Prayer: Father God as we continue our journey through advent, may we hear and rejoice in your message of good news. Amen.
Is your soul glorifying the Lord this morning? Are you bursting with joy as we come to celebrate the coming of Jesus our saviour as we remember his birth and look for his coming again when he will reign with mercy and justice for ever and ever.
There is much joy in our Isaiah reading and in Mary’s song also known as the Magnificat that we just heard sung by the Notre Dame choir.
Mary’s song is found in Luke’s gospel, she sings in response to her cousin Elizabeth telling her that she was blessed to be carrying the Lord. If you remember the story the Angel who told Mary that she was pregnant also told her that her much older cousin Elizabeth, who was thought to be barren, was also with child. Mary had rushed off excitedly after hearing the news to go to the hill country where Elizabeth was. She goes, no doubt, to confirm the Angels news and so they could share their joy together and the awesomeness of their situation. Elizabeth would have been a great comfort to Mary at this time too. It may have been amazing news but also somewhat daunting!
Mary finds that all the Angel said about Elizabeth to be true – which confirms to her that what he said about her is also true. Elizabeth welcomes her with open arms but more than that – the baby in her womb – whom we know to be John the Baptist – leaps for joy in welcome to Mary’s baby – the Lord Jesus Christ.
It must have been a beautiful scene. Elizabeth, moved by the Holy Spirit sings out exuberantly; Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.
It is in response to this that Mary sings out; My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour….
Mary may have been anxious and worried what people would think of her – unwed and pregnant and this may have got in the way of her response – but no – she humbles herself and praises God for fulfilling his promises to Israel and blessing her to be his instrument.
Mary and her cousin Elizabeth shared a dream, the ancient dreams and hopes of Israel. That one day all that the prophets had said would come true. As Jews they would have soaked themselves in the psalms and prophetic writings which spoke of mercy, hope, fulfilment, reversal, revolution, victory over evil and God coming to the rescue to save his people. They lived in a time of evil and brutality under Herod the great and Rome. They longed for the victory God promised and now here the long-awaited Messiah was coming…as a baby.
How exciting, how wonderful – no wonder she burst into song! Her song reflects those promises of God – the raising of the humble, the feeding of the hungry – the bringing down of the mighty. Things Jesus went on to do – Mary sang the message of the gospel. The good news.
As Elizabeth’s son grew – who we know to be John the Baptist – he went out preparing the way for Jesus – calling people to baptism and repentance. He was confident in proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and then King Herod had him thrown into prison as he didn’t like what John had to say about his personal life.
We may be surprised to read that while in prison John seemed to be having doubts about Jesus. Perhaps he was a little confused, maybe Jesus wasn’t being the kind of Messiah he was expecting. So, as we read in Matthew today John sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him… ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.’
Jesus is doing more than just simply pointing to a few miracles to convince John that he is ‘the one’. He refers John to Old Testament prophecies that he is fulfilling. Readings that Mary and Elizabeth certainly had their faith in. It is not by chance that our Old Testament reading today is Isaiah 35 which is one of the prophecies that Jesus would have been referring to. Have a look at verses 5 and 6, the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
Jesus sends a message to assure John that indeed he is ‘the one’ even if he is not doing what some expected, preaching fire and brimstone, or overthrowing the Romans. Jesus was still ‘the one’ when he hung on the cross. His defeat of the mighty was very different to how many would have imagined. God works in a great reversal – not in the expected way. God did not send his son into the palaces of royalty, but rather to a humble and faithful Mary and Joseph to be born in a stable.
He encourages John to stand firm in his faith as he finishes his message with ‘blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me’ or blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me.
Elizabeth had told Mary that she was blessed for believing in the fulfilment of the word spoken by the Lord.
We are blessed when we believe in God and his promises. There may be times when we might have doubts like John. Many question God at times of difficulty or suffering and we may be tempted to ask ‘God where are you? Are you for real?’
But Jesus says to us – yes, I am he. Your saviour and Lord. Put your trust in me. Follow me. And you will have everlasting joy.
Having come to earth to live and to die, Jesus knows our pain and suffering. And in the midst of living with the difficulties of this world he offers peace that passes all our understanding. He offers abundant life and joy through knowing him. He is the way to knowing that everlasting joy – for through him we can stand in God’s presence.
Isaiah 35 verse 8 talks about the highway…the holy way for God’s people to travel on. And in John’s gospel Jesus say’s that he is the way…the truth and the life. Isaiah says that at the end of this highway, the redeemed, those who have put their trust in Jesus shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. We can know this in part now but one day we will know this in full.
If you have wandered off that highway yourself, remember that God is always there to welcome you back and he gives us his holy spirit to help us to walk in his way. We as the Church are here to support one another – so reach out if you need prayer or support in your walk on God’s highway.
Or…Maybe you feel like you are in a desert place, or in exile like the Israelites, then I encourage you to read this Isaiah scripture again and hear the promises of God and put your trust in him like Mary and Elizabeth. The picture of the desert blooming and blossoming, rejoicing, and singing is a wonderful thing to anticipate. Everything is amplified in this passage, the lame don’t just walk, they leap like deer, the mute don’t just talk, they sing for joy and the waters burst forth in the desert.
As we soak ourselves in scripture and read the promises of God then perhaps like Mary, we will know that deep joy that comes from knowing God. That would certainly bring on a genuine smile – my spirits have certainly been lifted as I have read and studied these scriptures this last week. It doesn’t mean we won’t have times of sadness – but deeper than that is a joy in the Lord that can give us strength…reminds me of another song based on scripture…The joy of the Lord is my strength. We need that kind of strength as we face difficulties like I have with a husband very sick and in hospital, or when we look at the conflicts around the world and the devastation to many through natural disasters and I’m sure you all have your own trials and tribulations.
So as Isaiah says…be strong and do not fear…strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees…here is your God… he will come and save you. This prophecy has been fulfilled and we celebrate at Christmas that Jesus has indeed come to save us. Here is your God. (And, in advent we also anticipate that he is coming again.)
As we continue to journey through advent may we welcome Christ our Saviour who came to us as a baby, with our hearts full of thanksgiving that when we turn to him in repentance, he welcomes us and offers us such abundant and joyful life.
As you gather at Christmas to sing the well-known Carols, as we will tonight, and feast and celebrate with friends and family and give and receive gifts…may your hearts be full of joy because of God’s amazing gift to us – his son, our Saviour.
May your soul glorify the Lord and your spirit rejoice in God your Saviour.
Let us welcome Jesus and rejoice!
Prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for the joy you bring, fill our hearts with all joy and peace as we put our trust and faith in you. May we share your joy with the broken and disheartened in the world. Amen.