Mary
Luke 1:26-38, 46-55
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left 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.”
As we near the end of the Jesse Tree, Mary takes us back to almost the beginning. In the final line of Mary’s song, also known as “The Magnificat”, she asserts that the son born to her is a direct fulfillment of God’s promise to help Israel and to be merciful to the family of Abraham. Although it’s taken a long time to get here, the Savior is now about to arrive and with him a whole new way of seeing and relating to God. Surely Mary’s relationship to God was changed from this moment on. God’s messenger had called her high favored, God’s son would dwell in her womb, and God’s plan was being worked in the life of this young woman from a small town.
But Mary immediately points beyond herself to see that God’s plan was also working in all those who humble themselves before the Lord. Read The Magnificat again and notice who is mentioned and how God relates to them. The humble are lifted up, the hungry are filled, those who fear the Lord experience mercy. On the other hand, those who are proud, rich and those who abuse power are scattered, sent away and brought down. Where do you see yourself reflected in this passage? In what ways are you humble and hungry? In what ways are you proud and rich? Allow Mary’s words to comfort and challenge you, drawing you closer to Jesus, who came to show us what God’s love is like.
Prayer:
Share with God any reflections you have on the Magnificat. If you feel humble and hungry, ask God for what you need and ask for help to remember His promises. If you feel proud and rich, ask God to help you turn around and to use what you have to lift up others. Remember that regardless of where you find yourself, God’s love is with you and God wants to include you in his good plans just as he included Mary.