Have Yourself a Mary Little Christmas

Luke 1:46 And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. "For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond slave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. "For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name." AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. "He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. "HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; and sent away the rich empty-handed." He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever."

Christmas time, more than any other time of year, should be a time for worship. One of the most magnificent passages of praise and worship is found in Luke chapter 1.

In this chapter, the angel Gabriel visits Mary following his appearance to Zechariah. He tells her that she has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus who would be great and called the Son of the Most High. What's more he would be given the throne of his father David and would reign over the house of Jacob forever in a kingdom that would never end. When Mary asks, "How will this be?" Gabriel reveals that it would be because the Holy Spirit would make it so; the son the virgin would bear would be the Son of God. Mary showed great humility and piety in her response, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Mary embarks on a three-day journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth. She traveled eighty to one hundred miles from Nazareth to the hill country of Judah. Mary enters the home and greets Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's voice, Elizabeth's baby, John the Baptist, leaps in his mother's womb. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth immediately knows that Mary is carrying the Christ-child, God's son. Elizabeth rejoices that God would find her worthy and honor her with a visit from the mother of the Lord. She is amazed at God's involvement in her life.

Meanwhile, Mary is unable contain her joy! She worships God in song expressing her praise to him for what he has done to her and what he would do for believing Israel as well as all those who fear him.

This song of praise is called the Magnificat. Found in Luke 1:46-55, it is a beautiful, magnificent song of praise and worship to the Mighty God. Mary knew she was blessed. Not because of anything she had done, but because of what God had done. She says in verse 48, generations to generations will count her blessed because of her son and His greatness. Eugene Peterson's The Message, Mary praises God saying,

"I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten."

How easy it is for us, even at Christmas time, to forget what God has done for us. Our live are hurried and hectic and we rarely take the time to praise God for who He is.

Psalm 95:1-7 says Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.

The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand."

This is the essence of true worship. We worship God for who He is and what He has done for us.

….His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. …He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high." Luke 1:50, 54 The Message

When we consider God's mercy of our lives, how it flows in on us wave after wave; how God piles it on high; we too should be like Mary, unable to contain our joy and be filled with worship and praise to Mighty God.