12/11/22 Mary’s Song

“Mary’s Song”

Luke 1:39-56

Do we have any fans of movie musicals here with us this morning?

You know, like West Side Story or Mary Poppins or The Wizard of Oz?

My mom’s favorite movie of all time is the 1965 film “The Sound of Music” starring Julie Andrews as Maria, an aspiring nun-turned nanny, and Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp, a wealthy widowed Naval officer with seven children. It’s based in pre-WWII Austria when the Nazis are forcing their way into the country and Captain Von Trapp, Maria, and the children make the dangerous decision to flee to Switzerland.

The first time I watched the movie with my mom I was probably about 7 or 8 years old. Everything was going fine for me until a few scenes into the movie when the nuns are talking to Maria about her profound inadequacies as a postulant and suddenly without warning they break into song. My thought was “This is weird, why are they suddenly singing?” Why can’t they just talk about solving their problems regarding Maria?

This was simply not normal – people don’t just break into song in everyday life - and it really messed with my young mind. However, when we think about “The Sound of Music” (or any musical for that matter) what parts of the movie do we typically remember most? Well, for me anyway, it is the songs. For those of you who have seen The Sound of Music, If I mention songs such as “My Favorite Things”, “So Long, Farewell”, or “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”, you probably remember the scene in the movie when the song is being performed.

Say what you will about how ridiculously cheesy it is to have people suddenly stop talking and begin singing in mid-sentence…however, if nothing else, its usually very memorable. Songs interjected in musicals get stuck in our head precisely because it isn’t what usually happens in real life. Consequently, the situations in which they occur burn lasting impressions in our mind (Think Superbowl Halftime Show – Personally, I’d like to forget most of those!)

Our Sermon for this morning is entitled “Mary’s Song” and it refers to a passage of scripture that has a similar quality to that of a well-placed song in a musical. The initial 45 verses of the first chapter of Luke are a nice easy read through narrative history until verse 46 comes along. Just like the Sound of Music nuns breaking into song about Maria, verse 46 transitions to a “song” from Mary about how God has extended grace and mercy to her as an individual, as well as collectively to the nation of Israel. Mary’s song becomes very memorable to us because it seems a bit out of context – people generally don’t break into song while standing on someone’s doorstep (Unless it’s a singing telegram…remember those?)

In verse 39, our text for today begins with the newly (And miraculously) pregnant Mary embarking upon a journey as she travels to visit her relative Elizabeth (Who is also pregnant through miraculous circumstances) in the hill country of Judea which was most likely a few miles outside of Jerusalem.

To back up a bit, Mary decides to visit Elizabeth immediately after the Angel Gabriel informs her that she will miraculously become pregnant (v31) with a son who will be called the Son of the most high (v32) and who will rule over a kingdom that will never end (v33)

Mary asks the angel Gabriel how this could be since she is a virgin. She is told that her pregnancy will be a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. Through the power of God, a child will begin to grow within her womb. Unlike Zechariah, who didn’t believe Gabriel’s massage to him concerning Elizabeth’s seemingly impossible pregnancy, Mary believed Gabriel’s message and in verse 38 replies “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Don’t we too often approach seemingly impossible scenarios in our own lives like that of Zechariah rather than Mary? It’s so easy to dismiss the possibility of God working a miracle in our lives because we are conditioned by our world to take seriously only those things that seem rational, or logical to mankind. When we limit God in this way, we offend Him in the same way that Zechariah offended Gabriel when he says in verse 18 “How can I be sure of this?”

I love Gabriel’s powerful response in the next verse (19) when he says: “I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.” Gabriel is like “Are you kidding me?” First of all, you don’t see an angel every day, do you? A minute ago, you were “gripped with fear” (v12) knowing that I was not a human being. I don’t live on this planet – I live in the presence of God almighty, and now you question my message? What’s the greater miracle here, that you are being visited by a powerful alien from Heaven or that your wife will soon become pregnant?

Sadly Zechariah, an esteemed priest who scripture describes as “righteous” (v6) and even “blameless” in obedience to God’s law (v6) did not have the faith to fully believe the message given to him by one of God’s mighty guardian angels.

On the other hand, Mary, a young teenage girl, is also delivered a message that must have seemed exponentially more unbelievable than the one conveyed to Zechariah. Yet how does Mary respond?....she simply believes it.

