And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.” - Luke 1:46-55
This morning I will deliver my 11th Christmas sermon as your pastor. As you’ve discovered by now, each year I try to come up with something fresh and different for this special occasion. I don’t want our annual service to become rote and mundane. So in preparation for this Sunday, I took a look back over the past 10 Christmas messages I’ve given here at Calvary Baptist Church. These were the topics and/or titles we’ve tackled over the last decade:
God’s Wrapped Gift - The Swaddling Clothes
The Indescribable Gift - The Blessing of Jesus
Traditional Advent Series with Candle
The Significance of Virgin Birth
What Is Hannakuh?
The Star of Bethlehem
An Old Testament Christmas
The Genealogy of Christ
The Nativity Story - Luke 2
The Wise Men - Matthew 2
I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to come up with new ideas. However, about a month ago my mind was drawn to “The Magnificat” in Luke 1:46-55. I decided to preach on it as this year’s Christmas sermon. Then, just a few days ago, I saw that this week’s Sunday School lesson focused on Luke 1:26-38. That said, if you were in Sunday School this morning you’ve just finished studying some of the background and context for the upcoming message. I just love it when things fall into place like that! It gives me a sense of affirmation. Still, for those who missed Sunday School, let’s begin by setting the scene.
BACKGROUND
The angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Mary and told her that she had been chosen by the LORD to be the mother of Christ. She would conceive of the Holy Spirit, give birth to the Son of God, and would call His name Jesus. He would be the long awaited Messiah who would reign over His people Israel forever. Furthermore, Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth, who was past normal childbearing age, and her husband Zacharias were also expecting a child.
So Mary left her hometown of Nazareth to go visit Elizabeth, both to see how she was progressing and to tell her of her own supernatural pregnancy. Mary greeted Elizabeth when she arrived, but before she could deliver the wonderful news Elizabeth felt her baby kick inside her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out, “Blessed are you Mary. For the child you carry is the Lord and even my unborn baby recognizes Him and has leaped for joy!”
Though Mary had yet to reveal anything about her condition, both Elizabeth and her soon-to-be born son (John the Baptist) already knew and rejoiced that she was to be the mother of Jesus. Amazed, Mary sang a poetic song of praise to the LORD which is known as “The Magnificat” or “The Song of Mary”. The Latin word magnificat means to magnify, exalt, or glorify.
PART 1
Mary opens her song with an expression of exultation and praise unto the LORD. Then she proceeds to explain the reasons for her joy. These can be divided into 3 categories, or stanzas, of poetic lyrics. The first is because God has chosen her to be the mother of Jesus.
Speaking of herself, Mary declares that “God has regarded the humble state of His servant”. This statement indicates that she is both humble and a servant of the LORD. She does not think highly of herself, but rather is quiet, meek, and modest. She continues by recognizing the historical significance of her calling, rightly proclaiming that from “this time on all generations will count me blessed”. She has a grasp on the magnitude of her role. Finally, she exclaims that “the Mighty One has done great things for me” not only in this instance but throughout her life and hallows His wonderful name.
PART 2
As Mary continues singing, her focus shifts to a second category of reasons for her joy - because God chooses to bless others who are like her.
She starts by saying that from generation to generation, “God bestows His mercy on those who fear Him” To fear the LORD means to submit to Him, obey Him, and revere Him. She recalls the mighty and miraculous deeds that God has done and how He has “scattered those who were proud”. More specifically, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones and exalted the humble”. Mary is celebrating the LORD’s manner of resisting the proud while showing grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5-6). Then she declares that “He has filled the hungry and sent away the rich empty-handed”, meaning that God has blessed those who are lowly and dependent on Him, while not blessing others who are haughty and self-reliant.
PART 3
As Mary’s song draws to an end, she names a third cause for her joyful praise - because God has chosen her people as His covenant nation.
She closes by proclaiming that God “has given help to Israel in remembrance of His mercy” which He has spoken about and promised to “Abraham and his descendants forever.” Mary is celebrating the extraordinary fact that God chose tiny, seemingly insignificant Israel to be the recipients of His covenant promises and the keepers of His Law. She delights that He has demonstrated His mercy to His people in countless ways throughout the centuries, and now has willed that the long-awaited Messiah be born of them.
In preparation for today’s message, I did a little research on this topic. I found a breakdown of the world’s population by religion back in 2012. Though these numbers are a bit dated, I think they more than adequately underscore the point. God has, once again, chosen the most unlikely candidate as His own.
Christianity - 32% (2.2 billion)
Muslim - 23% (1.6 billion)
Unaffiliated/No religion - 16% (1.1 billion)
Hindu - 15% (1 billion)
Buddhists - 7% (500 million)
Folk/Tribal Religions - 6% (400 million)
Other Religions - 0.8% (58 million)
Judaism - 0.2% (14 million)
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the Magnificat is Mary’s song of exaltation to the LORD. She sang it after Elizabeth confirmed that which the angel Gabriel had already told her - that she would give birth to the Messiah! God chose Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to be His covenant people. At the right time, from among them, he chose lowly Mary to be the mother of His holy Son, Jesus. And He has and continues to choose the small, the weak, the poor, and the humble to accomplish His will, to do His work, and to carry out His purposes! God uses the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary, so that no one will boast in themselves or mistake that He alone is responsible for great things (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). To Him be the praise and glory forever! Merry Christmas!
