Why Mary’s Song of Praise Still Echoes Through the Ages

Introduction

In this Advent sermon, Rev. Mark Fletcher explores Mary’s song of praise—the Magnificat—revealing her not as a passive figure but as a young woman of extraordinary faith whose voice shaped Christianity. Discover how Mary’s song of praise offers a revolutionary vision of God’s kingdom, reminding us of His faithfulness and inviting us to find our own song of worship this Christmas.

With the fall of the Roman Empire, as the dark ages fell across Europe and civilisation retreated and the rule of law crumbled, Christians started to form new types of communities to bear witness to how life could and should be. And to live according to a different set of rules from the increasingly heartless world.

And one of those rules, according to the great Saint Benedict, was to listen carefully to the voices that don’t usually get heard. Those on the margins, and particularly to the young. He said, God often reveals what is best to the youngest. Isn’t that a wonderful principle? And it was one that was held by those monastic communities over all of those years.

To this day, it is so often the case that the voices that get heard in our world are the rich and the powerful, but in Christian communities, we should be careful to listen to the least of voices first. And one of the things that’s wonderful about Luke’s gospel that we are studying at the moment is that Luke gives pride of place to just such a voice through whom God speaks.

Because the person at the heart of the Christian story is that lovely figure of Mary who is, never forget, simply a teenage girl. But she’s certainly not a passive figure as she has often presented on our Christmas cards, sitting quietly while other people do all of the talking. No, she has a voice and we should listen to her.

What is it that she has to say to us? How should we better understand Christmas from the one who was at the very heart of it? So the context of this is that Mary is now three months pregnant having been visited by the angel Gabriel, and at this time she chooses to travel to her cousin’s house from Galilee, her home to Judea, not far from Jerusalem.

And when she arrives, her cousin is understandably overjoyed to see her. But did you spot that it wasn’t just Elizabeth who was delighted, but her baby too. Verse 41 said, when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the baby leapt in her womb. Isn’t that delightful? And there’s good reason for that because Elizabeth is mother to the child who will become John the Baptist.

And here before their fateful meeting at the River Jordan, they meet once at the start of the story. And Elizabeth has this thing to say to Mary, and it’s a wonderful observation really, because she sees that what sets Mary apart is actually her great faith. So verse 45, she said, blessed are you Mary, because you have believed that the Lord will fulfil his promises to her.

Do you see what makes Mary this hugely significant figure is her ability to trust in God, not simply abstract belief, but a confidence in God which she is able to build her life upon, even though it is a great cost to her. Mary is one of the heroes of faith. And her response to Elizabeth is amazing. She has clearly been reflecting on this and praying about it and reading her Bible, and it is clear that God has spoken through her.

It’s a important thing to note actually that so often is how God speaks to us. That combination of prayer and reflection and scripture. And Mary’s response is poetic and profound. It’s clearly inspired by the Holy Spirit, but it’s also informed and rooted by the Old Testament scriptures, and it is in particular inspired by one of the other great female voices in the scriptures whose name is Hannah, who would become mother to the Prophet Samuel.

And what she gives us has come to be known as the Magnificat, this wonderful psalm or poem or song. And Magnificat comes from the opening line where she says, my soul glorifies the Lord. The word in Latin for glorifies is magnificat. So her response. Well, first and foremost, it is an expression of joy. It is worship.

It is delight in who God is and what he has done for her. It is a heart and soul overflowing with wonder as she realises how amazing it is to be part of God’s purposes. Verse 49 says, the Mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name. The Lord certainly has done wonderful things for Mary, but although she of course has this critical point in the story of God’s redemption, this unique place, we are all actually caught up in this.

It isn’t just Mary that God has done great things for. Through Jesus he has done great things for all of us. This is all of our song. And I fear that all too often we lack joy because we forget what God has done for us. We forget his mercy and his love, the way that he has redeemed our lives from the pit.

He has set us on a rock, his unfailing love and compassion. We forget these things. Or worse, perhaps we take them for granted. This Christmas, remember to experience the joy of Christmas. Remember what God has done for you. Remember verse 50, his mercy extends to those who fear him from generation to generation.

One of the things that we often struggle with is it seems like God is slow in fulfilling his promises. Slow in coming through for us. But never forget that the people of Mary’s generation had been waiting for centuries for the promised Messiah, for Jesus to arrive. And Christmas, the birth of Jesus, is proof that God doesn’t forget.

He doesn’t give up on us. And the prayers and the hopes and the tears of God’s people never go unheard and will be answered. But patience is an essential part of faith. And God’s timing is very rarely our timing. And so to be faithful is to wait. To be patient, but to do so with a confidence that God will fulfil his promises.

So she reminds us of what God has done for us. She reminds us that God is faithful to his promises. And then finally she reminds us that the kingdom of God is nothing like the kingdoms of this world. In fact, she reminds us of just how revolutionary Christmas actually is. Verse 52, Mary says, he has brought down rulers from their thrones and has lifted up the humble.

If you worry about this world, if you worry that the corrupt and the powerful seem to be untouchable, don’t be. The child born in a manger, born to be king is a king, unlike any other. A king of love, a servant king, and little by little his kingdom has overturned the kingdoms of this world and brought down the arrogant from their thrones and brought the proud to their knees, and he continues to do just that.

The proud, the self-centred have no part in God’s purposes. They are nowhere to be found in the Christmas story. But by contrast, he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. But there is a warning there. And it’s important to hear it because the greatest obstacle to being part of God’s purposes is not doubts or fears or honest questions.

It is pride. Pride that will not allow God to be God. Pride that says, my will not thy will be done. We need to learn, like Mary to say, here I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word. So this is the Magnificat and what a declaration it is. What a way to prepare for Christmas to see it through the eyes of the one who was at the heart of it.

The Magnificat is joyful and confident and full of faith in the revolutionary kingdom of God. It has been sung in monasteries and cathedrals and prayed in palaces, and to this day, it is prayed every evening by millions of Christians across the world in evening prayer. It has shaped our understanding of God.

It has shaped our imagination and her theology. What a legacy Mary, the mother of Jesus has. And it has even been set to the most glorious music by none less than JS Bach. So take the Magnificat this Christmas, allow it to shape your understanding and never miss how revolutionary it is. In fact, one of my favourite stories about the Magnificat is a time when it was omitted.

So the story is this, that the East India Company, which you might know as the sort of forerunner to the British Empire in India, produced a prayer book for its employees to take with them as they were working in India. And it was a beautiful printed edition of the old 1662 prayer book, and a lovely gift to those who worked for the company. However, they had, without telling anybody, made a couple of edits.

Isn’t that a remarkable thing to do? And one of the things that they had for some reason or other left out was this the Magnificat. And I can’t think why that could be, but maybe it is harder to oppress the poor of every evening you are reading the words he has brought down rulers from their thrones and sent the rich away empty.

The Magnificat is one of those sort of sleeping treasures within the Christian faith. Take hold of it. It is yours to own. It speaks of a God who has not given up on this world, and the Christmas story as told by Mary in Luke’s gospel, has something wonderfully revolutionary about it. This gospel has spread like wildfire amongst the poor of the ancient world.

It continues to do so amongst the marginalised to this day. And so my final question for you is, where is your magnificat this Christmas? Amidst the busyness and the abundance and the loveliness of this season, you will miss something authentic about Christmas unless you have time to take this to heart, to sing praise, and to quietly reflect on what God has done for you.

May your heart and soul give thanks to God and take those wonderful words of Mary for yourself because the Mighty one has done great things for you. Amen.