Well, the good news of great joy that shines through the Christmas story is radically transformative
for those who respond to it in faith.
Of course, if you've been a Christian for very long at all, you know that to be true.
But the joy itself is actually a part of that transformation.
True joy that transcends the more basic feelings of happiness and sadness
is only experienced by individuals who, like Mary, take God at His Word
and receive by faith the person and work of Jesus Christ.
That's what we learned through the angel's announcement to Mary last week
as we begin this study in Luke chapter 1 and 2.
The angel's message was one of God's grace and salvation,
particularly through the incarnation of Christ.
That Mary, the virgin, would conceive a child
and that this child would be the Son of God
and the Messiah born to die, actually,
providing salvation by God's grace for all who will believe and follow Him.
And Mary's total trust in this, taking God at His Word,
is reflected in her response in verse 38.
You've got your Bible open.
Just look at it there, just one verse up from where we began.
In verse 38, Mary responds by saying,
Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.
Let it be to me according to your word.
And we have in this little statement just a wonderful reflection
of what it means to respond to the gospel message in faith,
in a true saving faith.
Mary hears the Word of God.
She understands, or at least begins to understand,
the fact of the gospel as it is represented in this child that she will have.
And her response is not to shrink away from that.
Her response actually is to say,
I belong to the Lord.
I will believe Him and I will follow Him in whatever path He leads me.
In today's text, we see the beginnings of how God continues to produce gospel joy
in the lives of those who come to Him in faith.
And what's unmistakable in this passage
is that this ongoing work of God's grace
is accomplished in the context of a community of believers.
This section is about how God directed Mary to a community of faith
where she was united with people of a common belief,
common experience, and a common hope.
And of course, all of this commonality,
all of this unity is founded ultimately
on their mutual faith in the gospel of Christ.
That's what we see unfolding here with Mary and Elizabeth.
And what we find here is that this is actually evidence of God's loving kindness.
It's His tender care that is revealed as He brings Mary and Elizabeth together
in these critical moments of their lives.
Now we need to think about this for just a moment from Mary's perspective.
Remember what we talked about last week.
Mary, Mary at this point, is probably somewhere between 12 and 14 years old.
Okay, Ashlyn, this month, in two weeks, Ashlyn's going to turn 11.
Can you imagine?
Chelsea's about to turn 12.
Can you imagine Chelsea coming to church here in just a few months
and saying, hey, I've got news.
An angel came to me and said that,
though I'm a virgin, I actually have a child in my womb,
and it's actually going to be the one who saves us all from sin and hell.
And what a difficult thing that would be for Chelsea in particular
to understand that and to believe it,
but then to actually try to get anyone else to believe it as well.
That would actually be a very lonely place for her, right?
Because none of us would believe her.
Even if her parents tried to agree with the news that she was sharing,
none of us are going to believe Deborah in that either,
because we would say that's not possible.
That's not possible.
And it would be a very lonely place.
Now imagine you're Mary, and that's your exact circumstance.
She has this news that's been delivered by an angel
whom no one has seen except for Zechariah.
No one has seen in at least 400 years
any kind of prophetic word that has come directly from the Lord.
And Mary, the 12 or 13-year-old from Nazareth of all places,
is the one where he decides to appear.
That's a lonely place to be.
And what we see unfolding in this passage
is God in his providence brings Mary to Elizabeth.
And in this moment, they share a commonality of faith,
a commonality of miraculous works of God's grace in their lives.
And Mary has at least in one other person
someone she can speak to,
someone she can be encouraged by,
someone who understands her circumstance and her condition.
That's a grace of the Lord in her life.
God united them in gospel companionship,
which produced prophetic assurances
that strengthen their faith all the more.
And then this work of God overflowed in young Mary
through this dynamic worship
as she reflected on God fulfilling his promises.
And I want to suggest to you this morning
that God's kindness through joyful gospel community
is not isolated to exceptional circumstances like Mary's.
It's actually his good design for all Christians.
It's his good design for you and me as well.
If you know Christ,
if you are a follower of Jesus,
you're a true disciple of Jesus,
you can go into this world
and you can share the news
about the miracle that God is working in your life.
And most people will not believe you.
And it'll be a lonely place.
But God in his providence
brings us together
with other people
who have experienced the same miracle
of God's grace in salvation.
We call it the local church.
