Worship
Christmastime can be challenging for our mental and emotional health. In “Worship,” Pastor Dave Gustavsen uses Mary’s song to show us how and why we should worship. Encouraged by Elizabeth, Mary moves from quiet obedience to joyful worship, showing the power of worship in community. Her song celebrates a God who lifts the humble and brings down the proud. This Christmas, we're invited to stop magnifying ourselves and instead magnify the Lord—discovering the healing that worship brings.
Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group.
Small Group Guide
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It can also be the most stressful time, when many of us struggle to maintain our mental health. Whether it’s financial anxiety, family tension, or the sadness that comes with shortened days and cold weather, the Christmas season can be hard. But what if this year were different? This Advent, join us at The Chapel as we explore three anchoring truths for a mentally healthy Christmas: hope that lights up the future, worship that quiets the noise, and contentment that rises above disappointment.
Luke 1:39-56 (NIV)
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
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.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
ESVSB
The baby leaped could be seen as the prophetic first instance of John preparing the way for Jesus (see Luke 1:17, 76). John’s prophetic role is evidenced even as an unborn child in the womb. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, explains the baby’s leaping (vv. 42–45).
Mary’s song of praise in these verses traditionally has been called the “Magnificat,” a title derived from the opening word (magnificat, magnifies) in the Latin Vulgate translation.
The Magnificat is the first of three hymns in Luke 1–2, the other two being the “Benedictus” (1:68–79) and the “Nunc Dimittis” (2:29–32).
Mary’s hymn of praise (the Magnificat) follows the common form of Psalms of Thanksgiving, which begin by thanking God and then telling why one is thankful.
has scattered . . . has brought. Luke’s use of the aorist tense expresses Mary’s certainty of what God will do.
EBC
43 Nowhere in the NT is Mary called "Mother of God." Deity is not confined to the person of Jesus (we may say, "Jesus is God," but not [all of ] "God is Jesus"). She was, however, the mother of Jesus the Messiah and Lord.
This song, commonly known as the Magnificat, has several striking features. First, it is saturated with OT concepts and phrases. Plummer (pp. 30-31) cites twelve different OT passages it reflects line by line, in addition to Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, on which the song seems to have been modeled.
Second, assuming that the song is correctly attributed to Mary (see below), it shows her deep piety and knowledge of Scripture. Such familiarity with the OT was not at that time so unusual for a pious Jewess like Mary as to bar her from consideration as its author. Moreover, it reflects qualities suitable to the mother of the Lord.
Third, though it reveals a God who vindicates the downtrodden and ministers to the hungry (cf. 1Sam 2:1-10), it also strikes a revolutionary note. If Hannah spoke of the poor being raised to sit with nobles (1Sam 2:8), Mary sees the nobles toppled from their places of power (Luke 1:52).
Piper Message
Mary approaches, carrying the Son of God in her womb, and little John gives Elizabeth a good kick in the diaphragm. Then Luke says that Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and cries out: "Mary, my child is leaping for joy. The Holy Spirit has helped him before he can even speak to bear witness to the Lord in your womb."
That's all the confirmation Mary needs. She sees clearly a most remarkable thing about God: He is about to change the course of all human history; the most important three decades in all of time are about to begin. And where is God? Occupying himself with two obscure, humble women—one old and barren, one young and virginal. And Mary is so moved by this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks out in song—a song that has come to be known as the Magnificat.
The only people whose soul can truly magnify the Lord are people like Elizabeth and Mary—people who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the condescension of the magnificent God.
I see three distinct sections in the Magnificat. First, there is Mary's expression of what she feels in her heart (verses 46 and 47), namely, joy. Second, she mentions what God has done specifically for her as an individual (verses 48 and 49): regarded her lowliness, did great things for her, and thus gave her an enduring reputation for blessedness. Third, she spends most of the time describing the way God is in general. This general character of God accounts for why he has treated her the way he has in her lowliness and thus leads her to rejoice and magnify the Lord. We'll look at these three sections in reverse order.
In the second half of verse 49 Mary makes the general statement that God's name is holy. That is, God's nature, his essence is holiness. He is completely free from sin, and his ways are not our ways. He is separate from and exalted above the creature. All his attributes are perfect, and they all cohere in a perfect harmony called holiness. But what Mary stresses is the way this holiness expresses itself. And her words are a warning to Theophilus and to us not to make the common mistake that because God is great, he is partial to great men, or because God is exalted, he favors what is exalted among men. Just the opposite is the case. God's holiness has expressed itself and will express itself by exalting the lowly and abasing the haughty.
