The First Christmas Songs: Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46-55
Most people enjoy Christmas carols. So, this Christmas 2015, we will look at the first four ever sung. They’re all recorded in Luke 1-2. We begin this first weekend of Advent with the very first one – and maybe the best one. It’s the song sung by Mary, the young mother of Jesus when she heard that she would be the mother of the Savior of the world. We call her song the “Magnificat” based on the first word in her song, i.e., magnify. Mary broke out into song and “magnified” the Lord. So, it’s a song of great joy, but, I must warn you, there are parts of it that overturn the ways we tend to think about things in our world. Let’s look simply at two essential parts of the song: 1) what caused Mary to sing, and 2) what she sang.
What Caused Mary to Sing? God broke into her life.
The angel Gabriel said to Mary,“Greetings, O favored one. The Lord is with you!” (1:28)
Luke tells the story leading to Mary’s song in two stages, one teaching about how Mary obeyed God even when she didn’t fully understand and the second teaching about the importance of her faith community.
Scene 1: How Mary obeyed even when she didn’t quite get it
In the first scene, the angel Gabriel breaks into Mary’s life and lets her know that God knows her and that God is going to bless her by giving her a child who will someday rule over an eternal and universal kingdom.
I think most of you know this story quite well – so the one thing I want you to notice is how reticent and sober Mary’s response is to this angelic news. In v.29, Mary is “greatly troubled” – as you and I might be if an angel appeared to us. And in v.34, Mary is confused and asks, “How will this be since I am a virgin?” I imagine we would ask that too.
Put yourself into Mary’s shoes. All the evidence shows that Mary and Joseph were part of a very conservative, biblically faithful group in a small backwater village called Nazareth. The maxim, “good girls don’t” would have been especially strong in her culture. Virginity was viewed an honored state, a mark of self-control and moral faithfulness. I am quite sure that no matter how eloquently and passionately this young woman might explain that this was a “divine conception”, her words would have been viewed as a lie. Mary almost certainly would have been no older that 15 or 16. I’m quite sure Mary knew that this pregnancy would ruin her life socially and relationally.
What I want you to see is that her response to Gabriel wasn’t an exuberant, joy-filled reaction but simply one of obedience – of surrender to the Lord’s will. Paraphrasing v.38 -- “I don’t get it but I am the Lord’s servant. If this is God’s call upon my life, I will do it. Let it be according to your word.”
Already, I hope you are seeing what Mary’s story says to us about living for God. God often calls us to do difficult things – even things that we can’t understand. But, God has a plan for all that he does. It’s just that Mary couldn’t fully see it – and we often cannot see it. We must learn to walk with God in obedience to his
Word by faith until we see more fully as God sees. So, the difficult time Mary would go through was not outside of God’s plan. It was a part of it. God knew of a greater good – a much greater good that he would accomplish for her and for the world.
2,000+ years later, we gather here in Pasadena and we can see that God knew what he was doing. What you and I need to learn to do is what Mary did, i.e., to trust and obey God even when we do not see. Mary’s role – and our calling too – is simply to be a servant of the Lord. To trust that God is good even when we don’t see the goodness of his plan for our lives. You may need to hear that today.
Scene 2: How a community of faith confirmed God’s leading.
So, now-pregnant Mary hurried from Nazareth to go to a hill country outside Jerusalem, about 100 miles way, to see her relatives, Priest Zechariah and his very old wife Elizabeth. From earlier in Luke 1, we know that Aunt Elizabeth was already at least 6 months pregnant with the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah, i.e., John the Baptist. When Mary entered her relatives’ house and greeted them, the baby (John the Baptist) who inside Elizabeth leaped for joy because of the baby (Jesus) who was inside Mary. And Elizabeth with great insight, made the most amazing statement. She somehow discerned that “the mother of my Lord” has come to my house in v.43.
Here’s the point you dare not miss: With that affirmation both from the baby leaping in Elizabeth’s womb and from Elizabeth herself, Mary finally broke into joy – music-filled joy! The truth of it all hit her at last: God was about to change the course of history by coming into the world. After her meeting alone with Gabriel, Mary was uncertain and perhaps wondered whether she had dreamed it all. But now, within a faith-community, Mary knew: “This is of God!” Praise filled her soul.
