Responding to God

Campbell Dye December 12, 2021 0 2

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Luke 1: 46-49 (NRSV)

46 And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.

This is “The Magnificat”, Mary’s great song of praise to God which we find near the beginning of Luke’s story of Jesus. How this innocent teenager responds to God’s plan for her is astonishing. From a steady, simple, if unexciting life she has been catapulted into a world where she is to be the mother of God and become the most famous woman in history.

Where we might expect trepidation, we see courage. Where we might expect bitterness, we find willing acceptance, and where we might expect a bit of “look at me” bragging we find, instead, a model of powerful humility.

The opening strains of Mary’s song strike three particular notes which resonate down the centuries:

First, Mary not only recognises that God is her “saviour”, but her spirit “rejoices” in Him. She knows that God of the ages is everything she needs and celebrates the fact.

Secondly, she reflects that God “has been mindful” of her, a humble servant of God. Of all people who have every walked this Earth, Mary had such a unique insight into how God is not remote from us – He is interested in each of us to an excitingly intimate degree. In Mary’s case, there could be no more personal intervention between the divine and the human.

Thirdly, Mary responds to God’s decision that she should be the mother of His Son by exclaiming that God “has done great things for me”. Her response to God’s overwhelming involvement in her life is to celebrate with thankfulness and awe.

How do we respond to God? Do we shout with joy at His awesomeness? Do we cry with gratitude that He never abandons us? Do we praise Him again and again for all that He has done for us? As we prepare to celebrate the Christ Child during Advent, let’s create our own songs of joy to the Lord.

PRAYER:

Almighty God, grant me Mary’s humility, thankfulness and joy and make me overflow with the need to praise you and thank you for all that you have done for me. AMEN