She is undoubtedly surprised by Gabriel’s announcement, but her response is one that reveals faith and trust rather than skepticism and doubt. Mary wasn’t a priest; she hadn’t attended years of religious training like Zechariah had. Mary, an “ordinary” girl from an “Insignificant” small town didn’t possess the cultural and religious prestige that a priest like Zechariah would have commanded, yet she displayed a deeper faith! Think about that – A minimally educated peasant girl displayed a level of faith and humility that rivaled that of a highly educated and esteemed priest of the first order!

Don’t ever buy into the lie that your faith is somehow contingent upon your level of education or your years of service to the Lord. Mary serves as proof that age, degrees, and diplomas are not important factors when it comes to one’s level of faith.

Continuing with our passage, Mary successfully reaches the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth. In verse 41 Elizabeth’s unborn baby (John the Baptist) is said to “leap” in her womb when Elizabeth hears Mary’s voice. This is echoed in verse 44 when Elizabeth reiterates that her baby “leaped for joy” at the sound of Mary’s greeting.

Obviously, there are many spiritual connections taking place here between Mary, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s unborn baby (We literally don’t hear anything from Zechariah at this point in the story – he’s being quite quiet 😊)

Let’s take a brief look at a certain word used to describe the yet-to-be-born John the Baptist in verses 41 and 44. The word “baby” is used to describe Elizabeth’s unborn child – did you catch that? The unborn child is not referred to as a “bump” in Elizabeth’s abdomen or even as some sort of “potential human.”

Luke, the author of this gospel (And also a Physician, I might add) was inspired by the Holy Spirit to refer to Elizabeth’s unborn child as a baby. The decision to use this term to describe an unborn John the Baptist is proof (Along with many other passages of scripture) that God views human life as beginning at conception.

This is why, as believers, we are so appalled over the practice of abortion. Abortion ends the life of a human being who is made in the image of God. An unborn child is simply at an earlier stage of development than those of us who have passed through the birth canal.

In verses 41-45 we see Mary and Elizabeth “compare notes” so to speak regarding their individual miraculous pregnancies. Elizabeth is “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v41) and finds it difficult to contain her excitement regarding Mary’s pregnancy. Elizabeth calls Mary “Blessed among Women” (v42) and refers to Mary’s unborn child as her “Lord” (v43) The Holy Spirit had given Elizabeth unique and amazing insight into the salvific mission and nature of Mary’s yet-to-be-born baby.

Verses 46-55 contain Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s inspired words of encouragement. Cue the music, Cue the choreography, here’s where the scene in Elizabeth’s foyer suddenly becomes a musical.

This portion of scripture has traditionally been referred to as “The Magnificat”, literally meaning: “My Soul Magnifies the Lord.” In Mary’s outpouring of praise, generally thought to be in song-like context, she is overtaken by God’s goodness bestowed upon her as well as the grace and providence that God has shown to the people of Israel throughout their history. It is a song rich in theology and sung by someone knowledgeable about Old Testament history, informing us that Mary was very theologically astute for a relatively uneducated, 1st century teenage girl.

Mary begins her song by glorifying God. Like the Lord’s Prayer that we covered back in September, Mary starts with acknowledging that God is to be praised and exalted before anything else takes place.

We are all aware of a certain branch of Christianity that views Mary as being granted a special position of authority unlike anyone else who has ever lived (Other than Jesus) According to this church’s doctrine, by God’s grace, Mary was able to live a sinless life while in the flesh and she is currently thought to be interceding on our behalf in Heaven, possessing the ability to respond to the prayers and petitions of humanity. Sadly, this elevation of Mary’s status is completely unbiblical and actually goes against the very words of Mary herself.

If you like to underline things in your Bible, I suggest underlining verse 47.  Do you notice the theological significance of this verse as it pertains to Mary’s nature?

Mary’s own words in verse 47 put to death the notion that she was anything beyond that of a sinner in need of a savior – not unlike when you are listening to a Green Bay Packer radio broadcast and Wayne Larrivee “Throws the Dagger” in the 4th quarter, signaling a guaranteed win for the Green and Gold (Packer fans, you all know what I’m talking about!)

