Dec 20, 2009 - Did Mary Wear Reading Glasses?

Luke 1: 46-50 

And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord, 
⁴⁷   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 
⁴⁸for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 
⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name. 
⁵⁰His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation. 

The Christmas choir concert was outstanding Friday night!  The voices, instruments, the crowd and the sing-along hymns combined for a magnificent experience together.

Magnify: a transitive verb “to increase the importance attributed to somebody or something.” In the religious use, it is to give praise or thanks to God.

Main idea: The Lord is always with us, yet it’s the problems that usually get our best energy and occupy our time.  Therefore our faith tends to get minimized because we lose track of our reading lenses that magnify the Word of God & right things in life.

The praise chorus "We Exalt Thee" took on a whole new meaning when I heard my three-year-old daughter singing her version: "We exhaust thee. We exhaust thee, O Lord." -Tammy Lindsey, Utica, New York. Christian Reader, "Kids of the Kingdom."

(I put on my reading glasses to read this next part)

Reader glasses magnify the words on the page so they can be seen better. The words do not actually change in nature or size. They appear larger to us so that we can see and comprehend them better. So it is with God. When we magnify the Lord, it is to enlarge our perspective of God.

In Fiji, singing hymns can get you in trouble. About one million Methodists live in the south Pacific island country, and each summer 20,000 to 50,000 of them gather for a conference. Before the conference begins, they have a massive choral contest. About 10,000 people participate. They sing hymns. That's it. Hymns. 

But in July 2009, the government shut them down. "No choral contest this year," the government said. There is a lot of turmoil in Fiji, and the government feared that the big crowd might get out of hand. According to news reports, "Church officials said the government fears the conference and singing contest will lead to further political instability." Nothing like singing Methodists to make a government nervous!

They are on to something there, though. Christians worshiping the Lord really are dangerous—although perhaps not as those officials feared. Worshiping God in Christ upsets world systems. It magnifies another kingdom  - bringing it into view.   - Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois; source: Kim Cain, "Fiji Bans Massive Methodist Hymn-Sing," Religion News Service (7-31-09)

Mary’s response to the angel announcing the magnificent news to her was say, “let it be with me according to your Word.” And then she left her town to go spend several months with her cousin Elizabeth. It was then that the two pregnant women greeted one another. And Mary expresses her joy and faith through what has become known at the magnificat: Luke chapter 1, verses 46-55.

What exactly does Mary magnify that can help us live through challenges we face today and be dedicated followers of Christ like her?

Mary magnifies God as her Savior – even as she will conceive the Savior of our sins…

“‘My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour’,” verse 47.

“… For he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.” Verse 48.

She magnifies her God who executes compassion and justice on behalf of the humble…

“the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name” verse 49.

The name Jesus means He saves.

Those of us who participated in the Advent study of Handel’s Messiah learned so much about God’s redeeming actions through the lives of prophets and people. The bible texts put to music in such a way that the music reflects the emotions and power of the biblical Word – it magnifies God on a whole other level in addition to just reading the bible.

The two parts of the Messiah music involve Part 1 - the prophetic announcements of what God will do for the people: back then, as well as through God’s Son; The prophetic Savior is seen as the Good Shepherd who saves the sheep.

 Part 2 – will be taken up in Lent when Jesus becomes the Lamb of God to be sacrificed as an offering for our sins.

And all along, the brass, the strings, the men’s voices and the women’s vocals magnify God’s Word through marvelous music.

 Have you had a chance to drive around and see the Christmas lights yet? There are some incredible displays! Earlier this week the church staff enjoyed their Christmas party. It was hosted by the Terlouw family in their home – the staff and their families, including 7 children had a wonderful time together.  Then whoever wanted to loaded up into the church bus to go see the Christmas lights. 

The presence of the children changed everything! They were “oooo’ing and aaaah’ing” right away, and the adults joined right in. Someone began singing, and with the uninhibited nature of innocence, the kids carried the songs with joyful noise!: singing carols and hymns, even one song that their parents didn’t know and did not even know where they learned it! The group singing magnified the Christmas light viewing, and lit up our spirits even more.

Christmas holy-day season is a natural time to find ways to magnify the Lord and rejoice in God our Savior. It may be listening to music, seeing the lights, enjoying meals and time together with friends or family; whatever it is, let the activities magnify our God, Jesus Christ, and the faithful reason for the season.