And with these people,
we find a commonality,
a place where our faith is encouraged and strengthened,
a place where we find true worship,
spiritual growth.
So just as the angelic announcement
of verses 26 to 38
reflect the gospel message,
Mary's visit with Elizabeth
reflects the gospel community
that God desires for us to enjoy.
This good news of great joy,
as we're calling it,
is something that we share together.
And this is a helpful passage
in reminding us of that.
Three things I want to point out to you
as we go through.
And of course,
I bit off more than I could chew with this.
We're going to have to kind of
do a very surface level approach
to this section.
But hang with me as we do that, okay?
The first thing is this.
We find gospel companionship.
Gospel companionship.
Look with me at verse 39.
In those days,
Mary arose
and went with haste
into the hill country
to a town in Judah.
And she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
We can sense the excitement in Mary
as she wasted no time
in leaving Nazareth
to pay a visit to Elizabeth
in the mountains of Judea.
The fact that she made haste here,
as we see in verse 39,
made haste to get there,
shows the eagerness
with which she desired
to speak to Elizabeth.
And why is it that she wants
to go to Elizabeth?
Because the angel has just told her
in the previous passage
not only that she would be pregnant
and that her child would be
the Son of God and the Messiah,
but as a sign to assure her in that,
Gabriel says to her,
and God is doing this
in your relative Elizabeth as well.
So it's not entirely surprising
that as soon as the angel leaves,
Mary makes haste to go
and find Elizabeth
to see what is happening with her.
This trip would have taken
probably three to four days.
And you can only imagine
Mary's mind racing
all the questions
that were left unanswered
by the angel that appeared to her.
There's no mention of Mary's parents
in all of this,
which is strange, isn't it?
We don't know if they believed her.
We don't even know if she told them
what was happening.
All we know is that
within a few days
of Gabriel's announcement,
Mary had worked out a way
to travel 80 to 100 miles
to see Elizabeth.
Now the story of Zechariah
and Elizabeth
and their miraculous conception
is recorded in other parts
of the chapter.
I'll leave it to you
to read that on your own.
But here's basically the synopsis.
Zechariah was a Levite.
He was fulfilling his duty
serving in the temple
in Jerusalem.
And while he was performing
that duty,
this same angel appears to him
basically with the same message
that his wife
was going to bear a child.
Well, the problem with this,
or at least the miracle of it,
is that they were both
well beyond childbearing years
and Elizabeth had been
physically unable
to have children
her entire life.
So it's a miracle
the same way,
not in the same way
as it is with Mary.
We don't need to confuse the two.
Elizabeth was not a virgin
and Zechariah was the natural father
of their baby.
The miracle relates
to their age
and to their inability
to have a child
to begin with.
But their child
was no ordinary child either.
He would later be known
as John the Baptizer
and he would be
the prophetic forerunner
of the Messiah,
which the Old Testament
had also prophesied.
In fact,
Gabriel uses
a direct quote
from the prophet Malachi here.
Look back with me
in chapter 1.
Just look at verse 16.
You'll put your eyes
on it there.
And he will turn
many of the children
of Israel
to the Lord their God
and he will go before him
in the spirit
and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts
of the fathers
to the children
and the disobedient
to the wisdom
of the just
to make ready
for the Lord
a people prepared.
Okay,
that's a direct quotation
from the prophet Malachi.
There's other prophecies
particularly in Isaiah,
I believe,
where the prophets
had said God
had spoken through them
and said,
not only am I going
to eventually send
the Messiah,
but just before he arrives,
I'm going to send
another one.
It's not another Messiah,
another prophet.
This prophet is going
to preach
in the wilderness.
He's going to cry out
preparing the way
for the Lord Christ
to come.
He's preparing
the hearts of the people
and here comes
the angel Gabriel.
He appears to Zechariah
in the temple
and he says,
this child
will be this prophet
and he will prepare
the way
for the Christ.
Now,
what I believe
is noteworthy
about Mary's travel
to see Elizabeth
is that the scriptures
never indicate
that she was told
to go there.
The angel didn't tell her
to go see Elizabeth.
He only told her
that God was doing
a miraculous work
in Elizabeth as well.
Now,
it seems to have been
Mary's natural instinct
to seek out others
whom the angel told her
were also experiencing
God's grace.
