DECEMBER 11TH
Magnify
Luke 1:39-55 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
One thing that makes the entire Christmas season stand out from every other holiday is the music. Some people might even take it a little too far and start playing Christmas music in October. You don't hear Labor Day music or Thanksgiving songs on the radio, and people don't go door-to-door singing patriotic songs on the Fourth of July. Yet for more than a month, sometimes much longer, people sing along to songs all about Christmas, from Santa and his reindeers to the nativity scene.
The relationship between music and Christmas isn't a new thing. Even the birth of Jesus was announced and celebrated with music right from the time Jesus was conceived. The person who wrote and sang the very first Christmas song was none other than Jesus' mother Mary. The passage above in Luke 1 is known as Mary's song. We hear Mary's song when she sings it to her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of the yet-to-be-born John the Baptist. The song has also been known as the Magnificat, the Latin word for “magnify”, because in the first line of the song, Mary declares that her soul magnifies or glorifies the Lord. This line sums up the state of Mary's heart as she considers what the angel told her and the part she will play in God's plan to redeem the world through Jesus. Far from becoming conceited or arrogant about her role as the mother of the Messiah, Mary is gracious, humbled, and awed by God's goodness to her, His mercy to those who fear Him, and the promises He has kept to His people. Her very soul is crying out for God to be magnified, made greater, and praised to the highest level, where He belongs. It makes sense that since Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, He should be magnified during this season however He can be: through words, poems, stories, art, plays, nativities, and songs.
Sadly, in today’s secular holiday season, Christ is often not magnified as He should be. More and more, Christ is minimized and pushed aside to make room for Frosty, Rudolph, and Santa, drowned out by songs about winter wonderlands, sleigh bells, and roasting chestnuts. All too often, not only is Jesus not magnified in our celebrations, He is hard to find even with a magnifying glass. Many of the people you work with, go to school with, or live next door to believe that Jesus is simply not important or worth celebrating. Many people see Him as small, far away, long ago, and no longer relevant. That is why you and I must be magnifiers of Christ, like Mary. We need to praise Him with our words and lives. We need to elevate His name through how we live, what we value, and what we stand for. Let us magnify Him in any way we can this Christmas and all year long.
The relationship between music and Christmas isn't a new thing. Even the birth of Jesus was announced and celebrated with music right from the time Jesus was conceived. The person who wrote and sang the very first Christmas song was none other than Jesus' mother Mary. The passage above in Luke 1 is known as Mary's song. We hear Mary's song when she sings it to her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of the yet-to-be-born John the Baptist. The song has also been known as the Magnificat, the Latin word for “magnify”, because in the first line of the song, Mary declares that her soul magnifies or glorifies the Lord. This line sums up the state of Mary's heart as she considers what the angel told her and the part she will play in God's plan to redeem the world through Jesus. Far from becoming conceited or arrogant about her role as the mother of the Messiah, Mary is gracious, humbled, and awed by God's goodness to her, His mercy to those who fear Him, and the promises He has kept to His people. Her very soul is crying out for God to be magnified, made greater, and praised to the highest level, where He belongs. It makes sense that since Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, He should be magnified during this season however He can be: through words, poems, stories, art, plays, nativities, and songs.
Sadly, in today’s secular holiday season, Christ is often not magnified as He should be. More and more, Christ is minimized and pushed aside to make room for Frosty, Rudolph, and Santa, drowned out by songs about winter wonderlands, sleigh bells, and roasting chestnuts. All too often, not only is Jesus not magnified in our celebrations, He is hard to find even with a magnifying glass. Many of the people you work with, go to school with, or live next door to believe that Jesus is simply not important or worth celebrating. Many people see Him as small, far away, long ago, and no longer relevant. That is why you and I must be magnifiers of Christ, like Mary. We need to praise Him with our words and lives. We need to elevate His name through how we live, what we value, and what we stand for. Let us magnify Him in any way we can this Christmas and all year long.