December 22, 2012

Luke 1:39-56

 

"In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit  and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

 

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

 

            The Magnificat or the Song of Mary is a wonderful song of praise which Mary lifted to God as she realized the significance of what God was doing in her life.  Out of all of the people God could have chosen for this special role, God chose her, a young maiden barely past puberty; most likely from a poor and humble family which had no religious or political standing whatsoever. Surely, she was one who was blessed by God.  As that reality began to dawn upon Mary, she lifted her voice in joyful song, magnifying and rejoicing in all that God had done for her. 

            As our celebration of Christ's birth nears, there are still many things we have to do before our celebration can begin.  With that being the case, perhaps we would be wise to take a break from the chaos and confusion of our Christmas clamor and reflect on the many ways that God in Jesus Christ has blessed our lives, that we, too, will magnify the Lord and rejoice in our Savior.

 

Prayer:

            Loving God, you have blessed our lives in so many ways that we cannot begin to thank you enough.  During the busyness of these final days before Christmas, give us the wisdom to pause long enough to remember what it is that we celebrate, that we may rejoice and lift up our own songs of praise to you.  Amen.