And we can all relate
to that instinct
as we gravitate
toward people
with similar interests
and similar experiences
in life
because life was not designed
to be lived in isolation.
That's why isolation
and exile
has been considered
a judgment
and a punishment
going all the way back
to the time
that Cain murdered Abel.
All the way to today.
You get in trouble
in prison,
they send you
to isolation.
Some places
you get in trouble,
you break enough laws,
they send you
into exile.
Why?
Because life is not
meant to be lived alone.
It's not meant
to be lived
outside of community.
And so we naturally
gravitate toward people
in which we find
commonality
and we unite with them
in helping one another
through life.
But what's important
to see about Mary's
companionship
with Elizabeth
is that it was produced
by their mutual faith
in God's salvation,
specifically through the child
that was in Mary's womb.
God had not only
sent them
with good news,
messengers
with good news
of great joy,
but He was providing them
with gospel companionship
that would encourage
their hearts,
it would strengthen
their faith,
it would deepen
their worship
because God
has designed us
to function
within community.
community.
And nothing
can compare
to the kind
of companionship
that's experienced
in gospel
community
with other people
who have experienced
the same miraculous
touch of God
through Christ Jesus.
And this is exactly
what God has provided
to us in the church.
It's a wonderful grace
of the Lord
that we have one another
to share
in spiritual community
that's based
on our union
with Christ.
And if you're a Christian,
you've experienced
this work
and He desires
to continue
His work
in your life
through the local church.
The blessing
of Mary
and Elizabeth's
companionship
reflects
what we have together
in Christ.
And we should be
just as eager
as Mary
to do
as they did.
To unite together.
To be together.
To encourage
one another.
To help
one another.
You say,
how do we
actually do that?
How do we
prioritize that?
How do we
show this
eagerness
and live this
out in our lives?
There's lots of ways
that we do that.
One way
is that we
eagerly
make the trip.
Just like Mary did.
She wastes
no time
she sets
aside
everything else.
She's in the process
of preparing
for marriage.
That was an important
time in her life.
She sets
aside
these other things
and she makes
haste
to get to
where Elizabeth is.
I think there's
a picture in that
for us.
What do we do
as believers?
We set aside
the other things
of our life
that would get
in the way
of this
and we eagerly
make the trip.
We prioritize
the gathering
of God's people.
Particularly
in Sunday worship.
But of course
whenever we have
other opportunities
to do this
as well.
We prioritize
one another.
Prioritize time
with one another.
We work out
our schedules
to prioritize
worship.
Not find a place
to fit it in
if it works out.
We share
the work of God.
We talk to one
another about it.
Here's what the
Lord's doing
in my life.
Here's a joy
that He has brought
to my life
this week.
Here's a way
that He's
disciplining
me right now.
We sharpen
one another
in that way.
We rejoice
through worship.
Not only
in our
Sunday gatherings
we rejoice
in worship
when we go
and sit at coffee
and we reflect
on the goodness
of God
in our lives.
We lift our voices
in praise
and in prayer
to the Lord
through that.
We have gospel
companionship
reflected here.
Number two,
we see prophetic
assurances.
Prophetic
assurances.
So the good
news of Jesus
brought great
joy to Elizabeth
which reassured
Mary's heart.
That's what we
find here.
One of the
benefits of this
gospel companionship
is that God
uses other
believers to
help us.
Mary had already
demonstrated faith
in God's Word.
We read that
just a moment
ago.
But there's no
doubt that she
would have been
seeking some
reassurance
and clarity
from Elizabeth's
experience.
Isn't that the
whole reason
that the angel
even told her
about Elizabeth?
Of course.
There's two ways
that God
used this
encounter
to speak
prophetic
assurances
to Mary's
young heart.
The first one
is through
John's prophecy.
Look with me
at verses
41 and 44.
Verse 41,
when Elizabeth
heard the greeting
of Mary,
the baby
leaped
in her womb.
Now look
down at verse
44.
This is how
Elizabeth reflects
on that.
For behold,
when the sound
of your greeting
came to my ears,
the baby
in my womb
leaped
for joy.
Now this may
come as a shock
to you,
but I have
never
personally
been pregnant.
I don't
know what
it's like
to feel
a baby's
kick
in my body.
I've only
been able
to experience
that through
Julie,
which is a
unique experience,
but not in the
same way
that it was
for her.
Many of you
have experienced
this before.
