What Did Mary Know?

I love Christmas Carols. Did you know that singing songs of praise to God have been part of the Christmas story even before Jesus was born?

One of the songs is sung by Mary, and the other is composed by Zacharias. There are actually five songs in these first two chapters of Luke. Two by women, two by men, and one by the heavenly angels.

The was a pastor in the 19^th century named Henry Burton, who wrote a sermon about the biblical songs of Christmas found in the opening chapters of Luke. He says these two chapters are like the entryway of the grand cathedral of the Gospel. Imagine, as you enter the doors to this cathedral, the first thing you encounter is glorious music.

"On the one side are Zacharias and Simeon, the one chanting his Benedictus, and the other his Nunc Dimittis. Facing them, as if in antiphony, are Elizabeth and Mary, the one singing her Beatitude, and other her Magnificat; while overhead, in the frescoed and starlighted sky, are vast multitudes of the heavenly host, enriching the Advent music with their Glorias."

The purpose of the songs are to fill our hearts with awe and worship when we meditate on the glorious events of Christmas.

Burton says that Luke beckons us into his Gospel with beautiful music that calls us to worship God. He has put together his choir. Two women, two men, and the angels as backup vocals.

Can you imagine Christmas without Christmas carols? What a tragedy it would be if the first Christmas had no music to announce Christ's coming. Burton says that "had there not been a burst of song, [and that the most joyful burst in history], we [would] have listened for the very stones to cry out, rebuking the silence."

Over the next few weeks we are going to look at three of the songs of Christmas from the book of Luke. Today, we are looking at the song of Mary known as the Magnificat. It is found in Luke 1:46-55. Let me read it for you.

46“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate.
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

The magnificat is Mary’s testimony of the Gospel:

I. What is the gospel?

Jesus is God incarnate, and he came to us to take away our sins and to overcome sin and death so that whoever receives Jesus can become a child of God and experience forgiveness and everlasting life.

II. The gospel is for sinners: v. 46—God my savior. Mary is a sinner.

How do we know this? Because she calls God her savior and only sinners need a savior.

Some people don’t think they need a savior because they are not convinced they are sinners by even Mary knew she was a sinner who needed a savior.

III. The gospel is about God doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves: v. 47-50

Illustrated in Mary’s character:

She was a 14 years old peasant engaged to a construction worker.

A. Refers to her “humble estate” not as a character trait, but as a statement of her ordinariness.

“She means that she was and had nothing of value to the world. She was a "no one" engaged to a "nobody" living in a little town in the middle of nowhere, a member of a conquered people on the outskirts of somebody else's empire. Her people were dispersed and to some extent oppressed.”

B. Calls herself a servant: But she was submissive to God’s will and work and her life and this resulted in great blessing.

Testifies that what God did for her he can do anyone from throughout all generations. V. 50—requirement—fear God.

IV.The gospel turns things up-side down. V. 51-53

This is where the magnificat turns revotutionary.

E. Stanley Jones, a famous preacher of two generations ago, said that the Magnificat is “the most revolutionary document in the world.” William Barclay, an English theologian, says that the Magificat is “a bombshell.” Barclay goes on to say that people have read it so often that they have forgotten its “revolutionary terror.” It takes “the standards of the world and turns them upside down.” William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury, instructed his missionaries to India never to read the Magnificat in public when unbelievers were present. Why? Because in a country like India with all its poverty, this portion of Scripture, if taken out of context, would cause nothing but trouble. Martin Luther, the father of the Lutheran church, says that the Magnificat “comforts the lowly and terrifies the rich.”

Not just the magnificat but, the gospel in general is revolutionary. Why?--because God accomplishes his purposes in ways and through people in ways that are surprising to us. Three areas of revoluition:

A. A moral revolution—v. 51 he has scattered the proud in their hearts.

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. “If anyone thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth”.

People who think they are “all that” will be brought to nothing.