What fills Mary's heart with joy is that God loves to undertake for the underdog who calls on his mercy. She mentions this three times: verse 50, "He has mercy on those who fear him"; verse 52, "He has exalted those of low degree"; verse 53, "He has filled the hungry with good things." That's one side of God's holiness. The other side is that God opposes and abases the haughty. Mary mentions this three times also: verse 51, "He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts"; verse 52, "He has put down the mighty from their thrones"; verse 53, "The rich he has sent away empty."
Does this not commend itself as true, that the great and holy God should magnify his greatness by blessing the lowly who admire his greatness and by abasing the haughty who resent his greatness?
He condescends to Mary's lowliness and does a great thing for her: he makes her the mother of God! It is such a singular and unimaginable blessing that all generations from that time on have acknowledged Mary's blessedness.
This is probably the place for a warning against an undue exaltation of Mary as morally unique. She is unique. No one else bore the Son of God. But the Roman Catholic doctrines of her sinless life, her perpetual virginity, her bodily assumption into heaven have no warrant in the New Testament. In fact, there is an implicit warning against excessive veneration of Mary in Luke 11:27–28. Luke tells us that once after Jesus had spoken "a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked!' But he said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.'" At another time (recorded in Luke 8:19–21), "His mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. And he was told, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.' But he said to them, 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."' Jesus was fairly blunt in both of these instances, and there surely is no indication that Mary should be venerated in a moral class by herself.
Keller Message
Keller starts reading in verse 39.
This is the first Christmas carol! And the best.
What Led Her to Sing. The story—starting in verse 39. When the angel first announced this whole deal to her, she said, “Behold, I am the Lord’s servant. May it be unto me as you have said.” She courageously submits—but there’s no joy/release. A “semi-comprehending surrender.” Sometimes that’s the best you can do. Gabriel tells her, basically, to go see Elizabeth—her too-old-to-bear-children cousin.
As soon as she comes in, Elizabeth is filled with the HS—tremendous powers of perception/insight. What Elizabeth says strikes Mary. Mary was a nobody socially—she and Joseph later offer 2 pigeons—this is the offering prescribed for the poorest of the poor. But Elizabeth shows her an honor that she’s not used to. And the way Elizabeth talks about God is amazing—“the Lord” sent the baby, and “the Lord” is the baby! It’s Trinitarian!
When all this happens, something clicks for Mary. This pulls together what Mary has been pondering. She sees it—she gets it. Clarity; joy; release!
(Side Point: Mary doesn’t really see/understand/break into joy…until she gets into fellowship with another sister! We find God mainly in community. Even Gabriel hints at this! So often, the missing piece is provided in a group setting. CS Lewis in “The Four Loves.”)
What She Sings about a Little. Herself. If you’re a protestant, you need to be corrected in a way. We don’t give Mary the honor she deserves. All generations will call me blessed! Pretty strong! But if you’re a Catholic, you need to be corrected also! “My Savior” She’s not perfect! Perfect people don’t need a Savior! Talks about her spirit and her soul—two ways to refer to the same, immaterial part of us. Not, “I’ve taken up a new code of ethics.” But, “I’ve been taken up! I’ve been shaken to the core by this Savior!”
What She Sings About A Lot. God. This is the most un-sentimental Christmas carol you’ll ever hear. End of Luke 11—“Blessed is womb/breasts”—Jesus, “No, rather, blessed is the one who hears/does…”
What Mary is saying, “God’s grace has come to earth—the winds are blowing. But the same wind that can whisk you to your destination can knock your boat over/drown you.” If you meet God’s grace with humility, you’ll have mercy. Gospel: God doesn’t show his favor to the good and scatter the bad! He shows his favor to those who KNOW they’re bad! He gathers those who are scattered, and scatters those who think they have it all together!
There will be a psychological revolution (above); and there is also a sociological revolution. The gospel of grace always lifts up the poor—tells them, “It doesn’t matter what your pedigree is.” Society says, “It’s the educated and well-connected and rich that have it made, and if you’re a prostitute or a pimp you lose. The gospel says that if a prostitute or pimp comes and humbles themselves before the Savior, they become a child of the most high God.
The Gospel not only shows the poor that they’re no worse than anyone; it shows the middle- and upper-class that they’re no better than anyone.
The Gospel lifts up the poor—it always has. The poor hear the gospel before the middle class do.
The wind of God’s grace is blowing—and it depends on you whether it will carry you to great places, or crash you on the rocks.
