“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
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.
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 away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.”
(Luke 1:46–56 ESV)

An encounter with the Lord that led to a song of worship

What is that you worship most?

I wonder how this Christmas is going to be like?
Are you looking forward to it?
Is it something you avoid?
Is it something that brings you good or bad memories?
Will you feel a little bit lost because a loved one will not be there for the first time?
Will you be feeling relieved that you are still here with us after a long battle with illness?

Christmas sparks so many emotions. It is a joyful occasion; for others, it is a little bit grimmer.

So, if you feel elated this morning because this is the best time of the year or if you feel that you have come here this morning and it took a lot of self-convincing and determination, I want to encourage you with God’s word.

Something about this amazing Magnificat will speak to all of us because at the heart of this song of praise, and this theme is God’s Goodness.

Yes, friends, God is good!

The Goodness of God is not just an idea or even a promise. It is reality, it is tangible, and it is profound.

The Goodness of God is best expressed in his love for us.

If there is a gift to humanity, a gift that will solve all humanity’s problems, struggles, and sinfulness, it is the gift of his Son Jesus. That is his goodness.

So, the gift of Jesus to us is the best gift we could ever receive. Why? Because in the goodness of God, he decided that we should never be alone.

Loneliness is the outcome of a loss. We have experienced loss.

Adam experienced it when he lost his place before God and was expelled from Eden. From then, humanity learnt to survive without God, without the goodness of God. Till the time and place assigned by God that Jesus, the Messiah, would come. The one who was prophesied and expected to lead a nation and bring many nations to God again.

This is the one who was known as the Everlasting God, Wonderful Counsellor, Prince of Peace, King of Kings.

But, as we know now, God does things according to human wisdom!

However, what is clear is that the greatest gift given to us by God is Christ.

So, this Christmas, you are not alone.

So what can we learn about this amazing worship song?

We can learn a few things:

1. It is more than a worship song.
2. It is personal. It is written from the heart
3. It is prophetic in its declarations
4. It brings us closer to the Redeemer.

The language and the poetry are beautiful, it is filled with wonder, metaphors and it touches the heart.

The best I can describe this is like a letter to God for all the blessings that God has bestowed to her, and it is in that place of oneness with God is where we receive God’s Word and where we speak God’s word.
Yes, this is unique to Mary. This is her song; she has the copyrights, well God is the producer.

But as I said before, this song came from a profound experience with the Lord.

This is something that we can all relate to, which we can all experience.

There are three things that I want to point out:

Personal

“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
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.”
(Luke 1:46–49 ESV)

During my time at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in their eight weeks course on Church Plant, we asked Tim Keller how he keeps his devotional life, and he pulled out his wallet and showed us a card, and in that card, there were three questions on it.

1. What does the Bible text says about me
2. What does the passage says about God, Jesus and Holy Spirit
3. What is the most striking truth that speaks to you

Then pray! Asking God to use that truth to change me!

Let us put this to the test.

Mary:

My soul magnifies
My spirit rejoices
Her humble servant
Will call me blessed
He has done great things for me

God:

God my Saviour
He Who is mighty
Holy is his name

What is the most striking truth?

God at work

“And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
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 away empty.”
(Luke 1:50–53 ESV)

A powerful encounter with God leads to a revelation of God is experienced.

Mary experienced the Mercy of God, and she described that his mercy is eternal, from generation to generation.

Then Mary described God as a mighty warrior!

He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered the pride in the minds and hearts
He has brought the mighty from their thrones
He has exalted those of humble estate
He has filled the hungry with good things
He has the rich sent away empty

Mary is describing the God Almighty Redeemer.

That is the striking truth about God that she now signs!

It is amazing for a young girl to say this, and this can happen to you and me if we encounter him.

It is about deliverance

“He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:54–55 ESV)

Mary is rooted in Biblical history, in Biblical theology.

Her song is not just about her or describing the acts of God. Instead, she is rooted in Biblical Faith—her father’s faith, Abraham, and his descendants.

This is us. We are by faith Abraham’s offspring, and this is you and me.
We are this offspring forever!!

So what is the striking truth of this magnificent?

This song is all about the encounter she had with God. It is in the purest expression the very essence of liberation.

Let me remind you of this encounter:

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
(Luke 1:26–38 ESV)

It is about Him, our Redeemer. It is about Jesus.