Bible Passage: Luke 1:39-55
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: December 22, 2024

Bulletin December 22, 2024

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

You have likely all seen this before.  People are gathered around opening gifts at Christmas.  There is that person frantically tearing paper off a package.  They open the box and then there is a pause…and a gasp!  And then they say, “For me?!”  The answer is, “Of course it’s for you!  The little tag on the present had your name on it!”

But they aren’t really asking if it was for them.  When a person exclaims, “For me?” they are really making a point, aren’t they?  The point is really, “I can’t believe you are giving ME such a gift!  I don’t feel worthy of such a gift!”

In our text today, Mary, the mother of Jesus, says those words “For me.”  She says them as she thinks about the baby she is carrying and the significance of that moment in time.  She can hardly believe God is using her to bring the Savior into the world.  She doesn’t feel worthy of it all.  She can scarcely believe the great things God has done for her. As we listen to Mary say, “For me,” so may we say of the Lord in the spirit of Mary:  Great Things…FOR ME!

Mary has made the trip from Nazareth in Galilee to the hill country of Judea to visit her relative, Elizabeth.  Mary is just newly expecting and Elizabeth is about six months along.  Mary has made the trip because the angel Gabriel had used Elizabeth’s pregnancy as evidence that God can do the impossible.  Elizabeth was old and barren, yet she was pregnant!  Mary was young and a virgin, and pregnant!  God can do the impossible!

When Mary greets Elizabeth, little baby John, all of about 24 weeks along, wiggles with delight inside her.  Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and cries out, “Blessed are you, Mary, and blessed is your baby!  But why am I so blessed to have the mother of my Lord come to ME?  My baby leaped for joy when he heard your voice!  Blessed are you for trusting that the Lord will keep his promises!”

Now it’s Mary’s turn to talk.  Elizabeth wanted to talk about Mary; Mary wanted to talk about the Lord!  My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God, my Savior. (v. 46-47)  Maybe some of you remember the way the King James Version translates Mary’s words:  My soul doth magnify the Lord.  “Magnify.”  That is why this song of Mary is called “The Magnificat.”  Mary wants to magnify God!  Mary wants to put the Lord under the magnifying glass and make him big!

And here’s why.  Because he has looked with favor on the humble state of his servant.  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me. (v. 48-49)  “The Mighty One has done great things FOR ME!”  says Mary.  And the first “great thing” Mary sings about is this great, unexpected mercy of God.  He has looked with favor on the humble state of his servant.

Who was Mary?  Was she a queen, like Queen Esther?  Was she an empress, like Catherine the Great of Russia?  She was, and we mean no disrespect, a nobody.  She was just a poor, young girl living in the insignificant village of Nazareth in Galilee.  And the Lord sent an angel to her to say, You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. (Luke 1:31-32)  Now Mary could put her hand on her tummy, feel the tiny baby-bump, and say, “I am the ‘woman’ of Genesis 3:15!  The baby I am carrying is the promised Seed who will crush the Serpent’s head.  This little bump is the world’s Savior!  This little bump is MY Savior!  What great things God has done for ME!”

Mary goes on to poetically proclaim this “great thing” about God:  in his kingdom, he delights to do the unexpected!  He delights to tip things on their head.  He passes by proud rulers and he lifts up the humble.  He feeds the hungry and sends the overfed rich away.

This mercy of God is a great thing!  Think about it.  Who are you?  Who am I?  Paul’s words to the Corinthians certainly apply to us:  Think of what you were when you were called.  Not many of you were wise by human standards (Any Nobel prize winners here today?); not many were influential (Any social media influencers present today?); not many were of noble birth (Any of you here descended from George Washington?  No?  What a bunch of nobodies we are!  Indeed…) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 1:26-30)  Listen to that last part again:  It is because of HIM that you are in Christ.  It is not because of you.  It is because of him and his great mercy!

Mary knew it was all about great things for me, not great things from me.  You don’t have to try to impress God.  The Kingdom of God is “come-as-you-are,” not as you imagine yourself to be.  God isn’t looking for anything from you.  He isn’t looking for impressive credentials or a top-flite resume from you.  He only wants to give to you.  He wants to give you all the blessings of the Christ.  He doesn’t want you to give him your attempt at righteousness.  He wants to give you Christ’s righteousness!   He doesn’t want an IOU or a promise from you to make up for your sin.  That insults his grace!  He wants to give!  He wants to give you forgiveness.  He wants to give you shalom, peace.  He wants to give you heaven.  He wants to give you the same joy of forgiveness that Mary had when she sang, My spirit rejoices in God my Savior (v. 47)  He does great things for you, so that in the end you might magnify him with Mary, “Great things…FOR ME!”

Amen.