The promise made to Abraham was 2,000 years old, and it was being fulfilled. And now Jesus has promised to come back and put everything right, and that promise is 2,000 years old. Don’t doubt it. You can decide today. Admit that you—like Mary—are at the bottom, and he will lift you up. If you can admit—like Elizabeth—that this baby is your Lord, then the wind will whisk you into His arms.
Core lessons on worship from the Magnificat
Glorify God: The song begins with Mary glorifying God, recognizing that her own exaltation is due to His work, not her own merit.
Embrace humility: Mary’s song highlights God’s favor toward the humble and lowly, emphasizing that true worship comes from a place of humility rather than pride.
Acknowledge God's power and justice: The Magnificat demonstrates that God overthrows the proud and powerful, exalting the humble and filling the hungry. This teaches that worship involves aligning with God's justice and seeing the world from the perspective of the marginalized.
Attribute all blessings to God: Worship, as Mary shows, involves recognizing that every blessing and grace comes from God. This fosters a deeper sense of gratitude and allows one to find salvation and hope through God's power and mercy.
Find joy in God's promises: The song is a powerful expression of faith, trust, and joy in God's faithfulness. It encourages a hopeful perspective, even amidst uncertainty and insecurity, reminding us that God can exceed our longings.
This isn’t about Mary. Mary’s Magnificat is of course about the Lord.
#1: He is mighty and strong.
The word used for mighty means powerful, able, or strong. It implies excellence and the ability to be able to do something. In this case, speaking regarding the Lord, He can do anything– including bless a young lady’s life with the honor of carrying the Savior of the world.
#2: He is holy.
The Lord is worthy to be praised. He is exalted, perfect, and just. To revere the Lord as holy means that we recognize that there is no match to Him– no one holds the same level of majesty as He.
#3: God raises up His humble servants.
Mary. Gideon. David.
So many others we could name in the pages of Scripture– these humble, unassuming servants who were simply caught “just doing their job.” Their job of being faithful to the Lord, believing and trusting in Him.
#4: He delights in doing good things for those who love Him.
The only reason we have any idea how to give good gifts to those we love is that giving good things is part of God’s character. He is in the business of not only providing for us but providing for us well.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity. -Psalm 84:11 NASB
#5: He gives mercy to those who fear Him.
When we place our fear– our reverence of Him– in the correct place, we gain the right perspective. We seek His face and find his goodness, grace, and character. We fall more deeply in love with Him. In Psalm 40:11, David says that God’s mercy and truth continually watch over him. God sustains those who fear Him; those who love Him.
In God’s mercy, He doesn’t give us what we deserve; instead, He gives us ultimate forgiveness and so many good things. How could we not glorify God for this alone?
Perhaps Mary wanted to sing her praises to the Lord as she thought about what lay ahead in her journey of being with child– the shame that could come; the difficulties. She knew in the deepest depths of her soul that the Lord would provide incredible grace and mercy in her life.
#6: He brings down the proud and scatters them in their own thoughts.
We know that pride goes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18). It’s a path of foolishness and provides us with the opportunity to sit on our own thrones instead of revering the Mighty One on His throne.
But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. -James 4:6 NASB
Mary was in fact a humble servant, or the Lord would not have chosen her to carry the Savior of the world. Yet, in this wonderful honor, there was plenty of space for Mary to turn to pride. After all, she was carrying the Savior of the world.
Like Mary, we should be mindful to not let pride trickle in when the Lord chooses to use us. Otherwise, we’ll get lost in our thoughts, thinking only about how great, mighty, and holy we think we are. In our prideful thoughts, we lose sight of God.
#7: He helps those who are His.
The Lord never leaves or forsakes us. No matter the circumstances, the Lord promises to be with those He loves and who love Him. He sees us through.
Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. -Psalm 33:20 NASB
When we need help, do we look to ourselves, or to the Lord? He should be our primary source of support. Instead of scurrying to manipulate our circumstances, we can be like Mary and the Psalmist and recognize that we can wait upon the Lord because He indeed is our shield and helps His people.
Time Magazine: (Arianna Huffington)
Today, there are between 10,000 and 20,000 mental health apps. In the U.S. alone, there are 1.2 million mental health providers. And Mental Health Awareness Month began 75 years ago. It’s safe to say we’ve never been more aware of mental health. And yet, some fear that as awareness of mental health has gone up, the state of our mental health has gone down.
