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Celebrating Advent - December 15

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Sing: Angels We Have Heard On High

Reading: Luke 1:46-56

And Mary said,

 “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Summary (for your preparation): Consider this insight from John MacArthur:


"Mary replied with prophetic words of her own. Her saying is known as the Magnificat (Latin for the first word of Mary’s outpouring of praise). It is really a hymn about the incarnation. Without question, it is a song of unspeakable joy and the most magnificent psalm of worship in the New Testament. It is the equal of any Old Testament psalm, and it bears a strong resemblance to Hannah’s famous hymn of praise for the birth of Samuel. It is filled with messianic hope, scriptural language, and references to the Abrahamic covenant"

Interestingly, Catholics so illogically revere Mary when she is one of the greatest Scriptural examples of what it looks like to worship God. If we truly understand Mary she would teach us that all glory belongs to God and God alone. Her song of praise is shot through with Old Testament language, proving Mary was a woman who truly knew and understood God's Word. While it may be the most complete Psalm of the New Testament, it bears striking resemblance to Hannah's song of praise in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. 

Teaching Tip: If your children are old enough and they are aware of way Mary is worshipped within Catholicism, you can use this song of hers to help them understand why we do not worship Mary. Help them to see the character of Mary (humble, reverent, understanding of the Scriptures). More importantly, help them to see the character of God (faithful, merciful, everlasting, just, etc). Children need to see that God alone is worthy to be worshipped and Mary's response of praise is fitting worship for how she rejoices in him.

Questions/Responses:

Can you imagine what it would be like to be Mary? What are some of the most incredible things that have happened to her already? An angel talked to her, Elizabeth got pregnant, she got pregnant, she is carrying the long expected Savior, Jesus, in her belly!

 How do you think this would make you feel? Scared, excited, nervous, happy, maybe a little bit of everything? ...

 Do you think Mary understands how special this is? How can we know? Yes, she sings a song of praise and worships God with her whole heart.

 What does Magnificat mean? Mary's outpouring of praise.

 What are some things we learn about Mary's character? She loves God, she knows his Word, she had been waiting for the Savior that Israel had been waiting for as well!

 Does Mary get proud and show off and tell everyone that she is carrying the Messiah in her belly? No, she is humble and she gives God praise for what he has done!

 What are some things we learn about God's character? God is faithful from generation to generation, he is merciful and just, he favors the humble and stands against the proud, he works for those who put their trust in him and punishes those who are against him.

 What can we learn from Mary? We can learn that God is worthy of our praise and he alone is to be worshipped for what he has done!

Prayer and Ending

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for this awesome story about how you chose someone like Mary to carry the Savior of the World. Oh God, you are not impressed with the strongest and the smartest, but you give favor to those who trust you and know you through your Holy Word. May we come to know your plan of salvation in Christ so that we will worship you with all of our heart, just like Mary did. AMEN!

 Sources Quoted: Blog with John MacArthur: "Mary's Magnificat."

http://www.gty.org/blog/B141205/marys-magnificat

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