Mary's Song

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Reflection

Every week in our Jr. High program, before we start singing worship, we ask the students one question, “Why do we praise God?”

At the beginning of the year, the students usually just look up at us with blank looks. By the end of the year, they are jumping to answer the weekly question saying some like, “because God created music, and we can use music as a way to thank God for what he was done.”

In Luke we read how Mary responds to God’s work in here life. A teenager at the time, Mary has just received some life changing news; she is pregnant with a child who will be called “the Son of God.”

At receiving this news, Mary runs to her closest family. As she enters the door to her aunt Elizabeth’s house, Elizabeth’s unborn child jumps in her womb and Elizabeth shouts, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”

Immediately after Elizabeth’s confession, Mary is moved to praise God for what he is doing in the world. Mary starts to sing of the promises of God. She cannot help but tell of what God has done in her life and the lives of God’s people. Through song, Mary describes the dramatic acts of grace and power by which God has acted throughout history.

Embedded within Mary’s song, are the promises that God has not only continued to work in the lives of his people in the past, but that he is starting a new work in the lives of his people.

This is shown by the fact that only a few verses earlier, Elizabeth’s unborn son “jumps” in side the womb at just being in the same room as the unborn Christ child.  When this happens, the Holy Spirit moves within Elizabeth and she confesses that Mary’s son will be called, “Son of the Most High.” That Mary’s son will be a king of a kingdom that will never end. The God that has been faithful to his people in the past, that he will continue to be faithful to his people as his promised Messiah comes to earth as an infant.

At the same time, Mary’s song of praise acts as an invitation to join what God is doing in the world. Just as Mary replied to God’s call to bare his Son saying, “I (Mary) am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled,” we are called to work with God in the unfolding of his Kingdom in the world through saying, “I am the Lord’s servant.”

Mary’s song acts as not only a confession of a God who is faithful to the promises he made to his people, but it an invitation to join God as he continues to work in the world.

Questions

1.     Why was Mary moved to praise God?

2.     What works of God stand out to you in Mary’s praise song?

3.     What do you think Mary’s praise tell us about why we should praise God?

4.     What invitation was also imbedded within Mary’s song?

5.     Why do you think God wants us to join what he is doing in the world?

6.     What are some ways our family can be a part of what God is doing in the world?

7.     Pray as a family.