A Christmas Blessing from Mary’s Song - Episode #169

The Burt (Not Ernie) Show

Mary’s song.

The Magnificat.

Luke chapter 1, verses 46-55 have this beautiful text known as The Magnificat, Mary’s song. How did this young teenage virgin respond after the visitation of an angel with the once-in-history news that she would birth the Messiah?

This is how.

(from the Amplified, Luke 1:46-55)

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has looked (with loving care) on the humble state of His maidservant; for behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed and happy and favored by God! For He who is mighty has done great things for me; and holy is His name (to be worshiped in His purity, majesty, and glory). And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who (stand in great awe of God and) fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His (powerful) arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent the rich away empty-handed. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, just as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

This is profound!

A heart long readied to serve the Lord God Almighty responds in this manner. A hard heart, and immature heart, and self-focused heart, a bitter heart, a clouded heart cannot.

Mary was ready for the task which lie ahead for her, because God had readied her.

This Christmas, can you pause and ask the Lord to show you what He has readied you for? The answer won’t be nothing, because the God we love and serve is always moving, working in and on our hearts, readying us and maturing us and sanctifying us. Take some time to slow down and listen for what He would say to you.

He has not stopped looking on us with loving care. Have we stopped rejoicing in God our Savior?

He who is mighty is still doing great things for His people. Do we revere His name as holy, to be worshiped in His purity, majesty and glory?

He is still helping those who serve Him, and is of course still helping Israel. Have we forgotten what He has remembered - which is His mercy?

Do we know what He has promised in the way that Mary knew what He had promised to Abraham and his descendants? If we forget, or simply know not, what He has promised…aren’t we likely to miss it when He keeps those promises?

And keep them He will.

Mary’s song encourages me every time I read it.

It is beautiful because her simple and complete faith and trust are laid bare for all of us to see. May our faith and our trust be as solid and immovable as hers.

And as a quick aside, I know a pastor who does not like the wisemen all huddled up next to the baby Jesus in the nativity sets we place on our mantles…why doesn’t he like that? Because it is not true to the Biblical narrative, that’s why! I’ll let you read the first couple of chapters of Luke and see for yourself. This pastor, he’s not wrong!

I have a similar pet peeve, if you will…I so much want to buy a sweatshirt that says, “Mary knew.” on it. Not because I haven’t been touched in years past by the song “Mary Did You Know?” but because based on Mary’s life as seen in the Gospels, I think she did know quite a lot…I think we can read The Magnificat and understand that not much got past her in terms of understanding who her Son was. She treasured all these things up in her heart, we read in our Bibles. And treasure is not something one forgets, tosses aside, or suddenly becomes ignorant about. Oh, Mary knew so very much. And what she did as a result of what she knew as her life took a turn that forever altered things for all of history is a challenge to us all this Christmas - what do we know, and how does that knowing change the direction of our life and hopefully the lives of others?

Merry Christmas to you, and as always, thank you so very much for listening to the show. I pray it blesses and emboldens you as you live for Jesus in a world that needs His light.

See you next time!