A Reason to Sing at Christmas

A Reason to Sing at Christmas

Luke 1:39-56

For many of us, the most enjoyable part of the Christmas Season is the carols and songs of Christmas. Last Sunday evening we enjoyed special music from many in our church family. Singing and listening to the music of Christmas always gets me into the “Christmas Spirit”.

This morning we are going to look at the first Christmas Carol. It is the song sung by Mary after her visit with her relative (no we are not told what the relationship is) Elizabeth who was already sixth months pregnant. Mary learned about Elizabeth’s startling pregnancy from the angel Gabriel.

In Luke 1:39-45 we are told what happened after Mary was told that she was to have a Virgin born child who would become the Messiah.

³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”

Most people believe that Mary went the 50-75 miles to see Elizabeth before she had even talked to Joseph. There are several reasons Mary hurried to see Elizabeth. First, it’s likely Mary went to see Elizabeth to verify what the angel had told her. The angel pointed to Elizabeth as proof that nothing is impossible for God. (v. 37). Second, it is possible that Mary went to see Elizabeth because she needed to be with someone who understood what she was going through. There aren’t many people who can understand what it means to be specially chosen by God to bear a child. Elizabeth was one of those people.

When Mary arrived at the home of Elizabeth she immediately received the verification she needed. We are told that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary (which may have been rather lengthy in accordance with middle eastern custom), the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth took this as a sign that her baby recognized and responded to the child Mary was carrying. She affirmed that Mary would be mother to the Messiah.

Imagine how this encouraged Mary. Mary trusted God but she must have felt very much alone. I suspect Elizabeth’s response to Mary included information Mary had not shared in her greeting. Mary stayed with Elizabeth until or very close to the birth of John (the Baptist).

Mary responded to Elizabeth’s words with her own song of praise. The song is filled with Old Testament illusions showing Mary’s heart was saturated with the Word of God. Her song is commonly referred to as the Magnificat coming from the first word of the song in Latin. Notice three themes in the song that give us three reasons to sing our own Christmas songs.

GOD HAS REDEEMED THE INDIVIDUAL

The first part of the song focuses on the blessing that had been given to Mary personally.

“My soul glorifies the Lord ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

Mary is very grateful for the blessing extended to her. She understands the mercy and grace extended to her. She knows that she needs a Savior. There is no indication that Mary had any illusions that she was sinless. She was a remarkable woman but she was not immaculately conceived (born without sin herself). Mary recognized her humble state. She was humble because she is a sinner and she is also humble due to her standing in society. Mary was poor and likely from a poorer family. I think if Mary was living in our culture she might have thought of herself as a “Nobody” or even a “loser”.

This all changed when God chose to enlist her as the mother of the Messiah, God in this one act was changing her life forever. From that moment forward she would be significant; she would be honored. Mary was a new person because of this special privilege given to her by God.

Don’t miss the application to our own lives. There are many people who feel like Mary. Some of you may feel insignificant, overlooked, and maybe even believe you are a “loser” because you feel unnoticed and unappreciated by the world. Maybe you feel less significant because of

· your income level

· your lack of education

· your appearance (you’re not as pretty, thin, tall, muscular, well dressed as the significant people)

· your struggles (maybe you have been arrested, you’ve made bad choices, you’ve had a failed relationship or two, you’ve come out of foster care, or you have been guilty of a number of excesses.

· your lack of popularity (you feel that no one likes you)

Mary believed she was an unlikely recipient of God’s gracious work. She felt unworthy, like many of us do. Mary reminds us that God sees those whom the world rejects. The Lord loves those the world considers “beyond hope”. And this wasn’t just true of Mary. It is a pattern in the Scriptures. God embraces the disenfranchised, He loves the losers, and He sees those the rest of the world ignores. Consider,

· the Shepherds (social misfits)

· the common fishermen who were chosen to became disciples

· the woman caught in adultery and ready to be killed by the crowd who was transformed by Jesus

· the Samaratan woman of bad reputation that talked to Jesus at Jacob’s well who had been married five times and was living with a sixth man who Jesus invited to drink of the living water He could give her.

· Zaccheaus and Matthew who were both despised tax-collectors

· Cornelius and the Gentiles who had were considered “dogs” by the Jews were given the evidence of the Holy Spirit when Peter prayed for them.

· The hit-man Paul who had persecuted Christians and became the Bible’s most prolific author.

Mary’s experience of being loved and honored by God is not unique. . . it is a blessing that is for all who trust Christ. We are told that His mercy extends to [all] those who fear Him, from generation to generation. The Lord takes the forgotten of the world and transforms them into sons and daughters in Christ.

The story is told of some robbers who broke into a store. They didn’t take anything. What they did was change all the price tags in the store. The next day customers were surprised to see great bargains. Expensive watches had price tags of $5.00; Computers were $19.99 and a big screen television was only $30.00. On the other hand, cookies were $120.00 and detergent was $1000.00!

The gospel is just like those robbers. God enters our world and turns the values of the world upside down. The rejected become those loved by God. The forgotten are cherished. Nobodies become somebody; and failure is forgiven. When Christ enters a life, that person becomes a new creation. The old passes away and a new life is begun.

GOD HAS RIGHTED THE WRONGS

There is a second part of Mary’s song of praise.

⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

Do you notice where the focus of Mary’s song resides? It is not on her or her experience. The focus of the song is on the work of the Lord. Look how often the Lord is referenced in this short hymn. Mary truly understood that it is really not about us; it’s about Him. It is God who puts things right, not us.

