Mary's Song

Luke 1:46-55

Mary’s Song

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.”

I’ve been thinking of Mary this week.  The mother of Jesus, the mother of the Son of God. I wonder what her daily life looked like.  What did she and Jesus do together, what were their conversations?  We all think our children are perfect, but Jesus . . . He really was.  Was she ever prideful, did she ever treat him differently from her other children?  Can you imagine the challenges it brings to a family when your oldest son is also the Son of God?  How do you keep balance in your family without jealousy or competition ripping it apart?  How do you instill confidence in all of your other children who are so precious to God?  Do you think the other wives were jealous of her?  Can you imagine the criticism she got about her parenting skills?  How did she not crumble under the pressure of raising Jesus? 

I’m not sure where I’m going with this except to say Mary was an extraordinary woman with faith so strong in God.  I wish I was more like her and able to praise God from such devotion, love, and gratitude.  At such a young age she was tasked with something so difficult to face from a worldly perspective, yet she did without question.  In her song (Luke 1: 46-55) she glorified God for what He was going to do for the world through her and her faith in that thought was enough for her to face the doubt and criticism of others.   Her confidence and hope was unshakable.

There is so much to learn from her and the faith she had that made her God’s chosen one to become the mother of Jesus.  I hope this Advent you will keep reading, learning, studying the word of God.  For we all will be tasked with trials and circumstances of moments we will be called to do the work of God that stands against the work of the world.  And when that moment comes, we need the faith and trust that Mary had in God, and hopefully, we respond as she did to that call.  “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”   (Luke 1:38)

Grace and Peace,

LeAnn Jones