This morning I will deliver my 11th Christmas sermon as your pastor. As you’ve discovered by now, each year I try to come up with something fresh and different for this special occasion. I don’t want our annual service to become rote and mundane. So in preparation for this Sunday, I took a look back over the past 10 Christmas messages I’ve given here at Calvary Baptist Church. These were the topics and/or titles we’ve tackled over the last decade:
God’s Wrapped Gift - The Swaddling Clothes
The Indescribable Gift - The Blessing of Jesus
Traditional Advent Series with Candle
The Significance of Virgin Birth
What Is Hannakuh?
The Star of Bethlehem
An Old Testament Christmas
The Genealogy of Christ
The Nativity Story - Luke 2
The Wise Men - Matthew 2
I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to come up with new ideas. However, about a month ago my mind was drawn to “The Magnificat” in Luke 1:46-55. I decided to preach on it as this year’s Christmas sermon. Then, just a few days ago, I saw that this week’s Sunday School lesson focused on Luke 1:26-38. That said, if you were in Sunday School this morning you’ve just finished studying some of the background and context for the upcoming message. I just love it when things fall into place like that! It gives me a sense of affirmation. Still, for those who missed Sunday School, let’s begin by setting the scene.
BACKGROUND
The angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Mary and told her that she had been chosen by the LORD to be the mother of Christ. She would conceive of the Holy Spirit, give birth to the Son of God, and would call His name Jesus. He would be the long awaited Messiah who would reign over His people Israel forever. Furthermore, Gabriel told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth, who was past normal childbearing age, and her husband Zacharias were also expecting a child.
So Mary left her hometown of Nazareth to go visit Elizabeth, both to see how she was progressing and to tell her of her own supernatural pregnancy. Mary greeted Elizabeth when she arrived, but before she could deliver the wonderful news Elizabeth felt her baby kick inside her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out, “Blessed are you Mary. For the child you carry is the Lord and even my unborn baby recognizes Him and has leaped for joy!”
Though Mary had yet to reveal anything about her condition, both Elizabeth and her soon-to-be born son (John the Baptist) already knew and rejoiced that she was to be the mother of Jesus. Amazed, Mary sang a poetic song of praise to the LORD which is known as “The Magnificat” or “The Song of Mary”. The Latin word magnificat means to magnify, exalt, or glorify.
PART 1
Mary opens her song with an expression of exultation and praise unto the LORD. Then she proceeds to explain the reasons for her joy. These can be divided into 3 categories, or stanzas, of poetic lyrics. The first is because God has chosen her to be the mother of Jesus.
Speaking of herself, Mary declares that “God has regarded the humble state of His servant”. This statement indicates that she is both humble and a servant of the LORD. She does not think highly of herself, but rather is quiet, meek, and modest. She continues by recognizing the historical significance of her calling, rightly proclaiming that from “this time on all generations will count me blessed”. She has a grasp on the magnitude of her role. Finally, she exclaims that “the Mighty One has done great things for me” not only in this instance but throughout her life and hallows His wonderful name.
PART 2
As Mary continues singing, her focus shifts to a second category of reasons for her joy - because God chooses to bless others who are like her.
She starts by saying that from generation to generation, “God bestows His mercy on those who fear Him” To fear the LORD means to submit to Him, obey Him, and revere Him. She recalls the mighty and miraculous deeds that God has done and how He has “scattered those who were proud”. More specifically, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones and exalted the humble”. Mary is celebrating the LORD’s manner of resisting the proud while showing grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5-6). Then she declares that “He has filled the hungry and sent away the rich empty-handed”, meaning that God has blessed those who are lowly and dependent on Him, while not blessing others who are haughty and self-reliant.
PART 3
As Mary’s song draws to an end, she names a third cause for her joyful praise - because God has chosen her people as His covenant nation.
She closes by proclaiming that God “has given help to Israel in remembrance of His mercy” which He has spoken about and promised to “Abraham and his descendants forever.” Mary is celebrating the extraordinary fact that God chose tiny, seemingly insignificant Israel to be the recipients of His covenant promises and the keepers of His Law. She delights that He has demonstrated His mercy to His people in countless ways throughout the centuries, and now has willed that the long-awaited Messiah be born of them.
In preparation for today’s message, I did a little research on this topic. I found a breakdown of the world’s population by religion back in 2012. Though these numbers are a bit dated, I think they more than adequately underscore the point. God has, once again, chosen the most unlikely candidate as His own.
Christianity - 32% (2.2 billion)
Muslim - 23% (1.6 billion)
Unaffiliated/No religion - 16% (1.1 billion)
Hindu - 15% (1 billion)
Buddhists - 7% (500 million)
Folk/Tribal Religions - 6% (400 million)
Other Religions - 0.8% (58 million)
Judaism - 0.2% (14 million)
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the Magnificat is Mary’s song of exaltation to the LORD. She sang it after Elizabeth confirmed that which the angel Gabriel had already told her - that she would give birth to the Messiah! God chose Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to be His covenant people. At the right time, from among them, he chose lowly Mary to be the mother of His holy Son, Jesus. And He has and continues to choose the small, the weak, the poor, and the humble to accomplish His will, to do His work, and to carry out His purposes! God uses the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary, so that no one will boast in themselves or mistake that He alone is responsible for great things (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). To Him be the praise and glory forever! Merry Christmas!