A SONG IN OUR HEARTS
Luke 1:39 to 55
[46] And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
[47] And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
[48] For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
[49] For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
[50] And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
[51] He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
[52] He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
[53] He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
[54] He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
[55] As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
The key word to the celebration of Christmas is joy. The world sings about it in song after song. In the super market, in the bank, and on the radio we are bombarded with songs that wish us a happy holiday or a white Christmas. Behind these superficial wishes lies a deeper wish, namely, that people would learn to get along with each other. Yet if our joy is not founded in the birth of the holy Son of God come to earth to redeem us from our sins, no amount of singing, or getting and spending for that matter, is going to help; and the same old greed and selfishness will keep right on.
Our text for this morning is about a beautiful Christmas song that has touched the hearts of believers ever since it was first sung. It is called the Song of Mary, or in Latin, the Magnificat. When Mary first found herself “with child” by the Holy Spirit, she might easily have been embarrassed to go out just because of what other people might think. Instead, she was so happy, that she wanted to share her joy with her dearest friends, Elizabeth and Zacharias, who lived up in the hill country around Jerusalem. It was a long trip there but she was so happy that the miles seemed to disappear. When she finally arrived, eager to share this good news, she learned that Elizabeth already knew about it. The Holy Spirit, through a special revelation, had already prepared Elizabeth for this meeting by telling her that the child Mary was carrying was the Son of God, the promised Messiah.
When Elizabeth first caught sight of Mary, she was so humbled by the fact that her dear cousin was going to give birth to the Savior of the world that she cried out, “whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” “Oh Mary, how blessed you are! Be assured. God is going to do everything that the angel said.” Elizabeth’s Spirit-inspired words so strengthened Mary’s faith that she sang. Her heart was overcharged with joy to the point that she sang one of the most beautiful songs in Scripture, a song that our children repeat to us on Christmas Eve and has become a part of the Matin service in our hymnals.
Listen to her words,” My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Mary’s attention was not focused on herself. She did not sing to Elizabeth, “Look at me and the wonderful person I am.” Her heart was focused on the unbelievable goodness of a God who chose her to give birth to His only-begotten Son.
In spite of the fact that she was poor and had no social standing, the Lord showed her favor; or perhaps better, because of the fact that she was poor and had no social standing, the Lord chose her. God is no respecter of persons. It is not the proud and mighty but the humble and lowly that the Lord chooses to show forth His glory. We see this repeatedly throughout the Bible. Think of Moses in the Old Testament. It was only after he had been humbled by 40 years of tending sheep, that God gave him the honor of leading His people. Think of the Apostle Paul. It was only after he had been brought to his knees for his vicious persecution of Christians, that God gave penitent Paul the honor of being an apostle.
It is the same way with you and me. We will never be ready to join Mary in her Advent Song until we, as she did, look to the promised baby as our Savior from sin. The world doesn’t know anything about our joy. They sing a lot, but there is no heart in it. You see, it is quite impossible to sing with heartfelt joy about Christ, the Savior, until we realize that we are sinners and need one.
It may seem incongruous to talk about sin in this joyous advent season, but if God had not sent His Son, you and I would still be under the curse of sin and would have no hope of heaven. We need the sobering reminder that we are still sinners. In pride and self-will, we tend to forget God in our lives and to depend solely on our own desires and plans for what we are going to eat or how we are going to celebrate or the gifts that we are going to give. Excitement and parties can easily rule the day so that we forget the real source of our joy. Only redeemed sinners can approach the event in the manger with joy in their hearts and a song on their lips.
Listen to Mary sing, “For he that is mighty hath done to me great things.” What are those great things? “He has shown mercy on them that fear Him from the first generation to our generation to the end of time. He has put down those who trust their own wisdom, the mighty, the proud, and the rich. He has shown His mercy to the lowly and the hungry and the poor.” Listen to how Jesus explains this in the Sermon on the Mount! “Blessed, the poor in spirit, for theirs’ is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed, they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed, the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed, they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:3-5. You see, the lowly and the hungry that Mary is singing about are believers, you and I, people who are painfully aware of their sins and hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Mary knew her Bible. She must have loved the stories of the Old Testament women of faith like Sarah, and Deborah, and Ruth and especially Hannah. Hannah was a pious Old Testament figure who desperately wanted a baby but was unable to conceive. Finally, one day in the temple, she promised God that if He would give her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord. In response to her prayer, God gave her that son, Samuel, and she, in return, brought him to live in the temple. She came with a song in her heart, a wonderful song that matches the Magnificat. Let me quote a few lines to you. She sang, “Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth.” 1 Samuel 2:3 And again: “The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.” 1 Samuel 2:4 Finally, “He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.” 1 Samuel l2:9 Whether we speak of Hannah or of Mary, or of any child of God, the one thing that stands out is humble faith in a God who is merciful to the poor and lowly.
Just as God did great things for them, so He does great things for us. Think of the great things this promised babe went on to do for you and me. He lived a holy life in our place. He bore in His body the punishment that we deserve and He continues to keep us in His mercy. “It is of the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed.” Lamentations 3:22. His mercy blesses our work and protects us against the temptations of the world. His mercy raises us from the sick bed. His mercy gives us peace of heart and strength in every adversity. One time in Old Testament history, when a handful of believers returned to Jerusalem from bondage in Babylonia, they were so happy to be home again that they sang this wonderful song, “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.” Psalm 126:2. To which the Psalmist added, “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” Psalm 126:3. The great things that God does for you and me by forgiving our sins, by healing us when we hurt, by comforting us when we sorrow, and by leading us when we stumble, these great things can have no other affect but to put joy in our hearts and a song on our lips.
This sermon was preached by Pastor Robert Dommer on December 9, 2007.