Christmas - Week 2

There are many things in life that cause us to rejoice. We rejoice when our favorite team wins. We rejoice when our kids accomplish something in school. We rejoice when the seasonal peppermint milkshake at Chic-Fil-A comes back. There’s a lot in this life that causes us to rejoice. 

Perhaps no rejoicing will be as significant as when the moment that creation has been groaning for is realized. The weariness and brokenness of this world is deeply felt, and all of creation longs for the return of its Creator. This is what we hope for. We look longingly for the return and final redemption from Jesus. And while we wait for Jesus to come back, we know that there was a whole world of people waiting for Him to show up for the first time. 

Our story begins with a pregnant teenager. She has just been told that the Messiah, the Son of God, would grow in her womb. She has just been told that the baby born to her would take the throne of David and rule over Israel. She has just been told that the child she would raise would have a kingdom that lasts forever. She has also been told that this human life would be conceived by the Holy Spirit in one of the most miraculous moments in history. 

This teenager of course is Mary, and the baby that would be born is Jesus. At the same time this is all happening, one of Mary’s relatives, Elizabeth who was barren, had also conceived and was carrying a son. We eventually know this child to be John the Baptist. But let’s pick up our story in Luke 1. All of this happens, Mary hears about Elizabeth, so she decides to pay her a visit. 

Read Luke 1:39-45

Alright, there is so much that just seems unbelievable about this passage. I don’t think we talk about this moment enough. 

1.. Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, and her baby lept.

2.. The Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth at the sound of Mary’s greeting

3.. The Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth who Mary was carrying. 

4.. Elizabeth was certain that it was the Messiah

5.. Elizabeth somehow knew that the angel had delivered a message to Mary, and that Mary believed that message to be true. 

And all of this from the greeting of Mary! And everything that has now happened causes Mary to break out in song. And this is where we’ll camp this morning.

Read Luke 1:46-56

Stanza 1 - :46-50

Mary begins with a very personal posture of worship. “My soul” and “my spirit,” “will call me blessed,” “has done great things for me.” Mary believed the angel, and now she has another supernatural confirmation from Elizabeth. To know just how massive this is for someone like Mary, we have to look at what life would have been like for her as a woman in Nazareth.

Nazareth was a small little agricultural town on about 60 acres of land. It’s believed that Nazareth had less than 200 residents, of which Mary was one. Jews outside of Nazareth held the small village in low esteem. They weren’t traditionally a wealthy or intelligent bunch, so they didn’t have much to offer. Nazareth was about 55 miles north of Jerusalem, on the other side of Samaria, near Gentile country. It just didn’t have a lot going for it. This is why Nathanael in John 1:46 asks, “can anything good come out of Nazareth?” This is where Mary is from. A teenage girl from humble to no means, yet chosen by God to be the mother to the Son of God. She can’t help but worship.

My soul magnifies the Lord - The innermost depth of my being declares the greatness of the Lord. 

My spirit rejoices in God my Savior - Again, the innermost part of who I am, rejoices, finds extreme joy in God my Savior. And this is an interesting comment. Mary is believing that God is providing the One who will provide salvation. She is trusting God for that and claiming it over her life. 

He has looked on the humble estate of His servant - Mary, from tiny, looked down upon Nazareth. Not humble in the sense of countenance, but humble in the sense of upbringing. God didn’t choose a woman from a highly esteemed family. God didn’t choose a woman from a wealthy family with a prominent social status. He could have, but He didn’t!

From now on all generations will call me blessed - She had no idea how true that statement was, and still is. 2,000 years later she is one of the most important women in history. She did know, however, that the responsibility that she had been given was a privilege that no one else would ever get. She would be raising the Son of God in her home!

He who is mighty has done great things for me - This is a reiteration of everything she has said wrapped up into a single statement. He who is mighty, all powerful, capable of anything, has done exceedingly more than I could ever dream, for me. Lowly, humble, teenage Mary.

And then she ends this stanza by speaking outwardly to everyone else. Mercy being the expression of compassion towards someone who is lowly. If you fear God, if you have a proper awe and respect for who He is, a positional awareness of “God and me,” then the Lord will show mercy towards you. “He’s worked wonders in my life,” says Mary, “and I believe He will for you as well.”

Stanza 2 - :51-55

Something really interesting happens here grammatically. Mary uses something called the “prophetic aorist tense.” Simply put, this is something that can be defined as “already, not yet.” What Mary says sounds like a past tense truth. “He has shown strength…He has scattered…He has brought down.” And while this is all true in the past, a common method of prophecy in the Old Testament is when a prophet would be so sure that something was going to happen, they would speak about it like it already had. This is what Mary is doing. She is speaking so confidently about what Jesus is going to do, she’s so sure of it, that she speaks as if it's already happened.

