Langley Presbyterian Church

Prayer for Understanding

Open us, O God, the Good News written in the scriptures.

Open our hearts to recognize Your presence with us.

Open our minds so that we may know Your direction for us.

And may we say with Mary, “Let it be with me according to Your Word.” Amen

Two weeks ago, downtown Vancouver was jam-packed due to a pop superstar’s concert. Do you know whose concert that was?

Taylor Swift. The Eras Tour began in Arizona in March 2023 and concluded in Vancouver on December 8, 2024, after 149 shows across five continents.

Three sold-out concerts during the first weekend of December at BC Place drew an estimated 160,000 people. Outside, fans who couldn’t get tickets were singing along in the rain.

Now, I’ll admit I’m not a fan of Taylor Swift, but I admire her as a great songwriter, a talented singer, and a generous leader to her crews.

She began singing in public and writing songs when she was only 10 or 11 years old. Since then, her original music has reached and inspired millions around the world.

But let me take you back two thousand years to another young girl, only about 14 or 15 years old. Unlike Taylor Swift, she wasn’t well-educated or supported by a team.

Yet, she was highly favored by God. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, this young girl sang a beautiful song — a song that has endured through centuries.

This girl didn’t draw massive crowds, and no one cheered her on in a grand stadium. But her song has been cherished, read, memorized, prayed, and sung by Christ-followers for over two millennia.

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the four great Christmas hymns found in Luke’s Gospel: Zechariah’s Song, known as the Benedictus; the Angels’ Song, the Gloria in Excelsis; Simeon’s Song; and Mary’s Song, the Magnificat. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at Mary’s song, the Magnificat.

When we studied Zechariah’s Benedictus, we reflected on how the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah while he was serving in the Temple, burning incense.

A few months later, the same angel appeared to a peasant girl, Mary, in a small town in Galilee. Mary was a young virgin, pledged to be married to Joseph.

The angel greeted Mary, saying, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

The angel then continued, “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.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

What a bombshell! Can you imagine how overwhelming this must have been for a teenage girl?

“Congratulations! You’re pregnant” is usually joyful news, especially for women eagerly anticipating a new addition to their family. It was certainly wonderful news for Elizabeth, but for a virgin girl? It was complicated, to say the least.

Yet Mary replied with remarkable faith: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Even so, she must have felt confused and frightened.

But then she remembered what the angel had mentioned about her cousin Elizabeth. The angel had said that even Elizabeth, in her old age and long thought unable to conceive, was now six months pregnant.

With this in mind, Mary set out quickly, hurrying to a town in the hill country of Judea. The journey would have taken about three to four days.

When Mary arrived and greeted Elizabeth, something extraordinary happened: the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped.

As we know, Elizabeth’s unborn child was John, who would later be called John the Baptist.

At six months old in the womb, John was certainly capable of moving, perhaps kicking now and then.

But whatever movements Elizabeth had felt before, this was different — something significant.

Another remarkable event followed: Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy.

Inspired by the Spirit, she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.”

Let’s pause here. Mary hadn’t told Elizabeth about her angelic encounter or her miraculous pregnancy. She hadn’t shared anything about what had happened over the past few days. Mary must still have been processing it all herself.

Yet Elizabeth, through the Holy Spirit, understood exactly what was happening. She recognized that her young cousin was pregnant and, more astonishingly, that Mary was carrying the Messiah.

Elizabeth didn’t judge Mary for being pregnant out of wedlock, nor did she express concern for Mary’s future. Instead, she joyfully proclaimed that both Mary and her child were blessed.

In her blessing, Elizabeth became the first person to address Mary as the “Mother of my Lord.” It’s as if she were saying, “Who am I, that you would visit me? I can’t believe the mother of my Lord has come to my home.”

Notice Elizabeth’s humility. She didn’t harbor any jealousy that Mary’s child would be greater than her own or that Mary had received a more extraordinary blessing.

Instead, Elizabeth’s response was one of pure joy and celebration over what God had done for Mary.

Elizabeth was thrilled by the privilege of being the mother of Christ’s forerunner, but her greatest joy was in the knowledge that Christ Himself was coming.

Lastly, Elizabeth pronounced a blessing on Mary for her faith, saying, “You are a woman of faith. You believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to you.”

