Song of Mary (Magnificat)


ADVENT 1

Luke 1:46-55

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,
even as he said to our fathers."

Each Advent I like to present meditations for that Christmas season. Advent comes from a Latin word meaning "to come." The Old Testament believers looked for the Savior to come and redeem them. New Testament believers look for that same Redeemer to come back and gather us for all eternity.

This year I wish to share the four songs of Christmas found in Scriptures, all in the Gospel of Luke. They are the Song of Mary (Magnificat), the Song of Zechariah (Benedictus), the Song of the Angels (Gloria in Excelsis Deo), and the Song of Simeon (Nunc Dimittis).

This week we begin with the first in the series, the Song of Mary. It is also known as the Magnificat, which is the first word of the song in Latin. "Magnificat" means "[it] glorifies" as the Latin, roughly translated, is "my heart glorifies."

At this point, stop and consider Mary's plight. She is probably a teenager. She is a devout Jewish girl who doesn't "play with the boys." She is visited by a stranger and is told by this bright, frightful stranger that she will have a baby, a baby from Jahweh himself! How would you respond?

At one time in our societal history "wayward" girls often went out of town to visit an "aunt." This was a euphemism that an unmarried woman was with child and she was away from society's eyes and gossiping tongues, which would surely wag. When the child was born and placed for adoption, the young lady returned home with dignity, if not conscience, intact.

The copyright of the article Song of Mary (Magnificat) in Lutheranism is owned by John L. Hoh, Jr.. Permission to republish Song of Mary (Magnificat) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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