A 2023 study found that one out of every two people in the world will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime. The situation with young people is even worse. “The youth mental health crisis is very real,” Dr. Harold Koplewicz, founding President and Medical Director of the Child Mind Institute, tells me. “The most common disorders of childhood and adolescence are not infectious diseases but mental health disorders. Every 30 seconds a child or adolescent with suicidal ideation or an attempt comes to an ER.”
As psychiatrist Dr. Samantha Boardman writes: “I am not anti-therapy. I am anti-therapy culture. I believe therapy works best when it is targeted and purposeful.” She is echoed by Dr. Richard Friedman, a psychiatrist at Weill Cornell Medicine, who wrote that “excessive self-focus… can increase your anxiety, especially when it substitutes for tangible actions.” Excessive self-focus is exactly the sort of thing that can be mitigated in spiritual experiences connecting to something larger than ourselves.
From Ed Welch
“I could weep by the hour like a child, and yet I knew not what I wept for.” (Spurgeon)
“But it is not just pain. It feels like meaningless pain. ‘That is all I want in life: for this pain to seem purposeful.’
Lincoln quote—see p. 22 (excellent)
“The pain seeps into everything.”
“I fear everyone and everything.”
Numbness—absence of feeling.
“I tried to sleep but I couldn’t. Part of it was that I was scared to wake up with a feeling of panic in the pit of my stomach. Anxiety was always present, and for not good reason it just got worse. I wanted to be out of the house, but I was scared to be alone.”
Certainty is replaced by constant doubt.
Life is flat, gray and cold.
Each individual depressive experience can have more than one cause.
*You must do battle with depression’s tendencies toward passivity. Seek the Lord. He will reveal more and more of himself to those who seek Him.
“These Psalms straighten the trajectory of our lives. Using the words He gives us, God gently turns our hearts toward Him. Instead of everything bending back into ourselves, we are able to look straight, outside of ourselves, and fix our eyes on Jesus.”
Martin Luther called depression anfechtungen, which means “to be fought at.” The opposite of “something to be surrendered to”! See Psalm 42:5-6, 11.
Study of New Guinea—absence of despair/depression/suicide. Similar in Amish. Common thread—individuals are part of larger community! The solution: take the focus off individualism self by (1) Growing in your knowledge/awe of God, (2) Taking seriously His command to love others!
Our culture enthrones the self (You can do it! You’re the best!) and happiness. When we idolize those things, self will disappoint and happiness will elude you.
Ours is also a culture of entertainment and boredom. The antidote for boredom is joy—and that only comes when our hopes are fixed on something eternally wonderful and beautiful.
The culture with the most peace, money and leisure is also the one with the most malignant sadness.
I grew up in this area, and when I was a kid, lots of my friends went to a church called “Our Lady of the Magnificat.” And when I was in middle school, I played on the Our Lady of the Magnificat basketball team. But despite all that, I had no idea what “Magnificat” meant, and I’m pretty sure my friends didn’t know either.
So today, we’re all going to find out what it means. And we’re going to see that the Magnificat of Mary is actually the first Christmas carol ever sung. And probably the best one. I’ve never preached on this before, and I’ve really enjoyed spending time in it this week, and I’m excited to share it with you today.
And let me just give you some background. The angel Gabriel had come to Mary, and made this crazy announcement that even though she was a virgin, she would become the mother of the Messiah. And at the end of that announcement, Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant; may it be to me as you have said.” In other words, “I’m taking you at your word; I’m submitting to your plan.”
And obviously that was the right thing to do, and it took a lot of courage. But I would also say there was not a lot of joy or release in her response. Right? She seemed kind of stoic and submissive. And guys, sometimes that’s the best we can do—right? When God calls you to do something, and you know it’s the right thing, but He’s calling you to a hard thing. So you say, “Yes,” but it’s just out of sheer submission and obedience to God. Sometimes that’s the best you can do—and there’s nothing wrong with that. And that’s how Mary responded. “I am the Lord’s servant.”
Now: in that announcement, the angel also said to Mary, “Even your relative, Elizabeth—the one who’s too old to have a baby and everyone said she was barren—is six months pregnant!” And of course the baby in Elizabeth’s womb was John the Baptist.
So right after the angel left Mary, here’s what she did: Luke 1, verse 39. 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. So Mary walks into Elizabeth’s house, and little pre-born John the Baptist gives Elizabeth a good kick in the diaphragm (moms, you know what that’s like, right?). And then it says Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, which means that what she’s about to say is God-inspired.
