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| My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour |
“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low
estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall
call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy
is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to
generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud
in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their
seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good
things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant
Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham,
and to his seed for ever. And Mary abode with her about three months, and
returned to her own house.” (St.
Luke 1:46-56)
The first Song of Christmas
is the Magnificat of Mary, pg 26 of the Prayer Book, that begins
with the words of Gospel of St. Luke 1:46-55:
One can sense the great joy and
devotion of Mary in this instant of Thanksgiving Prayer. As I was driving to my office a few
days ago in the pre-dawn darkness, the air was cold and pristine. The stars
sparkled from a cloudless sky. I began thinking about the innocent young Mary
who was visited by the Archangel Gabriel so many years ago in a village called
Nazareth. I thought about her being at home doing her daily chores - all alone.
She must have been shocked at the warm Light that illumined her in her solace,
but she was not overly fearful. I believe the approach of God always gives us a
great peace. As I was contemplating this scene, I wondered, "What would
have happened had her parents been present?" I'm sure the Angel would have
deliberately chosen a time that would be a quiet, solitary moment when He could
approach Mary alone. I believe that is precisely characteristic of God and His
Holy Spirit. I believe He most often speaks to us when there are no others to
distract our attention. His voice is soft and still toward those of His own
choosing. Had her parents been present, it is unlikely that Mary would have
seen or heard the voice and presence of the great Archangel Gabriel sent from
the Father. As I thought on these things, my heart melted with love for her,
and her Child, and the Father who demonstrated such great Love to us, and to
her. (AOC Christmas Letter, 9 December 2006 Anno Domini)
The birds of the
morning sing most sweetly at dawn, and after refreshing Spring rains, too. The
dawn of the Gospel follows the shadows and psalmody of the Old Testament. It is
quite natural that the shadow should resemble the image of the true form. When
we read the Magnificat of Mary, we are reminded of those gentle strains and shadows
of the same given in the early scenes of Israel.
Please examine with
me the words of the lovely Hannah after God has granted her the desire of her
heart (the baby Samuel):
My heart rejoiceth
in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine
enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding
proudly; let not arrogancy come
out of your mouth: for the LORD is
a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty
men are broken, and they that
stumbled are girded with strength. They
that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that
the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The
LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The
LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He
raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and
lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of
glory: for the pillars of the earth are
the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of
his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall
no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out
of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the
earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his
anointed. (1 Sam 2:1-10)
The most beautiful
words follow beautiful experiences or thoughts. But beauty needs a purity of
environment for its manifestation, and it has found its ultimate satisfaction
in the gentle heart of a young Virgin. Her great joy could not have been fully
realized at the abrupt revelations provided by the great Angel. But Mary has
travelled into the hill country of Israel. On every hand of her journey, she
has been reminded by the great and Godly heritage of Israel by the mementos along
the way of prophets, kings, and mountains of exceedingly precious events. As
she walks the rough terrain into these Great Lone Hills, her heart is fixed on
the child conceived in her womb, of the Mighty Angel, and upon the Lord of her
salvation! She is overcome with humility and love – humility because she is
well aware of her shortcomings and seeming unworthiness for the great honor
afforded her and, Love, because she has in her body the manifestation and
meaning of Love Itself.
“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the
Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Mary had a soul that magnified the Lord as
a jeweler’s lens magnifies the excellence of a diamond. Observe that the lenses
of a microscope do not alter the structural appearance of its object, but rather
bears out the true structure and detail of it. Her soul was open to the nature
of the Lord and made it appear large and clear to those who met her. Do our
souls do this? Our souls are made magnifiers of the Lord whenever we rejoice in
God our Savior! Have you had moments of despair turned suddenly into wonderful
experiences of Joy in Christ? If I am sad and down, I can alter that emotion at
any time by singing the great old hymns of the church. After a few lines of
singing those spiritual and biblical lines, I have forgotten my sorrow and bask
in the light and love of God. Try it, my friend!
“For he hath regarded the low estate of
his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me
blessed.” Mary is perfectly satisfied to be only a handmaiden of
the Lord. Did I say ONLY? Being an handmaiden, a doorman, a
gardener, or a butler for the Lord surpasses the office of King in any of the
great kingdoms of the world – past or present. Mary freely admits to her low
estate and does not claim any higher position, but realizes her low estate has
lifted her above the greatest of women in the eyes of the Lord. Though only a
simple handmaiden, ALL GENERATIONS will call her blessed.
“For he that is mighty hath done to me
great things; and holy is his name.” No matter how low our station
and esteem among men, the Lord our God can do great things in and through us.
He is not only Holy, but His name, too, is Holy. He is every whit Holy.
“And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.”
God’s mercy is not confined to a single people, or a single period of time. It
encompasses every nation, tribe, and tongue; and it is eternal in its
application. Note that the fear of the Lord will always precede his mercy, for
His mercy cannot be granted to those who presume upon His grace with scorn or
cunning.
“He
hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts.” Should we ever forget how God’s
outstretched arm brought us over and through the waters to His haven of safety?
“And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with
an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with
wonders.” (Deut 26:8) Have
we failed to witness the same on our own behalf? If so we have eyes to see and
see not, and ears to hear and hear not. The proud He has scattered across the
depths of the Red Seas of life. He vanquished the giant, Goliath, with a single
smooth river stone from the sling of a young boy. He has confused the wisdom of
the high and mighty and exalted the simple to the heights of His Love.
“He hath put down the mighty from their
seats, and exalted them of low degree.” Balshazzar was deposed in a single stroke
of the Finger of God. Ahab has God humbled and Jezebel has He made to be food
for dogs. A shepherd boy has God exalted as King in Saul’s stead. A poor
Moabitess widow has He lifted into the line of Christ and of David. Fishermen
and publicans has He called to the Office of Apostles, the leper has He
embraced and healed, the widow’s mites has He exalted to greater wealth than
all the world can contain. If we shall be exalted, we must first and always
seek the lower seats. Have you done so?
“He
hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” Our friend and brother, the beggar
Lazarus, rest in the bosom of Abraham while the rich man of opulence begs for a
drop of water in the fires of Hell where his money and filthy rags of sin will
avail him no relief or comfort.
“He
hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy.” The
evidence of His mercy permeates the Bible account from beginning to end: “Blessed
is the people that know the
joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In
thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be
exalted. For thou art the
glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. For
the LORD is our defence; and
the Holy One of Israel is our
king. Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid
help upon one that is mighty; I
have exalted one chosen out of
the people. “ (Psalms 89:15-19)
“As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham,
and to his seed for ever.” Have you been granted the grace of being called by that great name –
the seed of Abraham? If you have not had, it is simply because you have refused
to accept the promise and become a true child of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob,
and ultimately of God.
“And
Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.”
Can you imagine the blissful fellowship these two dear ladies enjoyed for
those three months? It is very possible that Mary remained with Elizabeth until
her child, John, was born for Elizabeth, we are told, was six months with child
at the moment of the Annunciation and, having remained three months longer
would take us to the nine months for the normal course of the pregnancy of
Elizabeth. Whether she was present at his birth or not, she certainly lived to
see John a great prophet in Israel and her own Son, Jesus, as the Mighty Savior
of all time and Eternity! Have you lived sufficiently to have seen Him?
