A magnificent song

In verses 51-53 we read:

“He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. “

I think Mary is showing her vast knowledge of the scriptures here . . . she is reminding herself (and us) of the many times that God has overturned the things of this world, and shown Himself to be merciful and fair.

Why would that have been important to her? Think about the time in which she and Joseph and all the others were living . . .  they lived under the rule of Rome. What a system! Rome's society was built on (and glorified) an elite, racist, oppressive world-view. It ensured that the rich would remain rich (or get more wealthy) and the poor would remain poor (or get even more destitute). The system took advantage of the worker, the peasant, the farmer, and handed that advantage to the elite. This system walked all over the handicapped, the sick, the widows, and the orphans.

And to add insult to injury, the Romans were not the only ones. The wealthy leaders of the Jewish people loved their power, too, and would tread upon anyone who wanted to change things. They had rules and regulations, and then rules about the rules; they bound everyone up in rituals and there seemed to be no way to change things.

But Mary is realizing, and speaks in her psalm, about the "new program." God is going to change things! No longer will it be the arrogant, the mighty, and the rich who win. God is a God of justice, and He is aware of those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. Those who are arrogant and believe that only they are good enough -- they've made it!

But Mary sees that their fortunes will be overturned. The ones that think they are so wonderful that they are legendary are going to be the ones whose lives will be turned upside down!
God can turn human attitudes and the rules of society upside down -- He acts with awesome power and scatters the prideful. He is going to disperse them. Dethrone them. Deprive them. Just as they sought to deprive others of things they needed.

Then, the needs of the poor, whether they are spiritual or physical, will be met (abundantly) by Him.

The young lions suffer want and hunger;    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10)

This Son that she would bear would say:


Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. (Matthew 6:31-32)

We'll finish Mary's Magnificat tomorrow!

A magnificent song (and prayer requests!)

Continuing in our study of the "Magnificat" we will look at verses 48-50 today:

“…for he has  looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.”

The next thing that Mary sings about, after noting that God was her Savior, was that He had favored her. Mary probably considered herself one of the last people that God would reach down and honor. She is a simple, unpretentious girl from a tiny, agrarian town. What in the world would God do with someone as ordinary as she?

But that's just it! God is a God of grace. His name is holy -- His whole person is holy, and infinitely above all of the humans on earth, and the creatures, too. He is incomparably greater than all.

But in spite of that, He looks graciously on us. To choose Mary was an act of grace, and God looks with mercy on those whose hearts and minds are filled with a reverent regard for Him. For those who know that it's the blessings of God that make us truly rich, His grace and mercy are jewels that we hold dear.

That brings us to this: today is our usual day for prayer requests. God is awaiting our prayers; when we trust Him to be faithful and open our hearts to Him, He will bless us. He Who is mighty will do great things for us. His grace and peace will be with us.

Is there a request that we can pray about with you?
Do you have a praise for answered prayer that you can share?

A magnificent song

This week, our verses are a passage in Luke's gospel; these verses are well known as the "Magnificat," a song that Mary sang to the Lord. Similar to the psalms that David sang when he was moved, overjoyed, or overwhelmed, Mary sang a psalm, too. We'll see that it was a song worth singing, and contains some great things for us to study!

                 “My soul glorifies the Lord
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 for he has been mindful    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—    holy is his name.  His mercy extends to those who fear him,    from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones    but has lifted up the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things    but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel,    remembering to be merciful  to Abraham and his descendants forever,    just as he promised our ancestors. (Luke 1:46-55)

Let's look at the background for these verses . . . Remember when Zechariah was in the temple? He was visited by a very special angelic visitor. He had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve in the Holy of Holies, and as he pours out the incense, Gabriel appears to him with an unexpected message. That message was that his wife, Elizabeth, who'd been barren for many years, would bear a son!

Elizabeth must have been surprised, as well as being overjoyed, simply because it wasn't the norm to be pregnant at her age. But she wasn't the only one to be surprised. Her cousin, Mary, a mere youngster compared to her, was going to receive some pretty shocking news, too.

Last week we studied Gabriel's visit to Mary, and how he told her that she was highly favored: she was going to bear a son who would be called "Y'shua" (Jesus) and that He would possess the throne of David; He would reign forever, in an eternal kingdom. Good news!

She will be pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Hmmmm . . . there's a slight problem, no? Like we said last week, she was engaged to be the wife of Joseph soon. She hadn't been sinning with him, nor with anyone else, so if she turns up pregnant, it doesn't "look good." Imagine again how you might react . . . "Um, kinda inconvenient . . . we don't have good insurance." (Grin) Seriously, though, she might have wondered if Joseph and the rest of the community might be picking up stones and preparing to use them.

Mary's response is this: worship. She is a truly remarkable young woman, for she understands that God is about to change the course of history. And after traveling (the scholars tell us) about four days to reach her cousin's house, she bursts out in praise, in the psalm above. Is she full of doubt? Nope. Is she anxious? No way. Deep in her inmost being, in her soul, she wants to magnify the Lord.

