Wonder - Day 16
The wonder of possible impossibilities
Luke 1:46-56
46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
The great song of Mary’s heard, often referred to as Mary’s Magnificant. It is named that after the Latin, Magnificant anima mea Dominum, which means “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
Mary is so overwhelmed by God’s goodness, impacted by His grace, that she can’t help but sing.
I think maybe seeing Elizabeth’s belly helped Mary realize that her encounter with Gabriel wasn’t a dream. It helped confirm that what was said was going to happen, will in fact and is in fact, happening. She will become pregnant, she will give birth to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and God has shone His incredible grace by choosing her to bring Him into the world.
In her song, Mary ties the whole story of the Scriptures together by connecting her present moment, with the promise given 100’s of years before to Abraham. This helps her and us realize that all of our stories are somehow tied together by a thread. I call that thread, the gospel. That God has always been, and always is, and always will be working in our stories to lead us to Him. His desire is to restore us and Him to how things were meant to be. As it says in Revelation, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.” (Revelation 22:3b, NLT)
As we walk this planet, knowing that something is wrong and not how it was intended to be, God has also been anxiously awaiting the day when He can be with His creation, face to face, as we were in the beginning. He is going to save us, He is going to restore us, because His love for us is higher and wider and longer and deeper than anything we can possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:14-21, NLT).
So may we learn to join the choir of voices, along with Mary, that sing Oh, my soul praises the Lord. How my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”
QUESTIONS
Luke 1:46-56
46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
The great song of Mary’s heard, often referred to as Mary’s Magnificant. It is named that after the Latin, Magnificant anima mea Dominum, which means “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
Mary is so overwhelmed by God’s goodness, impacted by His grace, that she can’t help but sing.
I think maybe seeing Elizabeth’s belly helped Mary realize that her encounter with Gabriel wasn’t a dream. It helped confirm that what was said was going to happen, will in fact and is in fact, happening. She will become pregnant, she will give birth to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and God has shone His incredible grace by choosing her to bring Him into the world.
In her song, Mary ties the whole story of the Scriptures together by connecting her present moment, with the promise given 100’s of years before to Abraham. This helps her and us realize that all of our stories are somehow tied together by a thread. I call that thread, the gospel. That God has always been, and always is, and always will be working in our stories to lead us to Him. His desire is to restore us and Him to how things were meant to be. As it says in Revelation, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.” (Revelation 22:3b, NLT)
As we walk this planet, knowing that something is wrong and not how it was intended to be, God has also been anxiously awaiting the day when He can be with His creation, face to face, as we were in the beginning. He is going to save us, He is going to restore us, because His love for us is higher and wider and longer and deeper than anything we can possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:14-21, NLT).
So may we learn to join the choir of voices, along with Mary, that sing Oh, my soul praises the Lord. How my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”
QUESTIONS
- Think of a gift you desperately wanted when you were a child that you did end up getting. How did it feel to get that gift, how did you respond?
- Can you remember wanting a gift that you never received? What was that disappointment like? Were you able to move on, get over it? What happened?
- How would you live your life today, if tomorrow you knew that you would see Jesus?
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