We'd love to see
all these
children with us.
Many of you
have experienced
this many times
before.
Every mother
knows it.
She knows
what this is
like,
but there's
something unique
about what
Elizabeth felt
that day.
This wasn't
just any
ordinary
kick
in Elizabeth's
belly.
Otherwise,
Luke wouldn't
have bothered
to mention it,
and she
wouldn't have
bothered to
interpret it
the way
that she did.
There was
a prophet
in Elizabeth's
belly,
and this
was his
first prophecy.
When Mary
greeted Elizabeth,
the Spirit
of God
produced this
joyous leap.
That's what
Elizabeth said.
He leapt
for joy.
This was
an emotional
response from
the fetus
in Elizabeth's
belly,
which,
just as a
side note,
is another
reflection of
the Bible
stance on
the personhood
of children
who are still
in their
mother's
bellies.
From what I
understand,
the custom
of that day
required particular
forms of
greetings.
Mary would
have had a
particular greeting
that showed
great deference
and respect
for Elizabeth
as an elder
and as a
respected person
in their community
and perhaps
even in their
family.
But then
John leaps
in her belly
indicating that
John in this
moment is
showing that
the one who
really deserves
the deference,
the one who
really deserves
the reverence
and respect
is actually
the young
child in
Mary's
womb.
And it's
this joyous
announcement
of the
Messiah
that would
mark
John's
ministry.
John chapter
1 and
verse 6,
there was a
man sent
from God
whose name
was John.
He came
as a
witness
to bear
witness
about the
light
that all
might believe
through him.
He was
not the
light
but came
to bear
witness
about the
light.
And what
is John
doing
from his
earliest
moments
in his
mother's
womb?
He's
bearing
witness
about
the
light.
And of
course,
this carries
on into
adulthood.
In John
chapter 3,
John says
this,
John the
baptizer,
the one
who has
the bride
is the
bridegroom.
The friend
of the
bridegroom,
that's what
he was
calling,
referring to
himself about,
who stands
and hears
him,
rejoices
greatly at
the bridegroom's
voice.
Therefore,
this joy
of mine
is now
complete.
He must
increase,
but I
must
decrease.
From
Elizabeth's
wombs,
John is
already doing
this.
Mary shows
up with
the Messiah
in her
womb.
John leaps
for joy,
bearing witness
of the
light.
The Savior
has come.
He wasn't
bearing witness
of his own
miraculous
conception.
He was
bearing witness
of the
miraculous
conception
of the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
John's
purpose was
to point
everyone to
Jesus,
and he was
fulfilling
that purpose
before he
had even
been born.
born.
Now,
what amazing
assurance
this must
have been
for Mary.
At this
point in
Mary's
pregnancy,
it hasn't
been long
enough,
probably,
hasn't been
long enough
for her to
even experience
the nausea
and the
sickness that
comes along
with being
pregnant.
She made
great haste
to get to
Elizabeth after
this angel
appeared.
This may be
within a
week of
Gabriel's
appearance to
her.
She may be
still wondering
with doubts
in her mind,
is this really
true, or am I
just going crazy
right now?
And then when
she shows up
and she finds
Elizabeth, she
sees that the
work that God
is doing in
Elizabeth has a
way of producing
assurance,
for the work
that God is
doing in her
own heart and
in her own
life.
And isn't this
the blessing of
what God does
for us?
He brings us
together in
gospel companionship
and then what we
find is just in
the moments of
our lives where
we're really
beginning to
doubt, we're
really beginning
to wonder, is
this really all
true?
Can I really
trust and take
God at His
word in this
way?
And then we
get along with
another believer
and we listen to
how God is using
their life and
the Lord uses
that to
encourage our
own hearts, to
strengthen our
own faith.
And of course,
that's exactly
what is happening
with Mary.
But it's not just
John's prophecy,
it's Elizabeth's
prophecy as well.
Look at verse
42.
Elizabeth was
filled with the
Holy Spirit and
she exclaimed with
a loud cry,
blessed are you
among women,
blessed is the
fruit of your
womb.
And why is this
granted to me?
that the mother
of my Lord
should come to
me?
Before Mary even
had a chance to
explain what was
happening, the
Spirit of God
causes Elizabeth
to speak as if
she already knew
it all.
Notice what she
says.
She reiterated
Mary's blessedness.