One of the commentaries I used said that the word "magnify" had more meaning that what we might think today. When she says it, she is saying that the Lord is getting larger in her understanding. As she ponders it, and as she thought about it, walking to Elizabeth's house, God seemed to be getting bigger and better!

The verses say that she was more than joyful, more than happy -- she was overjoyed. The emotions within her were so intense that it was almost unspeakable. But lucky for us, the Spirit helped her, and she poured out her joy in this psalm. What was she most joyful about? She tells us first that she is rejoicing because God is her Savior. She, too, is a sinner that needed God's intervention, just as we do.

So, Mary is surprised by her heavenly visitor. And she is surprised by his message, as well. It is a surprising one: God has chosen two obscure women, one old and one young, a virgin. He has tapped them to bear two amazing people into this world: John the Baptist, and Jesus the Christ.

We'll study the Magnificat, Mary's psalm of praise, in more detail this week.

Friday slowdown

This week we have studied God's choice of Mary to bear the Son of God, Jesus. I found this song and thought it was particularly moving; it certainly captures some of the things that Mary must have "pondered" in her heart:

Mary - chosen to raise God's Son

We've seen that Mary was highly favored because God saw in her the right attitude, the perspective of a servant of the Most High. And that she believed nothing was impossible with Him. She also protected this Child with all her might. We'll see today one more reason why she found favor with Him; one more piece of the puzzle -- why He chose her to raise His Son.

The Father knew Mary; He knows us all. He saw in her the love and devotion needed to raise His Son. Mary's love for Jesus began before He was born, and it lasted beyond the cross. The first time we meet Mary, she's a teenage girl in the tiny town of Nazareth. The last time that we see her she is an older woman; perhaps her hair is a little bit grey. Where do we see her this last time? At the cross? Where Jesus looked down and told John to care for Mary as if she were his own mother? No, that's not it.

The last time we see Mary is in the book of Acts:

                 They all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women
                  and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers . . . (Acts 1:14)

It's thirty years since we first met her, and she is still focused on Jesus; He is the center of her attention. Her love and devotion for Jesus is without question. And just in case we are thinking to ourselves that it must have been so easy to love Him . . . yes, it was. But it didn't make her road an easy one to travel.

Remember in the temple? When Joseph and Mary presented Jesus at the temple, when He was one month old -- remember Simeon? The old man who had prayed and hoped for the Messiah for so many years, was very truthful in what he told the young mother:

                  This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in 
                  Israel....and a sword will pierce your own soul....(Luke 2:33,34)

Oh, how many times her soul was pierced because of her love for Jesus! Just think how she must have felt -- how frightened she must have been when they fled to Egypt, when Herod the King was seeking Him. He wanted to kill Him, and many wee babes died because of his hunger for power.

When He was twelve, she was frightened again when she and Joseph rushed everywhere searching for Him, and then retraced their steps to the temple. For three days they were not sure if He were alive or dead; then when they found Him in the temple, He said to her, "Mother, I must be about my father's business." (That must have hurt.)

In Mark's gospel, we read of another time she must have been hurt. The leaders in Jerusalem were saying that Jesus, her son, was a fanatic; these respected men said He was a lunatic -- demon possessed. Oh, to have to hear things like that about her child. (That hurt, too.)

In John's gospel, chapter seven, we're told that Jesus' own brothers and sisters rejected Him; they didn't want to have anything to do with Him. They didn't believe what their older brother was telling them. (Imagine what the dinner conversation was like at that family table.) That must have pierced her soul, too.

Every time she saw a lamb being led to the temple for sacrifice, and every time she heard Isaiah's prophecies read, her soul was crushed.
Then on that dark day, her Jesus, the baby that she'd given birth to in Bethlehem, was nailed to the cross. As she had watched, they had beaten Him, mocked Him, and now they were killing Him. Surely Mary's soul was hurting so badly . . .

But her love and devotion to Him was never sidetracked, never blocked. She was unwavering in her love for Him. Even at the cross, when the disciples (except for John) had fled, Mary was still there.
Whether it's the children we bear as mothers, or the believers that we witness to and bring to the Lord, loving people may not always be easy. We may have our soul pierced at times; it may be because of the things that happen to them, or it may be the things that they do. But our love needs to be unwavering, and constant. We need to learn from Mary: to have the proper outlook, and to know that we are servants of the most High. To remember that nothing is impossible with Him. To have a solid foundation by studying His Word. And to protect and love those who are entrusted to our care.

Mary found favor with God by doing these things, and by living this way. May we, too, delight the Lord by striving to do as Mary did.

Mary - chosen to raise God's Son

Last time we studied how God looked with favor on Mary because she had the right priorities - she knew that she was a servant of the Almighty, and that nothing was impossible with God.

