Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon – Luke 1:46-55 Mary's Song
December 26, 2021
This is the First Sunday of Christmas. Zechariah and Elizabeth are still celebrating the birth of the child that they had prayed for, for so long. And the birth of Mary's son was celebrated just yesterday, on Christmas.
As Mary pondered about what had happened to her, the visit of the angel, the conversation with cousin Elizabeth, and her nine months of carrying God's son, the visit of shepherds and the birth of her son, she has had time to reflect. And she discovered that she is a part of a plan, God's plan, which began generations before her and will continue for generations after her. As she thought about all that was happening to her she began to sing. And her song has been sung by the church ever since. We call it the Magnificat. We will get to this glorious work, but first let's pray.
God of grace, you chose the Virgin Mary, full of grace, to be the mother of our Lord and Savior. Now fill us with your grace, that with her, we may rejoice in your salvation, and in all things, embrace your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Book of Common Worship p.176)
As Mary thought about all that was happening to her she sang this song. Mary began her song by rejoicing for all that had happened to her. Let’s look closely at Mary’s song.
46 … “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
In the midst of her unplanned pregnancy, Mary experienced great joy. At a time like this she should have been experiencing fear, fear for her and her son’s future. She doesn’t know for sure what reaction her family and fiance will have when she returns from her cousin’s house, six months pregnant, and still unmarried. But she remembered from whom she received her joy. Her joy came from God Almighty. And this made all the difference.
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
So Mary, rather than fearing for her future, praised God Almighty. She realized how blessed she was to carry God’s own son. And Mary knew that the joy she was experiencing was available to all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
Mary realized that the name she was told to give her son, “Jesus”, means “God Saves”. And she knew that all who placed their faith in her son would be blessed with salvation, the forgiveness of sin and promise of eternal life. Mary then sang about the great benefit we receive from faith in our savior.
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 powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
Here, we see a great reversal. Those who hoard God’s gifts will see them be taken away. But those who are needy will be blessed. Mary knows all this because she knows what God has done in the history of her people.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
In this song Mary did what we often do whenever we face important events. At the birth of her son, Mary was thinking about generations, both the generations before that led to the birth of son and the generations after that will be affected by the birth of Jesus.
Mary remembered the birth of her ancestor Isaac who was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. He was the beginning of a promise to Abraham and Sarah that their descendants would number more than all the grains of sand on the seashore, more than all the stars in heaven. And Mary knew that her own son, Jesus would fulfill God's promise to Abraham and Sarah that their family would bless all the families of the world.
Mary also remembered the birth of Obed, whose father had married a young Moabite widow named Ruth. Obed was the grandfather of King David to whom God promised that his descendants would reign as kings forever. Mary knew that her own son was a descendant of David, and would fulfill this promise of God by reigning in the Kingdom of God for eternity.
Mary also remembered the birth of the great prophet Samuel whose mother, Hannah, had prayed for a son for so long. Hannah promised God that her son would be dedicated to God's work if she was blessed with a pregnancy. When God fulfilled his promise and gave her a son, Hannah fulfilled her promise. She dedicated her son’s life to the service of the Lord. He became the great prophet Samuel. And like Samuel, Mary's son will also become a great prophet.
Mary also thought about future generations, people who would be adopted into Abraham and Sarah's family and be participants in his covenant. She thought about generations who would live under the sovereignty of her son and who would be guided by his teaching. In other words Mary was thinking about all of us.
This Christmas we too are thinking about generations. We remember those who nurtured us in the faith. And we think about future generations whom we can influence by our words and actions now.
I can remember my grandfather. When I was little, he didn't go to church, but he drove my grandmother there every Sunday morning. One day he asked my grandmother if he could go to church with her. This surprised her, and she said “yes”. The next Sunday they went to church together for the first time. My grandfather was surprised. He had grown up in a harsh church that would rap his knuckles if he did anything wrong. But in my grandmother's Presbyterian church everyone was so friendly. He joined the church and attended worship for as long as he could until he became sick and died.
I also remember my grandmother. Her father died when she was 21 and she had to live with her brother Harry who managed a store in a coal mining town called Butte, Pennsylvania. As she was leaving her home to live with her brother, a friend gave her a beautiful print. On it was the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments. She hung this print in her bedroom and used it in her daily morning and evening prayers. When my mother was born the print went into her bedroom so my mother would be reminded of the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments every day. I found the print in my grandmother's attic one day, and told my grandmother that it was so beautiful it should be displayed. She put it up in the hallway. And a few years later she gave it to me. And this beautiful print now hangs in the pastor's office here at Presbyterian Church of Easton. It reminds me, every day, of the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments and of my grandmother who prayed for me every day.
I have no children of my own to nurture in the faith. A few years ago I would talk about faith with my young nieces and nephews. I would bring Christian Christmas presents to their houses on Christmas day. And I would invite them to come to special events at the church. But then I moved far away to attend seminary, and the churches I have served since then have been far from their homes. So I have very little influence over their faith now. I pray that somehow they will come to faith.
Now I have two wonderful stepsons and my hope is that their faith will grow. I pray for the faith of their wife and girlfriend. And I also hope to have the opportunity to nurture grandchildren in the faith someday.
I know that all of you have rich memories of faithful people in your lives. I have heard some of your stories of how you grew up in the faith and have nurtured your own children and grandchildren.
The Bible shows the importance of generations in its genealogies. The Gospel of Matthew begins with a “record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.” Matthew connects Jesus, generation by generation, to God's covenant with Abraham and Sarah. In the Gospel of Luke a genealogy of Jesus is used to set the context for his earthly ministry. This genealogy connects Jesus to Adam and Eve and the creation of the world.
As Mary thought about her history and her future she realized something vitally important. The God she worshiped was a champion of the poor, the weak and the insignificant. Here she is a poor insignificant young woman with whom God has chosen to bear a son. God could have chosen one of the King's daughters. But he didn't. He chose the lowest of people for the highest of calling. Sarah and Abraham were Bedouin herdsmen, and they were chosen to start a great nation. Ruth was an alien widow, and she was chosen to bear the grandfather of King David. Hannah was a simple farmer's wife, and she was chosen to bear the great prophet Samuel. Zechariah was a simple country priest and his wife, Elizabeth, bore a son who proclaimed the coming of a Messiah. And Mary was just a poor unmarried girl living in a tiny village in the region of Galilee during Roman occupation and she was chosen to bear the savior of the world.
God chooses the lowly for great things. And this is really good news for us at Christmas. God chooses us, not the sons and daughters of presidents and corporate leaders, but us to do extraordinary things. And what are the extraordinary things we are chosen for? We are chosen to nurture future generations in the faithfulness and love of Jesus Christ. This is your calling this Christmas. Let's pray.
Almighty God, Christ your Word became flesh and dwelt among us, born in Bethlehem. May we receive Christ into our lives and become, through him, your blessed children who walk in the light you have sent into our world. Through Christ we pray. Amen. (Feasting on the Word Worship Companion C1 p. 26.)
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