“Merry Christmas!”—it’s the greeting of the season for the most anticipated day of the holiday—December 25th. We hear it at the checkout lines. We feature it on our greeting cards. We sing it in our beloved carols:
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy new year
Good tidings we bring
To you and your kin
Good tidings for Christmas
And a happy new year
But how often are you greeted with, “We wish you a Mary Christmas!” where the focus is not just on the celebration first coming of Christ as a baby born to a virgin, but the focus is the humility of Mary as the faithful servant used to bring about the second coming of Christ—the King of King and Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace? Mary sings praises to God for this magnificent opportunity in Luke 1:46-55 commonly known at the “Magnificat”. Mary extols God for keeping His promise to Abraham. Magnificat is named after the first line in the Latin canticle—Magnificat anima mea Dominum or “My Soul magnifies the Lord.” Called the Song of Mary, this praise song expresses her humility to have been found in favor of God to be used as a servant to bring about His purpose—peace to humanity.
To have a Mary Christmas to be mindful of your purpose in the second coming of Christ who will usher in an eternal peace, the theme of the fourth Sunday of Advent.
There are four things you need to have to have a Mary Christmas that makes
First, sing about what God has done for you according to verses 46-48:
46And Mary said: "My soul exalts the Lord, 47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48"For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond slave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
Recall how God has blessed you, not just with the big house, the new car with a red bow or the fancy career title. You are blessed when you are used to glorify God in using those blessings of health, wealth, and privilege to bless others. Be humble. Seek opportunities to say “yes” as a servant of God as Mary did.
Second, sing about who God is as Mary did in verses 49-50:
49"For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. 50"AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.
God is powerful. With the Mighty God, nothing is impossible (v.1:37), so a virgin birth was not beyond His capability and Mary’s faith. As a servant of God’s purpose, she would have an impact on her present generation and generations to come. Your kids are watching how you handle your God purpose.
Third, sing about God’s sovereignty according to verse 51-53. God is in control:
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
God controls the proud. Those who think they have it going on don’t if they are not in His will. God rearranges the power structure. If a poor, virgin teenager can be elevated to matriarch of God’s Son, he can use your position in society. Don’t disqualify yourself as His servant. It’s not where you’re from, but what you are called to be.
Fourth, sing about God’s care for His family of humanity as Mary acknowledged in verses 54-55:
54"He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, 55As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever."
As a highly favored servant of God, you, like Mary are an instrument of mercy for the entire family of God. In Genesis 12, God made a covenant promise to Abraham and his descendants—Isaac, Jacob, Joseph—that all families of the earth will be blessed forever. You are part of this eternal plan of the promise-keeping God. Magnificat.
Merry Christmas is a greeting for a day. When you hear it, may it trigger a
Mary Christmas in your Advent perspective of the second coming, prompting the question: Have I been a servant today—the greatest title we all can aspire until Christ of peace returns?
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