Prayer
Our passage has three main sections. We will have more of an overview of the first two sections before a deeper dive through the last part of our gospel.
Part 1.
V26-38 – the Announcement.
This passage was actually the first one we preached on, when All Saints was founded in December 2015… ten years end of this year, you can find that first sermon in our website, to read it looking back from almost 10 years later…
Gabriel, who had spoken to Daniel hundreds of years before, who spoke to Zechariah, 6 months before, now speaks to Mary. The Promise given to David in 2 Samuel 7:1-17, is coming true – the promised Messiah will be born, the King to be born is from the line of David and he will reign for ever…
Mary responds with trusting faith.
Part 2.
V39-45. The Visit.
Mary visits Elisabeth her cousin. Elisabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit.
This theme of the Holy Spirit Spirit is a dominant one. If we knew our OT and we were reading Luke for the very first time, this would grab our attention – because the model often in the OT is – the Holy Spirit rests on a certain person, at a certain time for a certain task. Usually it is a single person. But here there are a number of people among whom the Spirit is at work – John in the womb, Zechariah and Elisabeth, Simeon and Mary.
When Mary praises God, one of the thing she celebrates is his faithfulness – that he keeps his promises.
Promise is a strong theme in the OT – and a Promise exists of the Holy Spirit.
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” — Joel 2:28-29
Joel says: The promise of the Spirit is for everyone! Age does not matter—both young and old receive the Spirit. Gender does not matter—both men and women receive the Spirit. Social status does not matter—both free people and enslaved people receive the Spirit. Religious position does not matter—the Spirit is not only for priests or prophets but for all people. This is what the Father promises through Joel.
Now as we said, in Luke 1-2, the Spirit is powerfully present and active – it points to the coming fufilment of that promise of the Spirit. Zechariah is told that his son will be filled with the Holy Spirit. And in the power of the Spirit, he will prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. We have just read that the Holy Spirit comes upon Mary making her conceive and give birth to the Son of God.
When Mary visits Elizabeth, the child in Elizabeth’s womb leaps and Elisabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesies. When John is born, Zechariah is also filled with the Spirit and prophesies. Later in Luke 2, we read about the elderly Simeon, on whom the Spirit rests upon him and we meet Anna, an elderly widow who is a prophetess.
The prophecy of Joel comes to life in these first chapters of Luke. Both old and young receive the Spirit—elderly Zechariah, elderly Elizabeth, elderly Simeon, and elderly Anna, as well as the young Mary and even John in the womb! Both men and women receive the Spirit. The Spirit is not given only to religious leaders in Jerusalem (such as the priest Zechariah) but also to ordinary people in Nazareth. The Old Testament echoes strongly through these first chapters of Luke: the promise of the Spirit is being fulfilled!
Mary now utters a hymn of praise which we focus on for the rest of our time.
Part 3.
V46-56 – The Song.
Mary’s Song is known as the Magnificat, because of the Latin phrase which begins the song. We explore the ideas of Praise, Bible, Humility, Thankfulness and finally Revolution.
1.Praise.
It is a Song of Praise. In the gospel of Luke, the phrase ‘’praising God’’ occurs more often, than in the whole of the rest of the NT put together. As turn the pages of the Gospel we see people who have received his grace, praising him for his wonderful mighty deeds.
Luke 1 –
6 month old baby in the womb John leaps for joy, while Mary and then Zechariah praise. The angels will sing and elderly Simeon will praise, while 84 yr old Anna gives thanks.
Luke shares in chapter 5, a paralyzed man healed who praises God and the crowds join him, a couple of chapters later, Jesus after interrupting a funeral and raising a young man, the crowds praise God…
A crippled woman, cripped by a demon, is set free and praises, and a Samaritan leper, cleansed comes back from a group of 10, to praise God. Blind Bartimaeus – healed on the road to Jericho and the crowd join him in praise… and the crowds walk into Jerusalem, with palm branches, singing the praises – Hosanna.
And our gospel ends with praise. 51 While he was blessing them, Jesus left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Luke 24:51-53.
God is praised by people who had received his grace in many ways…
2. Bible
The song is almost entirely made up from OT quotations and phrases. Many of them from the Psalms. In fact some critics have said that this cannot have been spontaneous – she must have had her Hebrew Bible open before her! Yet those critics forget all pious Israelites knew the songs and psalms from the OT and much of the scripture. Mary was soaked in the Biblical word and her hymn has the clear signs of it. As JC Ryle puts it :: ‘’It is evident Mary’s memory was stored with Scripture.’’ (Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke, p.23). She was familiar with the OT and so out of that abundance of her heart ‘’her mouth spoke.’’ She expressed her feelings in biblical language.
