The text below is from a sermon I occasionally deliver on Mother’s Day.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, does not receive a lot of attention in Protestant churches. This is mostly a knee-jerk reaction from her exaltedness in the Catholic Church. It is as if we Protestants are so afraid of potentially worshiping her that we swing to the opposite extreme and eliminate her from conveying any significant theological reflection. This is unfortunate, not because Mary should be worshiped, prayed to, or seen in some way as miraculous in and of herself, but because she has some things to teach Christians of all stripes. Yes, Mary has some things to say, even to us Protestants! Put provocatively, Mary speaks doctrinally in the NT. Her song in Luke 1:46-55, called the Magnificat (Latin), is one of the most significant theological reflections in all of Christian Scripture.
Mary praises God for his graciousness toward her (vv. 46-49)
God is to be magnified and rejoiced in because he cares deeply for his creation by acting on behalf of individuals. God sees the minute details of our lives. He knows our humble state and seeks to lift us up. God is the sole source of blessing for his people. We do not bless ourselves nor do we provide for ourselves. Mary proclaims that when other people call us “blessed” it is because they recognize that God blessed us first. Further, the very ground of our existence is the gratuitous grace of God. Mary realizes that she is a recipient of God’s grace, which cannot be earned. Our blessedness is the Lord’s doing.
Mary recognizes that God’s grace extends beyond her (vv. 50-53)
God provides for the humble and hungry as he topples the arrogant and prideful. It is easy for us to be stingy with God’s grace. It is easy to take pride in receiving grace as though we are more special than others. But Mary reminds us that God extends his grace to all who fear him. And this is not once-and-done. God’s grace does not begin and end with us. Instead, he has been about the business of extending his grace from generation to generation, times past, present, and future. However, God is not the sole distributor of his grace. We, his people who have received his grace, bear the responsibility of sharing that grace with others. Mary reminds us that God’s grace is not to be hoarded but distributed. She also teaches us that it is not all about God’s grace; it is also about his judgment. As God exalts the humble he humbles the exalted. Rulers and rich who have no need for God are reduced to empty beggars. God could have chosen any of the rulers in the first century to be the bearer of the good news but he chose Mary, who had nothing, to be filled up with his grace.
Mary testifies that God keeps his promises (vv. 54-55)
God’s promises are rooted in his faithfulness, not ours. I once heard someone say that God’s promises are dependant on our response. That is a pretty high view of humanity and the kind of thought process Mary warns against in v. 51. Are we so proud that we actually believe our merits outweigh our failures (or will eventually do so) therefore granting us the right to inherit the eternal promises of God? Scripture is full of people and nations failing miserably in every aspect of life but who receive the precious promises of God in spite of their sins. Mary affirms that God’s faithfulness trumps our faithlessness and this must remain the core doctrine of the church.