Upon hearing this, Mary began to fully grasp what had just happened to her. Perhaps she felt a sense of relief, thinking, “I’m not crazy. It wasn’t a dream. I really did see the angel, and what the angel told me is true. Wait a minute—I am pregnant with Christ Child.”

With this realization, Mary, who had seen herself as an unknown girl, nothing more than God’s handmaiden, was so filled with joy that she opened her mouth to sing one of the most famous Christmas songs in the Bible—the Magnificat.

Mary’s song is saturated with Scripture, drawing heavily from the Psalms and other parts of the Old Testament.

She began by turning the focus away from herself and onto the Lord, praising, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

In her song, Mary acknowledged that God was her Savior, admitting her need for redemption. She recognized her humble status and background.

She was not from a powerful or wealthy family. She was far from being a celebrity. She was simply a common, ordinary young woman from a small town, pledged to marry a common man.

By worldly standards, almost anyone could have seemed a better choice than her. Yet God did not overlook her in her lowliness.

Far from exalting herself, Mary humbly confessed her lowliness and acknowledged that she was nothing without God’s blessing. She declared, “For he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.”

God is far above all kings and powers, yet He reaches out to the lowly, the needy, the humble, and the poor. Mary was a nobody, but now not only Elizabeth, but all generations will remember her and call her blessed.

This honor is not because of anything Mary had done, but because of what God had done for her. We should not worship Mary, but neither should we diminish the significance of her role in bringing Jesus, the Messiah, into the world.

Mary then praises God for His works on behalf of all who fear Him—for His mercy, His mighty power, and His sovereign grace:

She praises God for His mercy, for He offers the forgiveness of sins and the blessing of His presence and favor to those who trust and follow Him.

She praises God for His mighty power, as He scatters those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

She praises God for His sovereign grace, for He lifts up the humble, fills the hungry with good things, and sends the rich away empty.

Mary also proclaims God’s faithfulness—how He has kept His promises and upheld the covenant made with Abraham and the Fathers.

Her song is a testament to her deep faith and profound understanding of God’s redemptive plan, woven throughout the Old Testament and pointing forward to Christ.

Mary could have focused solely on her challenging situation and given in to fear. The risks she faced were real and frightening. Being pregnant but unmarried could have brought her disgrace or accusations of immorality, a crime punishable by stoning.

Yet Mary chose to focus on the blessing within the turmoil. She willingly embraced her divine assignment—her calling—and, even more, she rejoiced in it.

Today, we met two remarkable mothers-to-be. One was old and barren; the other was young and unmarried. Yet both were carrying children who would forever change the course of history.

Elizabeth saw beyond Mary’s circumstances and recognized her as the mother of her Lord. With humility and faith, Elizabeth blessed Mary and the baby she carried, celebrating the promise of God’s unfolding plan.

Mary, despite her unexpected and fearful situation, chose to believe and hold fast to God’s word. She praised Him with a heart full of faith and joy, trusting in His purpose.

This morning, can we echo Mary’s song? Can we praise God as she did? Your song may not draw crowds or change the world, but it is precious to God.

You may not have encountered an angel with extraordinary news, nor been called to monumental acts in God’s kingdom. Yet, God has come to you.

He has come offering salvation through Christ—not because of who you are, but because of His boundless love for you. A love so wide and long and high and deep that He redeemed you with the blood of His Son.

So today, let us, like Mary, humble ourselves before the Lord.

Let us trust Him to work His good purpose in our lives.

And let us lift our voices in praise, declaring with Mary:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. The Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name!”

Let us pray.

Gracious and Holy God, on this fourth Sunday of Advent, we stand in awe of how You worked through two ordinary women of faith, Elizabeth and Mary, to fulfill Your Covenant of Redemption.

Like Elizabeth and Mary, Zechariah and Joseph, we too are ordinary people, yet You call us, lift us up, and invite us into Your divine purposes.

Holy One, we thank You for Your boundless love, a love so deep that You sent Your Son to be born in a humble manger for us.

Thank You for our Savior who has come, bringing hope, peace, joy, and love into a broken world. As we await the celebration of His birth, may our hearts be filled with gratitude and wonder at the mystery of the Incarnation.

In the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.