December 13, 2020
And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…
- Luke 1:46-47
Advent Lighting – Light three candles: hope, peace, and joy.
On this, the third Sunday in advent, we celebrate the joy that is the gift of Christmas. We exclaim with great joy the Savior who is come of Mary and who will reign with peace and justice.
Mary’s Magnificat has long been seen as Mary’s joyful acceptance of God’s will for her life. But to magnify (where we get the word Magnificat) means to make something bigger to our eyes. So like a telescope or binoculars might magnify an object that is far away, it doesn’t mean the object is actually bigger, it just allows us to see it more clearly. Mary’s joy in knowing the good news of the babe she carried was seeing God’s plan more clearly, and knowing her God more clearly.
Mary could have magnified her fear of a thousand or more different questions, but instead, she chose to reflect the joy of what she knew to be true. She possibly thought - My God is good. He is kind. He is faithful to His promises. He is answering the prayers of His people. God is merciful. How do I respond when I receive unexpected news? What do I magnify? My circumstances, anxieties and questions – or the Lord? “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary didn’t simply accept God’s will with a sense of dutiful determination. “Well, if someone has to bear the Messiah, it might as well be me.” She was overjoyed that God had called her to this unique role in salvation history. But her joy was rooted not so much in her favored status as in God Himself. “My spirit rejoices in GOD my Savior.”
How often our joy springs from position, or the way God seems to be using us. When either of those change, so does our attitude. Mary’s joy was secure, grounded in the never changing faithful love of her God and Savior. “For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” Mary had an exalted view of God, not herself. Her response is an example for us because she didn’t consider herself special, unique, or in any way worthy of the honor that God had bestowed on her. She didn’t think, “I must be some kind of woman for God to trust me with this assignment!” No, she understood that God using her was due to His mercy, not her competence.
I pray that our joy would be found in the truth of our relationship with God, knowing that God is working in us today, as he did in Mary and so many more in ages past. May we find joy in serving God’s good, pleasing, merciful will.
Grace & Peace,
Sam