are a Christian. Thank God, this is gospel, this is salvation. God turning upside down, reversing everything we have ever thought, everything we have taken pride in. The mighty? Why, he will pull them down from their seats. He has been doing so. He is still doing so. Let any man arise and say he is going to govern, to be the god of the whole world; you need not be afraid—he will be put down. Every dictator has gone down; they all do. Finally, the devil and all that belong to him will go down to the lake of fire and will be destroyed for ever. The Son of God has come into the world to do that.

However dark it may be - God is a promise making and promise keeping God. He love His people and that, dear Christian - should excite you.

When it comes to dealing with Mary, we face a couple of dangers. The FIRST pitfall would be to treat her almost as a goddess - as if, since she was the one who bore Jesus, the Lord of the universe - well then, she must be sinless herself. That’s not right. It can’t be right. Mary’s own words, in verse 47, set us straight: “My spiirt rejoices in God my Saviour”. She was a human being, born into a world of sin - SHE contributed to the brokenness. She needed a Saviour too! So, no Mary wasn’t sinless. So when people call Mary “the mother of God” and pray to her, they are going against the teaching of God’s Word and have fallen into a swamp.

If the first pitfall is to give Mary too much credit - the SECOND pitfall is to not give her enough. Luke is clearly holding her out as an example for us - sets an example of godliness for us to follow. She humbled herself, she received the word of God and trusted God’s promise by faith.

And Mary recognized and received God’s love in the gift of Jesus Christ - and it transformed her.

Let me ask: Has it transformed you? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as God’s gift of love - sent to rescue you - to be grabbed hold of by humble faith.

It goes against

Livia Satterfield Young was a 12-year-old girl in a Romanian orphanage when her life was changed--forever--by an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. (Operation Christmas Child, uses gift-filled shoeboxes to demonstrate God’s love to children in need around the world.)

Livia was an orphan for 10 years. She described a lack of food, hygiene supplies, and no feeling of love and happiness. She said, “Some days our food supply was so low that all we had was a piece of bread that was hard as a rock and moldy. We also wore the same clothes for a week. We had only one toothbrush which we shared with hundreds of other children.”

Livia longed to feel someone’s love and warm embrace. She said, “I wanted to feel like I existed in this world.” That all changed when the ministry delivered shoeboxes full of personal hygiene items, school supplies and toys to her orphanage. The same day, an American missionary group also came and Livia met a woman named Connie. Livia said:

Before we opened our boxes, they shared with us about people who packed them because you loved us. I was so mesmerized by the word “love.” And then, they shared “the greatest news of all.” That there’s a God, and He gave His one and only son who died on the cross for me because He loves me. God made this possible through a simple gift. It sparked so much love, joy and hope in my life.

The same year Connie arranged for Livia to stay with a Christian family, and she accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. She said, “I wish I [would’ve] had a mega-sized microphone to tell the whole world I had Jesus in my heart. Two years later when I was 14, Connie came back to Romania, adopted me, and took me home to my brand-new family.”