Our scripture this morning is Luke 1:45-47 (RSV).
“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
“The Magnificat”, Mary’s song which glorifies the Lord, is one of the most beautiful expressions of praise ever recorded. I encourage you to read all of Luke 1 in order to appreciate the magnitude of what happens in this chapter, but especially verses 46-55. God continues His plan of salvation by sending His Son to live as one of us and teach us His love.
Other examples of individual songs of praise in scripture are Hannah’s Song (1 Samuel 2:1-10), Zechariah’s Prophecy (Luke 1:68-79) and Simeon blessing the Christ Child (Luke 2:29-32). In each case people were filled with the Holy Spirit and offered God praise and thanks for His gifts to us. They saw how God was active in His creation and were moved to worship Him.
Sadly, our reactions to God’s blessings often seem nothing like these. We may not even recognize what we have been given through His love in everyday situations, but God continues to act in our lives, just as He has always done. May we be filled in the same way as we await the coming of our Lord.
Heavenly Father, we are sorry for our lack of awareness of what You do for us on a daily basis. Help us to see the joy of living as Jesus taught us and send us to share that blessing with all Your children. Amen.
