46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”(Luke 1)
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”(Luke 1)
JOY! That is the theme of today during this Advent season. It's the song of the angels to the shepherds and the testimony of the shepherds to all they encountered. But before that there was joy in the heart of the young woman who was carrying the Messiah. Mary here expresses her joy after hearing from Elizabeth that the child she was carrying - John the Baptist - leaped for Joy when Mary entered the room. Mary was with someone who understood. She knew that God was with her. She knew joy - that however crazy this experience might get, God was in control and all would be well. Christ's coming reminds us that God understands. God knows we have sinned; He knows we are tempted; He knows we tend to think that no one understands. Then He sent Jesus - to be tempted in all ways as we are, to struggle against sin and Satan, to experientially understand what it is like to be human. Christ understands. And though He came through it all without sin, He does not proudly say: "What's the problem? I did it, why can't you?" Instead He says "I did it for you." Joy says "Thank you," and trusts in the One who understands, forgives, and loves us.
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