Christmas Carols (Mary)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christians Church: 11/29/15
Now that Thanksgiving has passed the airwaves will be besieged by Christmas music. Even if you wanted to, there is no possible way for you to escape hearing Christmas carols over the next few weeks. In church, while you’re shopping, while you’re on hold with the cable company, out of kids’ mouths, 24/7 on WBGL you’re going to be inundated with Christmas carols. Rather than fight the inevitable, I’d like to capitalize on that this year at The Grove.
You see, Christmas and music go hand-in-mitten. The tradition of singing carols at Christmas time can be traced all the way back to the very beginning. The Nativity story, as told in the first two chapters of Luke, actually contains 4 short songs. Unlike some of the familiar tunes we’ll hear on the radio this winter, these songs were not written or performed by famous singers or poets. Instead, men, women and angels sang spontaneously from the heart, inspired by the miracle of Christ’s birth. While we don’t know the tune and the lyrics may not all be familiar, these four songs form the first Christmas Carols ever sung.
The first one comes to us from the heart and lips of Jesus’s young mother, Mary. You know Mary’s story. Once you hear it, you can never forget. A teenage virgin betrothed to a carpenter is startled by an angel and humbled by the announcement that she would bear the Son of God. Her explanation for the pregnancy is unbelievable, even blasphemous. Her fiancé breaks up with her and Mary leaves town under a cloud of shame and suspicion to visit her aunt Elizabeth in the hill country of Judea. If anyone can understand Mary’s troubles, it’s Elizabeth. She, likewise, experienced a miraculous conception.
Even though Elizabeth was well beyond child-bearing years, God promised her a son in her old age. By the time Mary arrives, Elizabeth is in her third trimester. As soon as Mary knocked on the door and called out “hello,” Elizabeth’s child leapt within her and she knew instantly that Mary would be the mother of God. She announces to her niece, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” (Luke 1:42 NIV).
Mary responds to Elizabeth’s blessing with a song of praise that has since been titled the Magnificat. It sounds like the name of a superhero cat to me, but it’s actually Latin for “my soul magnifies.” That’s what Mary does. She magnifies the Lord with this song that she signs. In it, she specifically magnifies three qualities or traits of God.
First, Mary praises God for being mindful.
• GOD IS MINDFUL
I heard about a little girl who watched her mom and dad get ready for Christmas. Her dad seemed preoccupied with burdens and bundles. Her mom was caught up in parties and presents. Neither had any time for her and she felt like she was being ignored, especially after hearing one of her parents say, “Would you please get out of the way?” That night before going to sleep, she knelt by her bed and prayed this prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven, please forgive our Christmases as we forgive those who Christmas against us.” None of us like to be ignored, do we? We want to be noticed.
In the opening stanza of the Magnificat, Mary sings, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant” (Luke 1:46-48 NIV). Mary was genuinely surprised that God would notice someone like her. The NLT translates this verse: “for he took notice of his lowly servant girl” (vs. 48 NLT).
Mary was… well, frankly, she was a nobody. She wasn’t a princess or prophetess. She never wrote a book, never held a political office, never graduated high-school or went to college, never visited a big city, never even won a chili cook-off. She probably never traveled more than a hundred miles from her hometown. And did I mention that her hometown was Nazareth?
The fact that Mary lived in Nazareth means that she came from humble beginnings. Nazareth wasn’t known for much. It was a small, insignificant town on the outskirts of a Roman garrison. It boasted a few bars and a red light district that offered a little weekend entertainment to imperial soldiers. Estimates put the population during Jesus’ day at around 80. Needless to say, Nazareth wasn’t the brightest star in the ancient Near East. It was more of a wide spot on the road. There was even a saying once repeated by Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46 NLT). It seems like this little dig was repeated often enough that Mary became convinced the answer was no. Maybe Mary felt just as small and insignificant as the town from which she hailed.
Are there any Doctor Who fans here this morning? Doctor who is a sci-fi show about a time traveling doctor who repeatedly saves the world. In one episode the Doctor and his companions have to sneak into underground facility undetected. In order to do so, the Doctor uses a device called a perception filter. The device has a telepathic effect which misdirects the senses around itself or the person using it. In other words, it doesn’t make you invisible, just unnoticeable. When someone looks at you, their brain simply dismisses you as unimportant. Explaining the devise to his companions the Doctor says, “Oh, I know what it’s like. It’s like when you fancy someone and they don’t even know you exist. That’s what it’s like.”
Given Mary’s situation and circumstances, I imagine she felt as though she were wearing a perception filter her whole life. Maybe you can relate.
Most of us here come from small towns, humble beginnings. Maybe you feel invisible at times, as if no one even notices you. But you know what? God noticed Mary. He was mindful of her. He notices you too. You may never have the attention of the world, but you have the attention of the One who made it!
