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The Magnificat: Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46-55
Introduction
Good morning.
I am thrilled to have you joining us in person or online for the start of Christmas Playlist, our new sermon series.
I’m really excited to preach through the songs and prophecy that we see as we read through the Biblical account of the Christmas story.
If you would like to follow along with the sermon notes, you can scan the QR code behind me on the screens.
That will give you a link to an interactive worship guide that you can use to follow along.
When we think of Christmas, we likely think of the sounds of the season.
The classic Christmas songs of the church come to my mind.
Songs like O Holy Night, Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and O Come All Ye Faithful.
You probably have a specific Christmas song or two that mean a lot to you or really bring you back to a memory or maybe remind you of Jesus as the reason that we celebrate.
But throughout Luke’s account of the birth of Christ and the events surrounding it, we find people breaking into song and speaking truths about the Lord and His salvation.
These are glorious announcements that the Lord is here.
He had come.
This morning we are going to look at Luke 1:46-55, where we find Mary, the mother of Jesus worshipping the Lord and proclaiming His greatness in mercy and holiness and strength.
Before we get there, let me bring you up to speed with where this happens in the story and what has transpired up to this point.
RECAP:
This account is coming from the Gospel of Luke.
Luke is written by Luke who was a doctor and was writing to give an account to a dude named Theophilus.
Luke takes care to give a thoughtful and investigated account of Jesus’ life, dead, and resurrection.
He wants to give Theophilus an orderly account of the things about Jesus.
So that’s why you find Luke give more detail than say, Mark.
During the time of this story a guy named Herod is king of Judea.
And there's a priest named Zechariah and his wife was named Elizabeth.
Elizabeth has a cousin named Mary, but we will get back to her in a minute.
Elizabeth and Zechariah were both older and had no children because Elizabeth was barren, meaning she was unable to get pregnant and have babies.
So one day, it was Zechariah’s turn to minister in the temple burning incense.
So people are outside praying and Zechariah is in there and an angel of the Lord shows up standing on the right side of the altar.
Zechariah was scared, as I’m sure I would be in that same situation.
Can we think about how terrifying angels must be?
They tell people not to be afraid when they show up.
Anyway, this angel tells Zechariah that his wife is going to have a child and that he is to be named John.
Zechariah asks how this can be because they’re old.
The angel announces that he’s Gabriel and stands in the presence of God and was sent to tell him this good news.
Gabriel goes on to tell Zechariah that he’s not going to be able to speak until the boy is born because he didn’t believe.
So Zechariah comes out and the people are amazed because he can’t talk.
He goes home and Elizabeth gets pregnant.
Some time passes and when Elizabeth is six months along, Gabriel is sent by God to Nazareth to a young woman named Mary, who was a virgin betrothed to a guy named Joseph.
Betrothal is a hard concept for some of us to understand in today’s culture.
Basically, it was beyond engagement or a promise.
It was an agreement that was basically that they would live in every way like a married couple except for physical intimacy.
She would stay in her parents home and Joseph would wait till the betrothal period was over and then she would become his wife.
Betrothal was so serious that it actually would have taken a divorce to break it.
Much more serious than today’s concept of engagement.
Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she has found favor with God and is going to conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He instructs her that she is to name Him Jesus and that He’s the Son of God.
Mary isn’t sure how all of this could happen but submits to The plan of the Lord willingly.
Mary has a lot of information hitting her at once.
She goes into the hill country of Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth.
Mary has great and amazing news to share.
When Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb.
That baby was John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ Jesus.
Even in the womb the baby recognized that Jesus was close and leaped for joy at the savior being there.
Elizabeth tells Mary about this and speaks blessing over her.
And Mary responds by breaking into a song of praise.
Let’s read from Luke 1:46-55.
PRAY
I. Mary's Song of Praise
Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit -
the news of God taking on flesh and coming into the world brought revival to the house of Zechariah.
The news of Jesus Christ, His incarnation that we celebrate at Christmas has enough power and truth that it can bring revival to Christians who have grown cold and gives new life to dead souls.
We have to understand that this was a shocking idea to Mary and everyone else.
That God would come to earth as a man, in this way, was unthinkable at the time.
Michael A. Milton writes, “The Greeks have gods who are like men but who play tricks on men or imitate sinful man in ce‐ lestial flings.
The Norse pagan deities are like men also, but are oppressive and as brutish as Vikings in dealing with man.
The Babylonian gods are ruthless, impersonal things that demand human sacri‐ fice and fleshly indulgences to satisfy their vile and wicked passions.
But, in the faith of the Bible, we have a young virgin girl, a sweet-natured woman who brought forth the Son of God who came in love to identify with His Creation.
Our God came not to tempt, but to be tempted for us.
Our God came not to satisfy passions, but was one who left His royal dwelling with the Father in order to satisfy Divine justice by dying on an old rugged cross.
This is the story that needs to be told.”
So after Elizabeth blesses Mary, she responds by bursting into song.
Magnificat - what it means - Latin for the word used by Mary “to magnify”
Elizabeth’s pregnancy is important but the focus here is on the significance of Jesus.
Mary’s response to big news that seems impossible is praise.
worship… Here response to God’s sweet confirmation is to worship and magnify the name of the Lord.
The first thing on her heart is WORSHIP.
It bursts forth.
REWORD: The Magnificat reveals Mary as, like Miriam and Hannah before her, a divinely inspired poet.
This trait she also shares with her ancestor David.
Indeed, her spontaneous poem recalls the Psalms (especially Psa.
111:9; 103:17; 89:10; 107:9; 98:3), just as Elizabeth’s words of greeting to her, “Blessed are you among women,” echo Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.”
II.
The Sweetness of Mary's Song
this is a song from the soul
Her soul magnifies the Lord - From deep within her.
Her spirit rejoices - the very thing that makes her, her - this is the place of her rejoicing… how deep… how sweet this rejoicing
Acknowledges her humble estate
thanksgiving
- God Saves Sinners
Mary praises God for the salvation he is working.
She knew she was just a young Jewish girl and that for whatever reason God had chosen to bring Jesus, the Messiah into the world through her.
The good news of Christmas is that God loved us while we were still sinners.
Ultimately, Jesus didn’t come to give us a holiday.
He came to save sinners from the righteous wrath of God that must be poured out on sin.
- God Changes Things
God reversed common roles in the world.
Exalted the poor, rejected, and oppressed
Humbled the rich, proud, and esteemed
Makes a way.
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