There is no more consumptive time of the year than at Christmas. We all have a tendency to look toward Christmas wondering what we are going to “get”. As we grow older, we realize that the greatest memories of Christmas . . .the greatest gifts of Christmas are not what we received; our greatest gift was the people who loved us and sacrificed for us. It was only as I had children of my own that I came to realize what my parents sacrificed to bring joy into my life.

It is the same way with God. We are prone to look for what He can give us. We long for the “stuff”. The real blessing however is not the stuff . . . it is the Lord Himself! He is our blessing. He is the one who fills our souls. He makes us new.

Notice the two sides of each verse. There is the positive: He has performed mighty deeds; He has lifted up the humble; he has filled the hungry with good things. There is also the negative of every verse: He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts; he has brought down rulers from their thrones; He has sent the rich away empty.

William Barclay points out that these words of Mary point to the revolutionary nature of the reign of Christ. The phrase “he has scattered the proud” points to a moral revolution. The gospel destroys the pride of men. The coming of Christ reminds us that we are lost and in need of a Savior. We cannot save ourselves.

Second the phrase, “he has brought down rulers from their thrones” points out that Jesus will bring about a social revolution. The coming of Christ is the social equalizer. When faced with the demands of God we are all on equal footing. There is no advantage gained by birth, titles, or income. There is no such thing as a worthless person when it comes to the Kingdom of God.

Third, the phrase, “filled the hungry with good things” points us to an economic revolution that results from the gospel. Christians have always been those on the forefront of ministering to the needy. The world’s philosophy is to accumulate all we can. The attitude God’s Spirit brings is to use all we can to alleviate the suffering of those around us.[i]

GOD HAS KEPT HIS PROMISE

There is one final thing Mary includes in her song of praise: She praises God for doing “as he said to our fathers”.

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.”

Mary understood that the birth of her child was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel. He had promised a Redeemer . . . now that Redeemer had come.

God keeps His Word. Sometimes the promises seem long in coming (like the promise of His second coming). Sometimes the promises are fulfilled in ways we don’t expect (everyone expected Jesus to be a political leader). However, God keeps His Word. He is able to do as he said and He is faithful to accomplish all that He has promised. As we face another Christmas we should be encouraged by His promises,

· At the time of grief and loss we are reminded that those who die in the Lord will live again. Our emptiness and loss may be great, but it is temporary.

· When life is hard we remember that everything that happens in the life of the believer will be used to accomplish God’s purpose in our lives.

· Those who feel alone and abandoned can draw courage from the fact that He promised He would never leave us or forsake us.

· Those who are uncertain of the future can be sure that if they trust in the Lord, He will direct their path just as He said.

· Those who feel they are “too far gone” to know God’s love are reminded that He has promised that WHOSOEVER will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

· Those overwhelmed by life’s demands can draw strength from God’s promise that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.

God’s promise is sure. As He brought the promised Redeemer to Bethlehem, so He will bring Christ back a second time. We may not know when that will happen but we can be confident that it WILL happen. God keeps His Word.

CONCLUSIONS

Mary’s song reminds us that if we understand the true meaning and implications of Christmas we too should be filled with joyfulness and singing. Christmas is a message of hope. It is a time when we declare to the world that God is not mad at us; He loves us! This is a joyful time. Play the music of Christmas, sing loud, and listen reflectively. Let the melody of the season flow from your heart.

Second, our Christmas singing should be directed to glorifying the Lord rather than focusing on the trivialities of men. Mary’s focus was on God’s greatness. That’s where our focus should be as well.

Third, a true understanding of Christmas should lead to humility, not pride. We have already received from God that which will make every other gift seem puny by comparison. We have been granted a new start, a new life, and a new hope. We are undeserving recipients of a life-changing grace. That should make us soft, not hard.

Finally, we are challenged to share the message of grace with others. There are too many people in the world who feel forgotten, unappreciated, and unloved. Our job is to help people know that God loves them. The projects we have at Christmas are a good start, but we need to look for ways to consistently show people that God loves even those the world seems to discard. So here are some practical ideas.

1. Adopt a child through Compassion International or World Vision. Get behind the ministry of compassion at the Iowa City Children’s Hospital.

2. Invite people into your home for a meal. This act of hospitality shows a person that you value them enough to spend your money to feed them. It seems silly, but it says something words can’t convey.

3. Look for opportunities to touch people. One of the things Jesus did that endeared Him to so many was that He physically touched folks. He touched the unclean lepers, he held the rowdy children, he took the hand of the sick. In our attempt to be careful to respect the “space” of people, we sometimes go too far. A handshake, a pat on the back, an arm around a shoulder says, “I see you and I value you.” This contact shows you are not “repulsed” by another. It gives you the opportunity to “make a connection.

4. Do something tangible to express love. Offer to baby-sit the children of a single mom; drive a patient to their treatments or to their Doctor; take someone to buy groceries; read to someone who can’t see well anymore; stop by and visit one who is alone (and do it regularly); write a letter to one who has gone away; bring food to someone just home from the hospital; pick up someone on their way to church; offer to sit with a visitor in worship. Pay for someone’s dinner (it doesn’t even have to be someone you know). Give an anonymous gift. Sit down and visit with a child. Tell someone about Jesus so they have a reason to sing.

Christmas is a message that says to the world, “You are loved”. Once we understand that God loves us, we have the joy of proclaiming that message to other by our words and our deeds.