The last word of verse 47 is the dagger to the heart of the doctrine of Catholic Mariology. Mary herself describes God as her savior. Why is this word so important?  …. Simply put, A sinless person is not in need of a savior. Mary was not a sinless person. Like the rest of us, Mary was a sinner and, also like the rest of us, Mary continued to occasionally fall prey to sin throughout the rest of her life. Nothing in scripture indicates that she was anything more than a sin-tainted human being in need of God’s saving grace - just like you and I.

Mary’s melody of thanksgiving continues in verse 49 as she recounts the ways in which God has been faithful to her. God has been “mindful” (v48) “Has done great things” (v49) and has been “Merciful” (v50) to Mary. These all convey an attitude of gratitude that ought to characterize the lives of all believers.

When is the last time you excitedly told someone how grateful you are for God’s blessings in your life? If you haven’t already, begin making this a habit – even sing it if you’d like….I guarantee whoever you are conversing with will remember it more vividly if you sing your proclamation of thankfulness! 😊

A common thread throughout Mary’s song is the theme of humility. Have you noticed that humility tends to surface in almost every book of the Bible? Remember how often it popped up in our survey of 1 Peter? This is no accident. Possessing an attitude of humility is essential to following Jesus. To put it another way, one cannot live a life saturated with pride and still be a true believer. Humility and pride are like oil and water – they do not mix. Your life will either be characterized by humility, or it will be characterized by pride, but never both.

Attempting to describe someone as both humble and proud would be like saying :

Snow is both wet and dry….or fire is both hot and cold…or the speed limit is both 55 and 25…or dogs and cats both deserve to be loved (Ok, so maybe both dogs and cats do deserve love & affection 😊) 

But you get the point, right? Pride and humility are complete opposites. Think about this - If someone were to describe your general demeanor, they would not be able to use both “Prideful” and “Humble” to describe you. Let that sink in. You are consistently one or the other – but you cannot be described as both.

Make sure that, like Mary, humility characterizes your life. Scripture reminds us of the importance of humility over pride:

Proverbs 3:34 “He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.”

Proverbs 16:18-19 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.”

Proverbs 29:23 “Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor”

James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.”

In her song, Mary contrasts the sweet aroma of humility with the sour stench of pride. In verse 51, the song lyric reminds us that God scatters the proud. In verse 52, God brings down proud rulers but exalts the humble. Verse 53 references God’s provision for His humble people who remain dependent upon Him while only emptiness awaits those who pridefully depend upon their own resources and materialism.

Lastly, the themes of grace and mercy resonate throughout Mary’s song. Mercy and grace are both continually used of God, and they are very similar things, but there is a slight distinction between the two. While grace is the act of extending blessings to those who are undeserving (All of us) mercy is the act of withholding punishment from those deserving immediate judgement because of sin (Also, All of us)

Mary is the recipient of God’s grace when she becomes the chosen woman who will carry the Christ child. Mary did not do anything specific to deserve the honor of becoming Jesus’ mother – it was simply an act of grace bestowed upon her by God.

Likewise, Mary references the mercy of God in verses 50 and 54.

Verse 50 describes God’s mercifulness toward all who fear him, from any generation – including us today. Romans 6:23 reminds us that sin results in death and the only reason that you did not immediately die the minute you committed your first sin is because of God’s infinite mercy.

Verse 54 looks back in time to the way in which God dealt with mercy toward the patriarchs and the nation of Israel. Think of how many times the Israelites disobeyed God with rebellious hearts and actions. Yet God, rather than wiping them off the face of the earth (which their sin would have warranted) He chose to extend mercy through remaining faithful to the covenant sworn to Abraham and his descendants.

In conclusion, Mary’s song is a very special and memorable portion of scripture because it is a section of text that breaks free from the chugging train of historical narrative and for a brief moment takes us to a “happy place”. A place where we are allowed time to bask in the sunlight of God’s faithfulness, Providence, Grace, Mercy, and Love.

During this season of Advent, this time of expectancy and hope, let’s remember Mary’s song  – Let it lift your spirit – Let it motivate you to worship the Lord – Let it inspire your soul to sing of God’s unfailing faithfulness through His loving plan of salvation that began in a humble manger in Bethlehem!

Let’s Pray.