Another reason that God looked on Mary with favor was that she had a very solid foundation. There is only one true foundation for us, just as there was for Mary: it is God and His Word.

                  Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? As for 
                   everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into
                   practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man 
                   building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on 
                   rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could 
                   not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my
                   words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built
                   a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the 
                   torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was com-
                   plete. (Luke 6:46-49)

Here is how we know that Mary had a solid foundation: look back at chapter 1 of Luke, where Mary sings her song. From those nine verses, we can see that she was grounded solidly in God and in His word. There are at least thirty different phrases or words that are truths straight from what we call the Old Testament!

                  And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices
                  in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of
                  his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for
                  the Mighty One has done great things for me -- holy is His name.
                  His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to gen-
                  eration. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has 
                  scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has 
                  brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the 
                  humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent
                  the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remem-
                  bering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,
                  just as He promised our ancestors. (Luke 1: 46-55)

Nowadays we might say that Mary "knew the word." She was also someone who was not ashamed of praising her God. She recognized that God is The Mighty One, and that He is holy; His mercy reaches out to those who fear Him, and He fills the hungry with good things.

Mary certainly had a solid foundation. She is an example to all Christians today; for we all have opportunities to influence others for good. It doesn't have to be a child or grandchild; it can be a child in your neighborhood, or at a local church. If we praise God enthusiastically, we plant seeds that will make a difference someday in that child's life. King David knew this, and he wrote plain instructions in Psalm 78, verses 1 through 8.

Go ahead.
Turn over there and read that, OK?
We'll wait till you get back.


Ready? Did you notice what David said to do? And why it was important?
Well, it's still important today! Do we hide His word in our hearts? Do we praise Him with enthusiasm? Are our homes built on a solid foundation?

God also chose Mary because He knew her -- He knew her inmost heart. He knew that she would be unrelenting in her protection of His Son. From the very moment that Jesus was born, His life was in danger. Herod was seeking the life of the wee babe, forcing Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to flee into Egypt. Mary protected Jesus from Herod and from many other things that would hurt Him.

We can see that Mary also protected Jesus' identity. Even though Mary knew Who Jesus was, and Who He would become, she didn't go around "spilling the beans" and telling everyone all of the wonderful things she knew about her baby boy. Remember what it says in Luke chapter 2?  He writes down the fact that the shepherds told what they had heard and seen. (And they had seen a lot! What would you think if you were out in the yard (pasture) and saw angels and heard them singing?) Then Luke says, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."  The words used there are really important . . .  what we read as "treasured" means "to preserve a thing from perishing or being lost, to keep within one's self, keep in mind lest a thing be forgotten."  And the word we read as "pondered" means "to throw together, bring together in one's mind, to confer with one's self."

So, Mary hid what she knew about Jesus in her heart and protected it. She wanted to preserve these things. And she set them side by side in her mind so that she could compare them and "talk" with herself about them.
There were a great many people who were given brief glimpses of the wonder of the Christ child, like the shepherds, and Anna, whom we studied earlier. But Mary gathered up all these brief shinings of the Light and kept her thoughts to herself. If she had not, Jesus' life could have been in danger a long time before He began His earthly ministry. So she was unrelenting in her protection of Jesus from danger.

Even if we are not mothers, or grandmoms, there are people in our lives that need our protection. Remember when we talked about the "hedge" of protection, the prayers that we pray? This is how we can protect those who need our love and attention. We might not need to guide their hands away from the hot burner on the stove, or tell them not to talk to strangers. But in a very real sense, we need to surround those we love with that wall of prayer, against the wiles of the devil. We can be unrelenting in our protection of our special people, just as Mary was unrelenting in her love and protection of Jesus. Yet another reason why she found favor with the Father.

Tomorrow we'll finish up our study of why God chose her to raise His Son.

What are we listening to today?

Who watches you?

Who looks at how you live your life? Who notices when you tackle a problem and hit a wall? Who sees you on the mountaintop when all is going well?

All of us have someone who is influenced by how we live our lives each day.

This has been true for many years:

                   Live such good lives among the unbelievers that, though they
                   accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and
                   glorify God on the day He visits us. (I Peter 2:12)

We are all living among unbelievers. Whether a family member, a neighbor, a school acquaintance, or just a passing stranger in the grocery store, we can influence others for Christ.

Overwhelming?

Ah, but we have help!

                   ..... I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my
                   help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and
                   earth.....   (Psalm 121:1-2)

Not only that, but our music can uplift and encourage us, too! Ephesians 5 tells us that we should live as the children of light, and one thing that Paul mentions is speaking to one another with hymns and songs, and making music to our Lord (both aloud, and in our hearts!). In the sixteenth chapter of Acts, Paul and Silas were singing to encourage each other, and to influence the prisoners and guards around them. Surely these are good examples for us to follow!

Let's let music be an important part of our lives.

This song has been a blessing to me recently: https://youtu.be/qOkImV2cJDg 

What are you listening to, today?