In this section, we see 3 different ways that Jesus will bring about a revolution of thought and practice. In fact, what Mary says here has implications even for us today. I’m going to borrow the section headings from pastor and author Ray Pritchard, and here’s the first one. Jesus came to bring about a…

Moral Revolution (51)

Our morality can be found in our convictions over right and wrong, good and evil. Morality can also be a “particular system or set of values and principles of conduct.” One need not look much beyond social media to see what are the values of our day. Vanity and materialism. Pride and boasting. Success defined by how much money we have, the vacations we go on, what cars we drive. The world is screaming, “Look at me! Look what I can accomplish! Look at how great and successful I am!” Those convictions are felt in a deep place in our hearts. These convictions influence the way that we think. We are driven by worldly success. We are driven by pride. This isn’t anything new. 

If you remember back in Genesis in the account of the Tower of Babel, the people wanted to prove their abilities by building a massive tower that reached “into the heavens.” “Let us make a name for ourselves,” they said. The Lord looked on their growing confidence in what they could accomplish, and with a strong arm He confused their language and scattered them across the “face of the whole earth.” 

Jesus came to bring about a different way of thinking. Instead of making a name for yourself, elevate others. Instead of storing up treasures on earth, store up treasures in heaven. Instead of vain pursuits, I mean listen. King Solomon was one of if not the wealthiest man in history. At the end of it all, he said that ALL of it was vanity. It was meaningless. Instead of vain pursuits, pursue what has eternal value. Serve one another, love like Jesus, share the power of the gospel to a weary world. 

Social Revolution (52)

In the 1st century, there was a very clear social hierarchy. And it really all depended on the family you were born into. Some broke out and changed their fortunes, like Matthew the tax collector. But for the most part, your social status was determined at birth. The wealthy elite gained power and privilege, while the poor masses struggled to live day to day. This goes even beyond just societal structure, and enters the realm of governing authorities. Those who held authority most often would take advantage of the position and abuse their power.

Do we not see this today? The political elites abusing their position and power for selfish gain? Think about the caste system in India. At the top of the pecking order you have the gods, followed by the priests, then the rulers and their warriors, then skilled workers, followed by unskilled workers, followed by what are known as the untouchables. In this system, the untouchables are just that, you don’t go near them. Jesus on the other hand came for the untouchables. Jesus came for those who society looked down upon and treated as outcasts. Jesus came not for the well but for the sick. And while we know that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, including the social elites, over and over we see his gospel flourishing in the midst of the most broken and needy. 

Pritchard in his essay writes this: Throughout history whenever the Gospel has gone into a society, it has usually entered at a lower socioeconomic level. It’s a rare thing for the rich to be the first to embrace the Gospel. Poor folks usually make up the first church in any culture. Why? Because the poor have nothing in which to trust, so when they hear the Gospel they embrace it as truly good news'

Economic Revolution (53)

This is so clear throughout Scripture. You remember the rich young ruler that came to Jesus? “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus says, “start by selling all of your possessions and giving to those in need.” The rich ruler went away grieving, because he was unwilling to do it. Jesus speaks about our treasures on earth, how moths and rust will destroy them. In 1 Timothy 6 we see that the “love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Is money innately bad? Of course not. But there is a danger in the pursuit of money in that it can distract us from what really matters. 

Instead, says Mary, Jesus has filled the hungry with good things. This can mean physical sustenance. This can mean spiritual fulfillment. This can mean those who hunger for accountability and healthy relationships are given strong Christian friends to walk with them. In other words, those who are in need, the Lord will fulfill their needs. 

Jesus came with what we can call “the grand reversal.” The moral, social and economic norms of this world are not how things work in the kingdom of God. Instead of pride and vain pursuits, it’s about humility and serving others. Instead of gaining power for ourselves, we live humbly in the power of the Holy Spirit. Instead of pursuing great wealth on this earth, we store up treasures in heaven by doing kingdom work. 

Application

Mary is rejoicing because the child the grew in her womb was going to bring about a revolution. He was bringing a new way of thinking. He was bringing a new of ordering priorities. He was going to provide a way for the least of these to have access to a relationship with Him. And this is why we rejoice with Mary. Because He did all of that, and now we benefit from it! We are the least of these. We are the broken. We are the weary and the hurting. Jesus came so that we might have life. And this is why we look forward to this season of celebration and remembrance.