Luke 1:46-55
With the celebration of Christmas, we remember events that
took place over 2,000 years ago.
For us in the northern hemisphere, this celebration comes at
the coldest time of year, when the days are at their shortest and the nights
are at their longest. This gives a fitting picture of the world at the time.
Spiritual darkness covered the globe. Darkness had been foretold by the prophet
Isaiah. In Isaiah 9:2, it says:
The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light
will shine. (Isaiah 9:2 NLT)
Into the darkness that covered the globe, God sent a light.
This light is a light to the nations, salvation for the whole world. Isaiah
49:6 says of Him:
You will do more than restore the
people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will
bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6 NLT)
The nation of Israel has not yet been restored to God.
However, He is a light to the Gentiles, and His salvation is proclaimed to the
ends of the earth. The celebration of Christmas is evidence of how far and wide
the light is proclaimed. Darkness still covers the globe. Many do not believe
or accept the light. Of this fact, John 1:5 says:
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:5 NLT)
Many voices give testimony to this light. Isaiah gave
testimony 700 years before the introduction of the light into the world. Of the
many things he said, Isaiah 9:6 stands out.
For a child is born to us, a son is
given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah
9:6 NLT)
The Old Testament is full of voices giving testimony to this
coming light. The actual account of the coming of this light into the world is
told to us in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In these
accounts, we find the voices of Advent, the voices of those who welcomed our
Savior.
These voices are full of praise and wonder at the thing that
God has done. These voices are full of good news and rejoicing. They are voices
of amazement and thanksgiving. As we consider these voices, we too can join
them in praise and thanksgiving. Voices from over 2,000 years ago reach over
the centuries to proclaim to us good news of great joy.
Today, we will consider the voice of a young woman. Although
she has long since grown old and passed from this earth, her voice still rings
with praises for her great God and Savior.
The voice of which I speak is that of Mary, the mother of
Jesus. We find the record of her words in Luke 1:46-55.
We join the story when Mary has just been greeted by her
cousin Elizabeth. Before the events, we are considering today took place, Mary
had been visited by an angel named Gabriel. He told Mary that God had chosen
her to give birth to the Messiah, and as evidence offered the fact that
Elizabeth, who had been barren, was with child. After the angel spoke to Mary,
she traveled to see Elizabeth. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the baby in
Elizabeth’s womb leapt when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting.
Luke 1:46-47 says:
Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul
praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” (Luke 1:46-47 NLT)
Her exclamation, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord,” shows
both the depth and magnitude of her praise. Her very soul is moved by gratitude
and praise.
As she continues speaking, her pronouncements reflect why
such great praise and gratitude flow from her. She starts out with a profoundly
personal reason for her great praise. She says:
For he took notice of his lowly
servant girl, (Luke 1:48 NLT)
Mary calls herself a “lowly servant girl.” This reflects
more than humility. This statement shows her station in life. She was engaged
to a man named Joseph, a carpenter. This was no high station. She was not among
the social elite. She was not well off, nor was her husband-to-be. If the cat
litter needed to be changed, she did it. She was not above feeding the
chickens. And, if chicken were on the menu for the evening meal, she quite
possibly would have caught, killed and butchered the chicken.
I have it on good authority that Mary’s house was not
equipped with a washing machine. Laundry day quite possibly meant Mary spent
her day hand washing clothing.
In a world that has deified her and that prays to her, it is
possible to forget that she was human, a citizen of the world of her day. This
is important for us because most of us are like her. We are not superhuman,
godlike or exceptional, except to our children. Most of us have to load our own
dishwashers and microwave our own popcorn.
The Bible says:
Remember, dear brothers and
sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy
when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in
order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are
powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the
world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what
the world considers important. (1 Corinthians 1:26-28 NLT)
These verses could have Mary’s picture beside them. Even in
her lifetime, Mary did not have much of the world’s goods. Her eldest son was
crucified on a Roman cross, and she was taken in by one of His disciples. And
yet, what she said is true. She said:
For he took notice of his lowly
servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. (Luke 1:48
NLT)
From then on, all generations have called her blessed.
I recently saw a billboard that invited me to come to be a
student at a particular school and change the world. I wondered about the goal
of changing the world. It seems a bit grandiose when I have trouble changing
myself. However, consider what God can do. Consider Mary’s praise.
She said:
For the Mighty One is holy, and he
has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to
all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered
the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and
exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich
away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be
merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his
children forever. (Luke 1:49-55 NLT)
She calls God Mighty and Holy. He is the Almighty. He not
only is all-powerful, but He is also the source of all power in the Universe.
All things have their existence in and through Him. In addition to His power,
He is holy. As the Holy One, He is absolutely pure and set apart from all His
creation. He is above all things. It is this Holy and Mighty One who is acting
on our behalf. Not just ours, but your behalf. In all other aspects of your
life you may be only a number or a cog in the machine, but not to God. As Mary
says, “He has done great things for me!”
As is evident in what Mary says, God has no use for the
proud and haughty. He even brings down princes from their thrones. For Him, the
nations are but a drop in the bucket. God is a God who sees and hears. He not
only noticed Mary, but He also notices you.
One way we are assured that He notices us is in His constant
provision. Mary says, “He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the
rich away with empty hands.” The Lord provides for those whose trust is in Him.
We cannot out-give the Lord. If you are not in the habit of giving to the Lord,
this is one area where He says to test Him. Every good and perfect gift is from
the Lord. He is our provider.
The nature of this is personal. God does great things for
you and me. God provides for your every need. He is aware of your condition, be
it ever so humble. Jesus used the example of God’s care of sparrows to teach
this lesson. He said:
What is the price of two
sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground
without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all
numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock
of sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31 NLT)
You can never be unimportant because God is concerned with
and remembers you. The world offers many invitations, like the invitation I saw
to choose a school and change the world. Mary received a call from God to be
the mother of the Messiah, and God has changed the world. Jesus offers you an
invitation today to be His disciple. God has done tremendous things for you, as
He did for Mary. He has called you by name and chosen you to be His child. Will
you, like Mary, respond by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant”? If you will, your
life too will be filled with praise.