You don’t need to look a certain way to get God’s attention. You don’t need to lose any weight, you don’t need to earn a degree or get a promotion, you don’t need to have the right friends or drive a certain car or live in a bigger house or be popular to be noticed by God. God sees you, knows you, wants you, and notices you. He knows what you’re going through. Maybe you’re struggling to make ends meet and you can’t afford Christmas presents. Maybe this is your first Christmas without a loved one you lost. Maybe you’re just feeling stressed or lonely or unnoticed. God knows and he cares. He is just as mindful of you as he was Mary. God is not only mindful, he’s also mighty.
• GOD IS MIGHTY
As Mary’s song continues, she sings, “For the Mighty One has done great things for me… He has performed mighty deeds with his arm” (Luke 1:49, 51 NIV). I imagine Mary resting her hands on her pregnant belly as she sings these lines.
The Mighty One performed mighty deeds for both Mary and Elizabeth—placing life into empty wombs. We have a variety of terms for it—the Incarnation of Christ, the Immaculate Conception, the Virgin Birth. We speak of Christ’s conception so casually, especially around Christmas time, that we sometimes forget what a mighty miracle it was!
When the angel Gabriel first appeared to Mary, he announced, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31 NIV).
Mary then responds the way I think any rational person would, asking, “How will this be since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34 NIV). Mary knew perfectly well how babies were made. When the angel told her that she would conceive a child, she only had natural means of doing so in mind. But God had something supernatural planned.
Gabriel answered Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35 NIV). It was the Holy Spirit and the power of God that created life within Mary’s womb. It is a pure miracle of the highest order—a mighty deed performed by the Mighty One.
God still does mighty deeds. The same mighty power at work within Mary’s womb is at work within you. The Bible says, “Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (Ephesians 3:20 TLB).
Do you have some dreams, desires, hopes or prayers that need answered? We have a mighty, mighty God who can do far more than we can imagine. No matter what you might be facing, God can help you. Nothing is too hard for Him. No need is too great for Him to meet. No problem is too complicated for Him to solve. No foe is too strong for Him to conquer. No prayer is too difficult for Him to answer.
God performed a mighty miracle for Mary. He can do the same for you and me. But not only is God mindful and mighty, he’s also merciful.
• GOD IS MERCIFUL
Back in the pre-digital Polaroid era, a photographer set up his camera in the park offering to take pictures of passersby. One boisterous young woman seemed particularly excited to have her picture taken. She gladly paid the photographer and walked off with her photo. But as the picture emerged, she quickly turned back and said to the photographer, “Hey, I want my money back. This picture doesn’t do me justice!” The photographer looked at the picture then back at the woman, then said, "Miss, you don’t need justice, what you need is mercy."
The same is true for all of us. And as Mary continues the Magnificat, she extols God for his mercy. She sings, “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation” (Luke 1:50 NIV).
Here, Mary takes the focus off of herself and what God has done for her personally and broadens the scope of her song, praising God for the mercy he will show to Israel and to all people from generation to generation through Jesus. In fact, she highlights three specific groups to whom God shows mercy.
First, God is merciful to the humble: “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble” (Luke 1:52 NIV). God loves the losers and little guys. Philip Yancey writes, “As I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.” He lifts up the lowly.
Furthermore, God is merciful to the hungry: “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:53 NIV). God doesn’t turn away beggars. But I doubt that Mary had food in mind here. Years later, Mary’s baby boy put it this way: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6 NIV). When we come to God hungry for the things of God, he will never turn us away.
Finally, God is merciful to the helpless: “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” (Luke 1:54-55 NIV). Here, Mary recalls the covenant God made with Abraham, promising that he would one day send a Savior to rescue his people. The people of Israel, just like you and me, were so lost in sin that they couldn’t possibly have saved themselves. They were helpless. By sending Jesus into this world, God gave us mercy rather than justice.
God is always on the side of the humble, the hurting and the hungry. He’s cheering on the orphan and the widow. He’s for the preborn and the elderly, the poor, the disabled, the deaf, the blind and the feeble. God cares for those who can’t care for themselves. And while Mary’s emphasis is certainly on God’s mercy for humanity, couldn’t we stand to be a little more merciful ourselves? Especially at Christmas time?
There are hurting, hungry, and helpless people all around us—just waiting to be noticed. Let’s follow in our Heavenly Father’s footsteps. Let’s determine to show mercy and grace to those in need this Christmas.
Conclusion
While you’re not likely to hear Mary’s Magnificat on the radio this Christmas, you will likely hear both classic and contemporary carols about a mighty God who was mindful and merciful enough to enter our world through a virgin’s womb on a stable floor. We all have our favorite carols, but the truth is that to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas it must be your song, a carol rising from your own soul. I want to encourage you to meditate this Christmas season on the ways God has been mindful of you, merciful toward you, and the mighty deeds he’s done in your life. Then you will sing a song like Mary’s—rising up from a merry heart.
Invitation
Maybe you’re in need of a mighty miracle this morning. Perhaps you’re feeling a little humble, hungry or helpless and could use a little mercy yourself. If that’s the case, I want to invite you to share your heart with me while we stand and sing.
