Sermon Tone Analysis

Christmas songs

We sing a lot of songs at Christmas that we don’t sing throughout the rest of the year, don’t we?

— I don’t know why, but this year, God pointed something out to me… a lot of those songs make us feel good, they get us into the “Christmas Spirit”, they may even give us some level of comfort, because they are familiar… We grew up singing them, and they bring back good memories....

— But… some of them aren’t very theologically sound, or even historically accurate!

Think about it… We sing songs like:

— “Away in a Manger” … where we talk about a baby not crying… seriously!?!

— “Silent Night” … where we seem to be saying that EVERYTHING was calm… we want to think that even the animals were in some sort of trancelike state, and didn’t make any noise out of reverence for Jesus....

I don’t think those ideas could be any further from the truth!

— Babies aren’t quiet… they cry… that’s how they communicate… and Jesus was no different!

— And if you have ever been around a farm, you know that they are often anything but quiet!

No! I don’t believe that the night of Christ’s birth was anywhere near as quiet and serene as we make it out to be!

— Angels were singing… Lights were flashing… Proclamations were being made… and a mother was giving birth!

— That’s not quiet… that’s a rock concert!

Someone said that if mothers wrote more Christmas songs, we would probably have fewer songs about silent nights and babies who don’t cry!

The truth is, we do have a song written by a mother… in fact, it was written by the mother of Jesus… and it doesn’t mention silent nights or non-crying babies… It isn’t a soft sweet lullaby either…

It is a powerfully subversive song that speaks of the power and love of God breaking into the world!!!

It speaks of strong arms… of promise… of the powerful being thrown from their thrones…

It speaks of the humble and meek… the down-trodden and lost… the broken and hurting… the outcast of the world… being lifted up!

It is a song of Love… It is about the Love of God… It is a song about the strong, steadfast way in which the Love of God has… and continues… to impact the world He created!

It is a song of a woman’s love and gratitude for God!

We sing songs at Christmas that speculate about whether Mary fully knew what God was asking her to do… whether she understood who this child was… whether she understood His purpose…

Luke makes it clear: YES!!!

She did!!!!

Mary understood… in fact, she probably understood better than we do, and better then some who should have understood better than her!

— Like the Priest, her relative, Martha’s husband, Zechariah!

— Mary understood that God was moving in new ways… That He was doing something awesome… But Zechariah missed it!

— Do you see it?

Zachariah had been praying for his wife to bare him a son, and yet… He didn’t get it!

I.

The Priest is Silenced but the Peasant sings!

a.

In Luke, the birth of Jesus seems to focus on the voices of women!

(How’s that for irony?!)

Look at Zechariah’s story...

Zechariah is silence immediately upon his unbelief in what the angel is telling him.

He doesn’t believe it can happen because they are so old!

Yet, Elizabeth is pregnant… and he remains mute until the day John the Baptist is born!

The story of Mary’s interaction with the angel stands in direct contrast to Zechariah’s story.

Luke 1:26-35

Just like Zechariah, Mary questioned the angel… yet she was not silenced!

What is the difference?

Zechariah was a priest… he was a religious leader… if anyone should have believe God’s word … If anyone was going to speak a prophetic word over Mary… it should have been Him… Especially since he was receiving an answer to his prayer!

Yet, it isn’t… Zechariah is silenced, and his wife, Elizabeth, is the one who speaks prophetic words over Mary.

Luke 1:38 - Here’s where the difference is…

Mary’s reaction: Luke 1:46-55

Mary, unlike Zechariah, is just a humble peasant girl, yet she believes…

remember what “believes” means — “believe to the extent of complete trust”

Mary believed, and declared the power of God through her song!

“Let it be with me as you have said.”

Why can’t that be our response when God speaks to us?!

b.

The dominant voice in Luke 1 is female… this stands in stark contrast to the cultural norms of their day.

They lived in a patriarchal society

Women did not have a voice — they couldn’t testify in court, or the church

They couldn’t own property (hence the story of Ruth)

Yet… Luke puts the prophetic words of these two women front and center in the narrative here...

Something different is coming… Something different is happening here… (that reminds me of a scene in “The Chosen”…) — Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God in a New Way!

c. Mary’s song precedes Zecheriah’s… Mary’s voice is heard over his… revealing something powerful!

— Now hear this: The Kingdom of God does not enter this world in the ways we expect!

It barges in in ways that turn our expectations upside down… and forces us to look at things differently!

They expected the Kingdom of God to be ushered in through power and prestige, but… the Messiah was coming through a humble, common, peasant girl… from a no-name town!

They expected a Messiah coming from the priesthood… or at least through the known line of David… as a Royal, Powerful, Prince, but… the Messiah was coming as a simple, lowly, meek, peasant!

How often are our expectations turned upside down?

We expect Christ to come into our lives with a bang!!! Like a Genie in a lamp… suddenly making everything perfect.

But… that’s not what He does!

that would harm us…

think about it — What happens to poverty stricken people who suddenly gain a lot of wealth?

God Loves us to much to allow that to happen!

II.

Mary’s Song is a Love Song, but not like we’d expect.

— When we think of love songs, we think of sappy, sentimental, “girly” songs… but Mary’s song is a powerful song.

a. Mary responds to God by Rejoicing in Him.

that is an act of Love

Mary sees God as being faithful and ever-present to her.

Do we?!

b. Mary gives God thanks for being present not just with her, but also with the world.

c.

Luke 1:46-50

d.

She glorifies God’s character, declaring God’s mercy towards humanity.

e.

She speaks to the strength and power of God…

Do we do that?

Is that how we pray?

Why not?

Sometimes I think we don’t have the Faith and understanding of God that she did…

Sometimes we just… “miss it!”

— This song reflects the depth of Mary’s faith in and love for God… Look at it closer… she references so many songs of the Old Testament — words she would have heard growing up… words that shaped her faith in God.

Her song echoes the prayer of Hannah (1 Sam 1,2) Verse 48 references 1 Sam 1:11.

Verse 53 references 1 Sam 2:5

The Psalms are also echoed throughout the song.

1:46 - Psalm 34:2;

1:47 - Psalm 35:9;

1:49 - Psalm 111:9;

1:51 - Psalm 107:9;

1:54 - Psalm 98:3

The Minor Prophets are also echoed…

1:52 - Job 12:9, 5:11;

1:55 - Micah 7:20

1:53 echoes Genesis 17:7,9