B. A social revolution—v 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate

Jesus came to be king not just of Israel, but of every human heart. Of your heart and my heart.

“One day every tongue ill confess you are God, one day every knee will bow. Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose you now.”

C. An economic revolution—v 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

Blessed are the poor

Why—because historically the poor have been the first to receive the gospel.

The upward mobility effect of the gospel—what happens when the poor grab hold of and are really transformed by the gospel?

As one writer puts it: "Here’s a husband who’s been an adulterer, sleeping around with every woman he can find. When he comes to Jesus Christ, his whole life is redirected. Here’s a woman who has abused alcohol for 35 years. When she comes to Christ, her whole life is changed and she learns how to get sober and stay sober. Here’s a man who hasn’t done a lick of work in years. He’s lived off welfare and the handouts of his friends for a long, long time. But when he comes to Christ, he gets a new purpose in life. And that new purpose gives him a new desire. And out of that new desire, he gets a good job. And he keeps it. And in the process becomes a productive citizen."

1 Corinthians 1:18-29

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, [2] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.

V. The gospel is about God keeping his promises. V. 54-55

54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

God’s promises to Israel. May have seemed forgotten (400 years), but God came through and fulfilled his promise.

And God will be faithful to you.

Conclusion—You can have a testimony like Mary.

My Message for the Spring 2010 Van Dyke Hospice Memorial Service

Taste and See
Psalm 134

Years ago, in an old stoddy community, a new doctor came to town. It was said he could cure anything and anybody, and everyone was amazed with what he could do - everyone except for Mr. Sweeny, the town skeptic.

Well, old Mr. Sweeny went to this ’miracle doctor’ to prove that he wasn’t anybody special. He went and told the doctor, "Hey, doc, I have lost my sense of taste. I can’t taste nothin’, can you help me?"

The doctor scratched his head and mumbled to himself a little, then told Mr. Sweeny, "What you need is jar number 47.

The doctor turned to his shelf of medicines and took down a jar and told Mr. Sweeny to put some of it in his mouth. Immediately, Sweeny spit it out, "This is gross!" he yelled.
"Well, Mr. Sweeny”, said the doctor, “ I believe I’ve just restored your sense of taste."
Angrily, Mr. Sweeny went home and fumed about his failure. But, one month later, he believed he had a solution to his problem, and went back to the doctor. "Doc,” he said “I’ve been having problems with my memory. I can’t seem to remember anything anymore!"

Now, Mr. Sweeny was very pleased with himself because he just knew he had finally stumped this new doctor and he waited as the doctor scratched his head, mumbled to himself a little. Finally, the doctor went over to the shelf with his medicines on it and said aloud “Well, Mr. Sweeny, I believe what you need is jar number 47..."
When the doctor turned around, Mr. Sweeny had run out of the office… (pause for effect)
He remembered.

Taste may be the sense that has the most powerful ability to summon memory. The taste of the cardamom in the holiday bread brings you right back to your grandmother's house in brooklyn. The taste of lipstick brings you right back to the kiss at the altar on your wedding day. The taste of fresh orange juice brings you back to that perfect week you shared in Florida. The taste salt water brings you right back to youngers days of riding the waves off of Pt. Pleasant or Seaside.

The Psalmist must have understood this connection between taste and memories, because what he means for us to do is to summon the memory of the goodness of God. The scripture does not say that life is always good. It does say that God is always good and during times of when life is not good we need to summon the memories of how God has been good so we can take refuge in Him. The writer says remember the taste of God's goodness. Taste His goodness displayed in a neighbor who showed up at just the right moment when I felt so alone. Taste God's goodness found in strangers, now friends, who came to the house to give care when I could not longer do it on my own. Taste God's goodness found in a few more hours or days or months given to say important words or spend quiet moments. Taste God's goodness found in the loving support of family, friends and community. My prayer for us all today is that as we remember our loved ones who have passed away, God will also summon to our memories even just one remembrance, so that even though we have been through painful days--we can taste and see that the Lord is good.