The Magnificat

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 113
• Hymn of Praise
• Prayer of Invocation
• Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 2:1-10
• Reception of New Members (Smokey and Elise Etheridge)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — Joy to the World
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26

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Sermon Title: The Magnificat

Scripture: Luke 1:46-56

I. Mary Magnifies God's Care for Her Personally

A. Mary's song follows her encounter with Elizabeth and the leaping of John the Baptist in the womb (Luke 1:41-45)

1. Mary's initial response to Gabriel was fear, confusion, then faithful acceptance — not yet exuberant joy (Luke 1:29, 34, 38)
2. The joy of Elizabeth becomes infectious, drawing Mary into song

B. Mary calls God my Savior — a deeply personal and spiritual declaration

1. The angel told Joseph the child's name is Jesus because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)
2. Mary, a sinner, magnifies the Lord because she is giving birth to her own Savior

C. Mary will be called blessed not because of her own greatness, but because of God's grace shown to her

1. The subject of every action verb in the Magnificat is God: he looked, he who is mighty, his mercy, he has shown strength, he has brought down, he has filled, he has helped, he spoke
2. We ought to long to be remembered not for what we accomplished, but for how great the God we served is

D. The paradox of God's holiness and mercy is resolved in the virgin birth (Luke 1:35)

1. God is holy — set apart from sinners — yet draws near to those who fear him in mercy
2. Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, is born holy and unstained by original sin
3. His holiness overwhelms and cleanses the filth of sinners rather than being overwhelmed by it — holiness and mercy meet in the incarnation

II. Mary Magnifies God's Care for the Poor

A. Verses 51–53 describe a grand reversal: the proud and mighty are humbled; the lowly and hungry are exalted (Luke 1:51-53)

B. This is not liberation theology — Mary is not teaching that God favors all economically poor people without exception

1. Verse 50 qualifies: mercy is for those who fear him
2. A poor man can be just as proud in his heart as a rich man — this is a pride of the heart, not merely a condition of the wallet

C. This is a common Old Testament literary device from the wisdom literature (Psalms and Proverbs), showing God's vindication of his humble, oppressed people against the proud rulers of the world

D. Mary herself is a signpost of this reversal — the humble estate of verse 52 is the same phrase she uses of herself in verse 48 (Luke 1:48, 52)

1. The eternal King of glory is born not of a queen or princess, but of a lowly Jewish teenager from the obscure town of Nazareth
2. Jesus's life is not a rags-to-riches story — he enters the world in humble poverty and leaves it in humiliated poverty on a cross
3. Our symbol of success is not a dollar sign or a title — it is a lowly manger and a shameful cross

E. Application: How many people do we overlook who are just like Mary — unremarkable by the world's standards?

1. God is pleased to draw near to and use such people as instruments of his glory
2. We reflect God to the world when we notice, draw near to, and love those whom society ignores

III. Mary Magnifies God's Care for His People

A. Mary's Magnificat echoes Hannah's song of praise in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, which is also reflected in Psalm 113 (the call to worship)

1. Psalm 113:7-8 directly quotes 1 Samuel 2:8
2. Psalm 113 is the first of the Hallel Psalms (Psalm 113–118), sung annually on the eve of Passover — the celebration of God's deliverance of Israel through the blood of the Passover lamb

B. Luke portrays Jesus as the inaugurator of a new exodus

1. At the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah speak of Jesus's departure — literally, his exodus (Luke 9:31)
2. Jesus is the new Passover Lamb whose blood brings a new exodus — not from Egypt to Canaan, but from bondage to sin and death into the heavenly realm
3. United to Christ by faith, believers are even now seated in heavenly places

C. Mary ends the Magnificat by pointing to Abraham's offspring (Luke 1:54-55)

1. God promised Abraham that through his offspring all nations would be blessed (Genesis 15)
2. That promise was partially fulfilled through the supernatural conception of Isaac to the barren Sarah
3. Paul identifies the singular offspring of Abraham as Christ (Galatians 3:16)
4. Mary's virgin conception is the ultimate fulfillment — not merely a barren woman but a virgin
5. All who are united to Christ become Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:29)

D. Conclusion: Mary's song of praise becomes the church's song of praise

1. We who belong to Christ are heirs of the Abrahamic promises and participants in the new exodus
2. This Christmas season, even amid darkness and confusion, our souls are to magnify the God of our salvation