In this, I want to make a point that has been central to my own walk with God. We sometimes meet God in very personal and individual moments – but, even when we do, we still often need affirmation from God’s people. I find that confidence in my own experience with God comes as I worship with and share with my church family. So many times for me, the missing piece of a puzzle in my spiritual life comes when I worship with my church family – or when I pray with a brother or sister in Christ. I’m simply telling you: In your walk with God, you need your church and your church needs you.
Let me put it this way: You understand Jesus better when you meet together with your church community. Within your church community, the leading of God you’ve sensed in your personal life will often be confirmed. Mary wasn’t sure about her experience and had little joy in it -- until another believer confirmed what God had said. Alone, Mary was faithful and obedient even in her uncertainty! What a testimony! But, in community, she was filled with confidence and the joy of the Lord.
Once released, Mary’s joy could not be contained. She had to sing. Her lyrics are found in 1:46-55.
What Mary Sang – A little bit about her and a lot about God
All generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things… (1:48b-49a)
When I read this account from Luke, I envision Mary breaking out into song spontaneously right there in Elizabeth’s house. It’s a remarkable song speaking both of her personal encounter with God and of what she knew about God. It’s not like many of our Christmas carols, which are sometimes sentimental and lacking in substance. This one is rooted in Old Testament texts and filled with a rather profound understanding of what God is like. And remember – a young teenage girl did it. What did she sing?
About Her (1:46-49) “I’m a blessed recipient of mercy.”
1:46-49 is a song of soul thrilled by God. It’s the spontaneous response of a young woman overwhelmed by something more wonder-filled than any human being could ever imagine. In her culture, she would have had little status. She was a young woman, had no education, came from a poor home in a remote town. In spite of that, she had just discovered that the God who made heaven and earth knew her personally. She had just learned that the eternal God cares about and blesses people whom the rest of the world view as being on the bottom of the “most admired” list. So, learning this, Mary sings that standing with God is not a matter of the position held, family born in, or size of bank account. And it’s still true! As Mary says in v.50, “God’s mercy is for all who fear him from generation to generation.”
She sang, “From now on, all generations of believers will call me blessed.” Do you call Mary blessed? Sometimes we’re afraid to speak much about Mary in non-Catholic churches. Maybe she should have added, “All except, of course, for a few evangelicals in North America!” So, let’s accept this fact today: God blessed Mary. No one has ever before or since been blessed in the way she was blessed. Mary carried the incarnate Son of God in her womb. Amazing.
But, for my many friends who have venerated Mary into something she never claimed to be, you must see that she saw her own need of a savior at the very opening of her song in v.47. She knew that she needed a savior and she knew God was doing something to save her. Hear me carefully: Yes, Mary was faithful. Yes, Mary obviously knew God’s Word well. And, yes, when God called her, she trusted him and obeyed. But, at the same time, never miss the point that Mary was keenly aware of the fact that she too was a product of God’s unfathomable mercy.
I have discovered that there's always a single question that arises in the mind of any one of us who understands how much mercy it takes for God to enter into a relationship with us: "Why me, O Lord?” I know my own sin in contrast to how perfect you are. So how is it that you, O God, would chose the likes of me?" Mary felt that question too. That was a big part of her greatness. Humility and wonder are the unmistakable marks of all of us who have stood in the presence of God long enough to realize that we deserve punishment for our sins, but instead have received mercy.
So, I think a big part of what Mary is saying in her song is this: “All that I’ve learned about God throughout my life is real! God knows and blesses people – even lowly ones like me! And, the same is true of people like you!” Find hope in that.
About God (1:50-55) God’s acts are consistent with his character.
After Mary had sung those personal things, she turned to think in a focused way about God. You dare not miss the point that Mary knew God’s Word well. The rest of her song draws together a number of Scripture texts. She doesn’t quote them word for word – but she draws them together and applies them to her situation. What she wants us to know is 1) what God is like and 2) that we can always count on God to act in ways consistent with his character. And the overarching part of God’s character she speaks of in her song is found in v.49, i.e., that God is holy. What is God’s name? His name, Mary sings, is holy.
