Henderson Hills Baptist Church

A Song worth Remembering

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.  Luke 1:46-56 (ESV)

Remember: God sent the angel Gabriel to an isolated little village of Nazareth to a young virgin named Mary. From that point on, Mary’s life would never be the same after that divine interruption. The angel stated that Mary had been chosen to carry the Messiah into the world. This was an overwhelming thought and an unprecedented gift!

As she sat among the crowd of remarkable people, she could not help but think back over the past seven years. She had dropped out of college over her parents’ strong objections, moved to southern California, and attempted to break into the business. Tonight, she was seated in the Kodak Theater near people she had watched on the silver screen for most of her life. She remembered the day that her parents took her across the country to visit Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood. As a child, she had stood among the foot and handprints outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre, comparing her own to that of Marilyn Monroe’s and Lucille Ball’s. Tonight, she was a half block away, sitting among the elite, marveling at her meteoric rise as an actor, and nomination for an academy award. It was too much to believe! What an honor this was! She reveled in the moment, pride dripping from her nervous smile, as her ears strained to hear the decision. “Now, in the category of best supporting actress....” The announcer listed four names and the reason for their nominations. The pause created by the opening of that envelope seemed to stop her heart; she could hardly breathe. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he spoke her name as the recipient of the Academy Award. As she stood to give her acceptance speech, she knew that she was special, gifted with an unusual talent, and fully expected to enthrall the masses for decades to come. Her time had arrived and she deserved every moment of it.

When great things happen to us, we are faced with the great temptation of pride. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why Mary was called to carry Christ into the world; there was not a hint of pride in her. In humility, she began to sing her song to God. We do not know the melody line or the time signature of this song but the lyrics have been preserved down through the ages for everyone to enjoy. Every word is a celebration of God! She understood, down deep in her bones, that every good thing that has ever happened has found its origin in Him. Now, the greatest of all expressions of His grace was expressed in her womb. Humility, astonishment, and gratefulness gushed out of her heart and through her lips like the most magnificent spring of life-giving water. Did she deserve this blessing? She did not and she would not have entertained the thought that she did. Did she want recognition or credit for the Immaculate Conception? Actually, that is the last thing in the world she wanted. She sang, “He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name...” And Mary knew that this great thing was not given to her alone, so she continued, “His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation….”

This song is sometimes called Mary’s Magnificat, meaning Mary’s magnification or glorifying God for the thing that He had done.

Some Protestants and Evangelicals in particular, are resistance of too much talk about Mary. Certainly, they resist the worship she is given by Roman Catholics. Their Mariology confirms on her the concept of “mediatory.” This unfortunately has led to the development of the belief that she is the Co-redemptrix with Christ. While this is not a formal dogma of the church, it does await papal approval. The point here is that such beliefs are not biblical. However, that overemphasis on Mary is wrong; we must not fail to give her great honor for what her sacrifices were. She consented to carry Jesus into the world, shared in His life, and suffered with Him at the foot of the cross. She is not to be worshiped or become an object of prayer but she should be respected for her humility, faith, and willingness to sacrifice all to Christ. Remember her song and sing it with her.

2 Peter 3:18

Dennis

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