Her example leads us into two directions. First it reminds us, to notice in many hymns and songs we sing as a church, can you see the OT and NT echoes, phrases that are quoted – maybe an interesting task would be to take a song you enjoy worshipping with and explore it biblically – the phrase, the verse, the story. But also it reminds us, to check that the songs and hymns we sing, that they do reflect the scriptures…
The second direction, is to copy Mary’s example. To seek to become every more deeply acquainted with the bible. Study it, read it, dig into it, memorize it, meditate upon until it dwells in us richly as Colossians 3:16 says. When we think of the persecuted parts of the church the question can be – what can we give to them etc, but the question should also be what can learn from them – and one thing that consistently comes across, when they are imprisoned, is the amount of scripture they have memorized and how it feeds them and helps them in prison. It makes me ask – if we were put into prison tonight how much scripture would we have in our minds and souls to lean on through those dark days.
3. Humility
In her praise she approaches God recognizing her ‘’humble state’’ – she is humble seeing herself as his servant – and therefore she sees God as her Master. She calls God ‘’the Mighty One’’ yet she knows she has nothing to fear from his power. Because he is her Saviour. These titles for God show Mary’s humble spirit – Mighty One, Saviour, Master.
Because she is humble, it is the basis of her gratitude. And this character of Mary – her example to us – comes from understanding God’s character. She knows God owes her nothing; and she owes God everything – all the good things she has received from him, are acts of grace…
Can we imitate that humility of the mother of our Lord? Again JC Ryle shares: ‘’humility is the highest grace that can adorn the Christian character.’’ (JC Ryle, Ibid, p23). Ryle reminds us that humility is within reach of every Christian. All of us are not rich or wealthy. All of us are not highly educated. All of us are not highly gifted. All of us are not priests or pastors. But all of us are children of God, and all of us can be clothed with humility.
4.Thankfulness.
My soul glorifies the Lord … for her has been mindful of …. The Mighty One has done great things for me…
Mary is full of gratitude. It stands out in the first half of her song. Can we walk in her footsteps? Gratefulness for what the Lord has done for us. We heard of David – we think of him and we think eg of Paul. In their writings we often find them blessing and praising God. 2 Sam 7:18-22 we hear of David’s gratitude expressed to God at what the Lord wants to do for him and for the nation (v1-17).
Can we get up from our beds each day and remember deeply that we have received deeply from the wells of God’s grace. That every day we have more mercies coming to us than we deserve. In this coming week, can we look around, or perhaps as we travel away on vacation, look and think on how much we have to thank God for.
I go for a walk most days – a prayer walk – and after being quiet I begin with praise – I remember the first time thinking – what shall I praise God for – but then I began to think ‘’what was good in the last 24 hours’’ and that simple question, opens the door for praise and thanks to God. Paul invites us to pray with thanksgiving – to build an Ebenezer – a monument of thanksgiving.
5.Revolution.
In the second half, we hear of the revolutions God brings.
He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
God brings a moral revolution. Christianity is about the death of pride. If we put our lives beside Christ’s it strips away our pride – something happens to us.
There is a story, of a boy and a girl at school. Both were very fond of each other. Years later, he had moved away, become a criminal, a thief and pick pocket. He had just stolen the purse from an old woman and he felt good about himself. And then he saw his old friend, the girl, coming down the street, she still had that look of purity and innocence.
Suddenly the young man saw himself for what he was …
he burned with shame …
he saw himself for who he was…
Christ enables each of us to see ourselves as we are.
It kills our pride. He brings a moral revolution.
He casts down the mighty and exalts the humble.
A social revolution God brings.
Muretus was a wandering scholar of the middle ages. He was poor. In an Italian town he became ill and was taken to a hospital for waifs and strays. The doctors were discussing his case in Latin, never dreaming he could understand. They suggested that since he was such a worthless wanderer they might use him for medical experiments. He looked up and answered them in their own learned tongue, ‘Call no man worthless for whom Christ died.’
Luke shows us in the gospel, that Christ has come for, live and died for the outside – the poor, the sinners, the non Jews – all those who ancient society would have looked down upon. Mary sees the revolution that comes with the Messiah.
When we realise what Christ has done for each one of us, we cannot see anyone as worthless for whom Christ died.
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
This is an economic revolution. As we will see Luke focuses a lot on wealth and riches and having the correct attitude towards them. In much of our society, it is consumer focused – out to get as much as possible. Yet a Christ centred society, remembers those who have too little, and people when they get, consider how they can give away.
Mary sees that God is going to renew everything. There is going to be a complete reversal of what people call great and what people call insignificant.
As a South African theologian wrote: ‘Without Christ, individual and social life is based on principles which are totally opposed to the right foundations for true life.’’ (J. Geldenhuys, Luke, pg87
Conclusion.
We have explore Mary’s Song. Praise, bible, Humility, Thankfulness and Revolution we see within her words expressed in Elisabeth’s home.
Mary in her song, sings gloriously of God’s perfections.
His divine power – v49 and 51.
His holiness – v49
His mercy – v50.
And his faithfulness – v54 and 55.
As she knows and sees him fulfilling his promises concerning the Messiah King and Redeemer, she sees all these characteristics revealed.
The incarnation reveals Gods power, his holiness, his mercy and his faithfulness.
And that is why she sings…
Silence…
Reflect on what has been shared and re-read the Magnificat:
Mary’s Song
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.” Luke 1:46-55