And here’s what she says: 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
Now: Mary had just been visited by an angel. But I wonder if a part of her thought she had just dreamed the whole thing. Do you know what I mean? Like, “Did that really happen?” But then she comes into her cousin’s house—her cousin, who doesn’t know anything about the angels’ announcement—and Elizabeth says these strange things to her. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” So apparently, Elizabeth knows!
And there’s something Elizabeth says that I didn’t notice until this last week. In verse 45 she says, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” But then look up in verse 43—she says why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Do you see what she’s implying? In both those verses, she talks about “the Lord.” And she says the Lord is the one promising to send the baby, AND ALSO, the Lord is the baby. And you say, “Wait a minute: which is it? Is the Lord the one sending the baby or is the Lord the baby?” And the answer is…Yes.
And I never realized that Elizabeth was such a deep theologian! She’s saying God the Father is the Lord, and Jesus is the Lord; but the Father is not Jesus. So there’s a oneness but also a distinction between the two. So Elizabeth was actually getting at the mystery of the trinity. Which is pretty amazing!
And after hearing all that, Mary knows for sure that the visit from the angel was not a dream. This unbelievable intersection of the divine and human is actually happening in her womb. And in Mary’s heart, something clicks. It just snaps into focus. And for the first time, there’s this joyful release.
And she bursts out with this song—and I don’t know if she sang it or said it. And we call it The Magnificat, because the first thing she says is, “My soul glorifies, or “magnifies” the Lord…” and in the Latin, the word for glorify or magnify is “Magnificat.”
And I’m going to read the entire song, and then we’ll talk about what it means. So here is the Magnificat of Mary—starting in Luke 1:46…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,
even as he said to our fathers.”
There is a lot going on in that song. But the more I read it, the more I saw two big themes that kind of rise up. Two things we learn about this “Lord”—who is both Father in Heaven and also baby in the manger.
Here’s the first thing: God lifts up the weak. Did you hear that coming in Mary’s song? In verse 52 she says he “has lifted up the humble,” and in verse 53 she says “He has filled the hungry with good things.” So, in other words, God has a special heart for the weak, and the poor, and the hungry—He’s got a soft spot for the underdog. And he doesn’t just feel bad for them, he acts on their behalf.
And for Mary, this is very personal! Because look what she says in verse 48: For he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. See, Mary realized she was a nobody! She came from a socially low-class family. In fact, you remember—after Jesus is born—Mary and Joseph show up in the temple on the 8th day to have their baby circumcised, and the Jewish law said you had to bring a sacrifice to the temple. But there were different types of sacrifices prescribed, depending on how much money you had. And if you were really poor—the lowest level of sacrifice—was to bring two pigeons. So Mary and Joseph showed up with their new baby—and you know what they brought? Two pigeons. I mean, these were simple, poor people.
So Mary was socially poor, and she knew it.
But also, Mary knew she was spiritually poor. And let me just say this: I think we non-Catholics need to be corrected in a way. Because so often, we don’t give Mary the honor she deserves. She says in this song, “All generations will call me blessed!” That’s pretty strong! And you can’t get around the fact that she was the only one ever chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah. Incredibly unique role to play, right?
But at the same time, Catholics need to be corrected, too. Because look what Mary says in verse 47: my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Perfect people don’t need saviors! And Mary knew she needed a Savior—just like we all do. So any time we elevate Mary and treat her like she was made of different stuff than we are, we’re doing something that Mary herself would never dare to do. Does that make sense? Have I offended everyone now? Because that was my goal!
So Mary’s point is: God lifts up the lowly and the weak and the undeserving—and I am the perfect example of that!
And then nine months later, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. And everything about his birth was humble and lowly, right? In a stable, surrounded by animals, poor parents.
And then God sent a choir of angels to announce the birth to…whom? Shepherds. These are the kind of guys who, if they were here today, they would drive a beat-up pickup truck and wear torn up jeans and live on the wrong side of town. These are the kind of guys who would watch professional wrestling and believe it’s real. And probably root for the Jets. I mean, really pathetic people. And God says to the shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people… including guys like you!”
Why would God do it that way? Because He lifts up the weak—low class people like shepherds (and Jets fans). And all through his life, Jesus did the same thing with tax collectors and prostitutes and lepers. He treated them like people and he listened to them and included them in his mission. And it’s not that he loved them any more than he loved rich, successful people, but they were just usually more open to Jesus—because they knew they were needy! They knew they need help! And so Jesus lifted them up.
So here’s Mary standing in the home of her cousin, and this truth just explodes in her heart: We have a God who lifts up the weak!
Which is exactly the opposite of what the world does, right? The world ignores the weak; the world despises and laughs at the weak.
