1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. In our Advent midweek series, “All About Mary,” we have discovered that as we learn about Mary, we learn about Jesus. That has been true all along in Luke’s Gospel, and it is especially true today. In our text from Luke 1:46-55, Mary has just finished her astonishing conversation with the angel Gabriel. She does not linger. She rises and goes quickly to the hill country to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is six months pregnant with the child who will be known as John the Baptist. The message today is entitled, “And Mary Sang,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Do babies in the womb respond to things outside the womb? Every mother here knows the answer to that question. They most certainly do. Mary arrives, bearing the Christ Child. At this point Jesus is no more than a fertilized ovum, and yet He is already fully human, already fully divine, already the Savior of the world. Scripture speaks clearly and beautifully here: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jer. 1:5), and “You knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Ps. 139:13). These are holy mysteries, beyond our reason, yet clearly confessed by the Word of God.
3. When Mary greets Elizabeth, something remarkable happens: “The baby leaped in her womb.” (Luke 1:41) It’s not in the Bible, but I bet you a nickel she said, “Ouch!” or “Uff da!” or something like that first. John the Baptist, not yet born, already does what he was sent to do—he points to Jesus. And Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaks words that echo through the ages: “Why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:43)” By the Spirit’s inspiration, she knows exactly who dwells within Mary’s womb.
4. Then Mary speaks—really, she sings. And the words she sings have been sung by the Church for nearly two thousand years: the Magnificat. Beautiful words. Holy words. And words filled with joyful surprise. Because the Magnificat is really about holy comic reversals—the way God turns the world upside down.
5. God Lifts the Lowly. Mary begins with joy: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Why? Because God has looked upon her humble estate. She is not royalty. She is not wealthy. She is not powerful. And yet God has chosen her. She marvels that from now on all generations will call her blessed—not because of who she is, but because of what God has done. At the heart of this song is a confession: “He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Luke 1:46–48a, 51b–53). God is mighty. God is holy. And because He is holy, He judges rightly. Because He is mighty, He carries out His judgment.
6. All people of all time have appreciated comic reversals. For example, let’s say we have a cartoon mouse. He’s being chased by a cat. The cat is about to pounce. Just then, the mouse sees the mousetrap. He flips it up into the air. The trap snaps shut on the cat’s nose. “Yeeeoww!” The cheese falls out of the trap. The mouse grabs it and runs away laughing. The cats of this world love to torment the mice, don’t they? It’s so satisfying when the tables are turned, the cat gets his comeuppance, and the mouse gets away with it. Dante called his epic poem the Divine Comedy. And properly so. The world will end like this. Just when the powers of Satan are about to destroy the church, Christ comes down from heaven with his angels and throws the devil and his angels into the lake of fire forever and ever (Rev 20:7–10).
7. But here is the surprise: His judgment is mercy for the humble. “His mercy is for those who fear Him.” For those who know they are not holy. For those who repent. For those who cling not to themselves but to His promises. Mary herself is the picture of this faith. “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Scripture repeats this truth again and again: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:6) And nowhere is this more clearly seen than in Christ Himself, who humbled Himself unto death—even death on a cross—for you (Phil 2:7–8. He takes your sin. He gives you His holiness. That is the great exchange.
8. God Brings Down the Proud. Then come the reversals. God scatters the proud. He brings down the mighty from their thrones. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18) This is not new. Mary knows her Scriptures well. Think of Jezebel. She was the wicked wife of King Ahab. She browbeat her husband until he confiscated Naboth’s vineyard. But when Jehu overthrew Ahab’s son, he had Jezebel thrown out the window to the street, where her body was eaten by dogs. The runaway number one bestseller in Shakespeare’s day was, “Concerning the Fates of Famous Men.” It contained story after story of ambitious men who managed to be lifted up rapidly by the Wheel of Fortune in terms of wealth or fame, only to be tossed off by another turn of the wheel just when they were about to triumph.
9. But the greatest example is Satan himself. Once a glorious angel, filled with pride, he sought to make himself equal with God—and was cast down. And when Satan later tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus defeated him—not with power displays, but with the Word of God. Jesus did this for you, to rescue you from your own pride and from the devil’s accusations.
10. And then there is King Saul and King David. Saul, tall and impressive, chosen by human eyes, rejected because of pride and disobedience. David, the youngest, the shepherd, overlooked and forgotten—chosen by God. As 1 Samuel 16 says, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7). David is exalted, and from his line comes the true King—Jesus Christ, whose kingship was proclaimed on a sign above His cross. This is how God works. Faith, not flesh. Promise, not power. Grace, not pride. And even faith itself is God’s gift, delivered to us in the waters of Holy Baptism.
11. God Feeds the Hungry Mary speaks of hunger because hunger was always near. Famine was never far away. And so she sings: “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.” (Luke 1:53) And how does God fill us? With the greatest meal of all. With the true Body and Blood of Christ, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins. Here the hungry are filled. Here the empty are satisfied.
12. Mary ends by confessing that God has remembered His mercy. He has kept His promises to Abraham—and He has kept them for you. (Luke 1:54-55) The promises of forgiveness. Of peace. Of rest. Of eternal life. Promises spoken by Christ Himself and sealed by His cross and resurrection.
13. The Lord has come to rescue Israel from her enemies. How has he done so? By sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us. God has remembered his promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And to you. Listen: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer 31:34). “In my Father’s house are many rooms. . . . I go to prepare a place for you” (Jn 14:2). “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27). “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 23:43). And finally this: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:3–4).
14. Sing it with Mary! And so we sing with Mary. We rejoice with Mary. We magnify the Lord with Mary. Because God’s holy comedy ends not in tragedy, but in joy—joy that carries us all the way into eternity. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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