THINK TOGETHER
Have you ever just felt like singing? When?
READ TOGETHER
When Mary heard from the angel that she would be the mother of Jesus she had questions – “How can his be?” she asked.
And then Mary went to see her cousin Elizabeth who was also going to have a baby, John the Baptist. And when Elizabeth say Mary she called her “blessed among women.” And in that moment Mary knew that the baby she was going to have was God’s hero sent to save the world. And she just couldn’t keep herself from singing. And this was her song:
Luke 1:46-55.
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
This song of Mary is often called the Magnificat. That’s a fancy Latin word that means “my soul magnifies.” Notice in her song that Mary doesn’t talk about herself a lot. She sings about God. She sings about how loving and powerful God is. She also sings about her need, and everyone’s need for a savior – and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
And here’s the good news that Mary understands:
God is powerful (“he who is mighty has done great things for me”) so he can save us from sin.
God is holy (“and holy is his name”) so he must save us from sin.
And God is merciful (“And his mercy is for those who fear him”) so he wants to save us from sin.
And that’s why God sent Jesus to be born for us. God’s power allowed him to become a man, his holiness required him to become a man, and his love for us no matter what compelled him to become a man. The man Jesus. The baby Jesus born of Mary so that we too might be saved by God just like Mary was.
And now, just like Mary, we can love and trust God enough to sing songs of praise and glory to God for he has done great things! The greatest thing being Jesus and his death and resurrection to take away our sins and exalt all who will be humble and receive his grace.
Because of Jesus we can be saved and exalted by God when we humbly receive him.
With Jesus we can magnify the Lord just like Mary did.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Listen to this song about Mary’s Magnificat together.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus,
You are my hero. You humbled yourself and received us so I can be humble and receive you. Praise be to God!
Amen.
***
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