The foundational meaning of “holy” is “different from”. Yes, God is strong (v.51)! But he uses his strength in ways that strong people in the world do not use their strength. Powerful people in the world use their power for their own advantage. Powerful people in the world ignore those who do not seem to be important. Powerful people keep trying to expand their own influence. But, God is different! God is holy!
How does the omnipotent God use his strength? Listen to Mary sing:
His mercy extends to all those who fear him, from generation to generation.
He scatters those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He brings down rulers from their thrones but lifts up the humble.
He fills the hungry with good things but sends the rich away empty…
He remembers his mercy… (from 1:50-54)
That phrase “he remembers his mercy” or “he acts in remembrance of his mercy” in v.54b is so powerful. It means that God will always act in ways consistent with who he is. God will not be conformed to the ways of people in this world. God notices and cares for those that others ignore. God blesses those who are humble before him and trust in him even if the world does not. So, if you come this morning and are in agony because you feel you have messed up – or that everything in your world is going wrong – be assured of this: God knows. God knows you. God knows you and cares for you. Humbly bring whatever is in your life to him and you will find mercy and eventually find blessing. The God of love, grace and mercy will always treat you in ways consistent with who he is. He lifts up the humble.
And, now to us: We who claim to be God’s people are to glorify him in the world in which he has put us. Throughout the entire Bible we learn that those who are the people of God are placed where we are placed in this world to act in ways consistent not with the world’s values but with God’s. We are to be holy as God is holy – that means, not being conformed to the world but conformed to the ways of Jesus. And, in her song, Mary is declaring to us that we are to show God’s mercy to the humble in exactly the same ways as God does. Does your heart say “Amen” to that? Do you believe that we are to live lives that reflect God’s ways rather than the world’s?
Let me tell you this: If our single desire here at LAC is to glorify God, and not to reflect the ways of any group in the world, that desire will guide us in bringing the gospel to our world. In fact, this desire to glorify God will guide us through countless things that divide our world. This is why we partner with Door of Hope – because even if the world does not care about homeless families, we know our Lord does and that we are going to act in keeping with his character.
This is why we partner with Living Well – because even if the world thinks unborn children are not human, we know better. God is the voice for those who have no voice in this world and we are going to act in ways consistent with our Lord. And, I am convinced that this deep desire to reflect the heart and the ways of God to our world will guide us as a church family through the issues dividing our nation too – issues like immigration, relocation of refugees, re-entry after imprisonment, and countless other issues that will continue to emerge in our world that is broken by sin.
The world’s governments have jobs to do. Nations’ leaders have to wrestle with how to political policy, with to provide safety for their people, and with countless other complex issues. We as individual Christians in the USA are to vote for the wisest leaders we can and then to pray for them as the Bible commands. Some of us will even be called to serve in our careers in the arena of public policy. But, when we have opportunity as a local church of Jesus Christ and as God’s agents of reconciliation in this world to deal with hurting people, we must “remember God’s mercy” as God remembered his mercy in v.54. That means in practice that we must “lift up the humble” as God does and we must “fill the hungry with good things” – in the name of our Lord Jesus and to his glory. People must see what God is like through us.
I think one of my biggest concerns personally is that I – and many of us here – have been blessed by God in so many ways – education, positions, possession, etc. – that we could easily become the proud that God must make low. I’m convinced that the key to this is to live lives every day that have been humbled by the cross. The greatest act of mercy God has ever shown is in sending Jesus Christ to the world to save sinners such as you and I are. Though we deserved punishment because of our sin, God did not give punishment to us, but gave us Jesus Christ instead. Jesus bore our punishment on the cross so that we might live.
I’m quite sure Mary did not fully understand what it would take for her Lord to save her (and us), i.e., that her sinless Son would have to die on a cross in her place in order for her to be saved. If she had known that, I wonder what her song would have been like. But you and I know. And, we’re now going to remember. We will remember his mercy. We will remember that just over three decades after Mary sang this song, her son Jesus would be standing at his last supper with his disciples… (This will lead us into communion.)