Mary's Magnificat: Advent Week 4

Anyone raised in a traditional liturgical church should be familiar with Mary’s Magnificat, or Mary’s Song. Anyone at all familiar with choral or classical music should also recognize the name, if not the words. It’s basically her song of worship and praise for the baby that is in her womb as well as for Elizabeth’s miracle as well. At least, that is how it is commonly seen.

On this last week of Advent, people normally tell of the birth of the Christ-child, of peaceful mangers, starry nights, of Kings wrapped in swaddling clothes. While those are the reason for the season, I’m going in a completely different direction for this holiday. Let’s back up from Jesus’ birth for a bit to his mother and her song.

On the surface, it seems like a typical song of praise. And it is. Mary was praising God for remembering the humble and remembering his promise with Abraham. But Mary isn’t the only one in the Bible to have sung such a song. There was another woman, another miracle of birth, ages ago. 1 Samuel 2:1-10 is Hannah’s song of praise. Hannah and Mary’s songs sound quite similar. They have similar themes, even similar wording. They exalt the Lord, they praise God for his faithfulness to Israel, and his commitment to the poor and lowly.

Perhaps both songs can be seen as a part of one longer tradition. Mary’s song praises God, yes, but it also acknowledges that God favors the lowly. Reminiscent of many of the Psalms, Mary says that God brings down rulers but lifts up the humble (meaning poor in station). God fills the hungry but sends the rich away empty. Both women were in difficult situations: Hannah had just given up her child, and Mary was an unwed mother. Yet through the difficulties, they found the strength to recognize the sovereignty of God.

Perhaps, instead of a peaceful lullaby or a sweet song of praise, Mary’s Magnificat should be seen as more of a battle cry. She understands the pain of the poor, the hungry, the lowly, the outcast. She raises her voice on their behalf and tells of the Lord’s redemption.

During the Christmas season, it’s easy to get caught up in the dross that surrounds us. It’s easy to lose sight of the Christ when we are drowning in our own troubles. It’s easy to feel helpless when we’re eating Christmas dinner and so many people are starving. There are so many ills in the world that it’s easy to lose focus. And when those hurts are close to us, we carry them around with us; inside of us. Even during Christmas, supposedly a joyful time, churches are still filled with broken people.

So on this, the fourth week of Advent, a week generally associated with hope, let’s re-read the Magnificat and realize that God is not finished yet. He is still working. I repeat the cry of David in Psalm 27:

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13)

Let us cast off our cares, just for the moment and praise God for His ultimate victory over the troubles of the world. Hunger? No problem. Poverty? Taken care of. Jesus Christ was born to die for our sins so that we can be redeemed. That is victory. That is the ultimate battle cry. That is Christmas.