So here’s a question for you and me this Christmas: are we more like God or more like the world?
Let me challenge you to do something for the rest of 2012. You ready? This is like a last week of the year resolution. Resolve that you will open your eyes to see the people that you usually ignore or dismiss. Because they’re all around you. People who you wouldn’t notice, because they’re not particularly popular or successful or powerful or wealthy or good-looking. And normally you wouldn’t even notice they’re there.
For the rest of this year, would you pray this simple prayer: “Lord, help me to honor the people that you honor. Help me to notice them and talk to them and care about them and learn their name and realize that I’m no better than they are—in fact, they may be closer to you than I am. Lord, open my eyes.”
Would you pray that—this week? Say, “I want to walk through my day viewing people the way Jesus viewed them.” And just see what God does. See how he changes you.
So that’s the first thing: God lifts up the weak. And then the other thing I hear in Mary’s song is kind of the flip side of that—here it is: God Brings Down the Strong. So look what it says in verse 51: 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… And in verse 53: but has sent the rich away empty. The proud; the powerful; the rich…God brings them down.
And as an example of this, I want to look at the most notorious character in the whole Christmas story. You know who I’m talking about? King Herod.
Look at Matthew chapter two: 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. And here’s an artist’s rendering of King Herod. This is not a guy you wanted to mess with.
So think about this: here were these dignified visitors from another country, right? But they weren’t here to see him! They came because they heard there was a new king who’d been born, and they came to worship this new king. How do you think Herod felt about that? Disturbed! Threatened! Furious! “You come to me—to my palace—so you can get directions to find some other so-called king?” His pride was deeply wounded! Because he was so used to being the exalted one and the center of attention. And all of a sudden he wasn’t. And he hated that.
And you know what? Any time we encounter Jesus Christ—not just the innocent baby Jesus, but the full-grown, crucified and risen and alive Jesus—he challenges our pride. Doesn’t he?
Because he has the boldness to say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me.” Wow! That’s pretty offensive to our pride! He has the nerve to say, “You should follow me, and you should worship me, and you should serve me alone.” Wow—that’s pretty demanding! Jesus has the audacity to say, “You should stop building your own kingdom, and join me in building my Kingdom.”
And Herod the Great was not about to bow before Jesus!
You know the story, right? He was so threatened by the birth of Jesus that he ordered the killing of all the infants in the area, which, of course, didn’t succeed in killing Jesus. And history tells us that he continued to be paranoid and depressed, and within two or three years, he was dead. In fact, the renowned historian, Josephus, said that when Herod was about to die, he was so afraid that people wouldn’t mourn his death enough. So he commanded a large group of distinguished men to come to Jericho, and he gave an order that when he died, those men should be killed. Just to make sure there would be plenty of mourning and crying. Fortunately for those men, when Herod died, nobody carried out that command. What a pathetic ending, right?
Just like Mary sang: he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones. Jesus brings down the strong.
So Mary’s song has this double message, right? That the Lord—specifically Jesus—is going to have this radical effect on people. Because he’s going to lift up the weak, and he’s going to bring down the strong.
And listen: the reason Mary sang about that with such joy is that she knew she was weak! Let me ask you something this Christmas: Do you know you’re weak? See, this whole message—the Magnificat of Mary—is not good news at all!...unless you know you’re weak. Do you know you’re weak? I think, if we were paying attention in 2012, we should’ve realized our weakness over and over again.
We realized that a natural disaster can ruin our homes and plunge us into darkness and reduce us standing in gasoline lines for hours.
We realized that a crazed gunman can invade our schools and destroy our sense of security.
Just last week, my good friend realized that even when you’re in your early 50’s and you exercise all the time, you can find yourself on the operating table having open-heart surgery.
The truth is, we’re not nearly as strong, and nearly as in-control as we like to think. We’re weak.
And spiritually speaking, we’re all weak. See, that’s what Mary and King Herod actually had in common! They both needed a Savior to forgive them and rescue them. The difference was: Mary humbled herself and admitted her need; Herod would never humble himself. And 2,000 years later, Herod is viewed as a pathetic, tragic figure…and Mary is called blessed.
Which one are you more like? Mary, or Herod?
If you want something amazing to sing about this Christmas, follow the example of Mary. Humble yourself. Admit you’re weak. Admit you need a Savior. And bow yourself before Jesus. And he will lift you up.
And if you don’t know how to do that—if you don’t know what to say to him, let me lead us in a prayer as we close. Would you pray with me?