That's what the
angel had told
Mary.
She acknowledged
her pregnancy.
She even
understood the
child to be
the Messiah.
Listen to her
words.
Why is this
granted to me
that the
mother of my
Lord should
come to me?
Surely this
exhilarated
Mary's heart.
Surely this
began to dispel
doubts that
were in her
mind that maybe
have crept into
her mind as she
traveled to
Judea.
And I think
what Mary
experiences here
with Elizabeth
is how God
intends for us
to help one
another.
We all
demonstrate our
faith in
Christ as
individuals, but
it is a
wonderful
encouragement to
gather with
Christians to
hear and see
how God is
working.
We have all
of these one
another commands
in the Bible.
We have these
moments where
the Lord uses
people to
confirm God's
work on our
lives.
Have you ever
experienced that
before?
We talked about
it in our
anniversary service
just a couple
of weeks ago.
One of the
things that is
so helpful to
me on the
days when I'm
really struggling
or the days when
I'm doubting or
wondering, did we
do this whole
church plant thing
just because Jared
wanted to be the
boss or was
tired of listening
to Jonathan or
just wanted to do
his own thing or
just needed a
change in his
life?
And then I can
go back to that
box of letters
that I have in
my office and I
can begin to read
those letters and
it just is a
helpful reminder to
me that yes, the
Lord was doing a
work in my life
in that process,
but there is an
amazing comfort that
comes from knowing
that that work was
affirmed by other
believers, that God
was doing his work
in me through others.
That's what's
happening for Mary.
I think he desires
for that to happen
with us.
Look at verse 45.
Verse 45.
Blessed is she who
believed that there
would be a
fulfillment of what
was spoken to her
from the Lord.
I love that all
these kids are in
here this morning and
I don't want them to
go away.
And this point is for
these children because
I want you to think
about what's happening
here.
This final portion of
Elizabeth's prophecy
is a formal
beatitude.
It's a beatitude
that's recognizing
Mary's faith.
Now this would have
had incredible
significance to
Elizabeth and to
Zechariah because
Zechariah did not
initially believe the
word of God.
In fact, he spends
the duration of
Elizabeth's pregnancy
mute.
God took his voice
away because he
doubted the message
of the angel.
He didn't believe the
word of the Lord.
And it was only
after John's birth
that he gets that
back.
This would have been a
significant statement
that as this man who
has spent his whole
life, a godly man,
that's what Luke says
in chapter 1, he's
godly, he's righteous,
he spent his life
serving the Lord in
the temple as a
Levite, doing everything
that God had asked him
to do, trusting the
promises of God.
But in this moment and
in this circumstance,
it was 12 and 13
year old Mary that
actually was the one
that believed the
word of God, not
Zechariah.
The statement is a
reminder that God is
pleased to bless those
who take him at his
word rather than those
who attempt to earn
his favor.
Hebrews 11, without
faith it's impossible
to please him.
For whoever would draw
near to God must believe
that he exists and that
he rewards those who
seek him.
But it's also a
reminder that age and
experience are not
prerequisites for
profound faith.
In fact, in our fallen
state, age and
experience can actually
become giant obstacles
to faith.
The longer we exist in
this flesh, the greater
our propensity for
self-reliance, self-
assurance, self-
guidance.
This is the reason that
Jesus said that if
you're going to be his
disciple, you must come
to him like a child,
trusting entirely in him
for salvation, trusting
entirely in him for
safety and security,
that his purposes will be
fulfilled in us in just
the way that God
intends.
And to insist that age
and experience is
necessary for genuine
faith is to deny the
reality of Mary's
trusting God here.
Now, I recognize she
wasn't a toddler, and
I'm not trying to draw
that particular
parallel.
I'm just saying that
it's pretty remarkable
that a young teenager
would demonstrate such
genuine faith.
No, she hasn't had
enough experience in
her life to really be
tested with whatever the
systems of the world
were.
She didn't understand
how to argue all the
things that maybe she
would need to argue as
she becomes an adult and
grows deeper in her
theological perspectives.
She wasn't there yet,
but she still had a
genuine faith, a
genuine faith that the
Bible then says was
blessed of the Lord.
It was genuine.
It was authentic.
It was not complete.
It was not thorough.
But it was real.
And I think we need to
remember that with our
children.
At this age, they cannot
understand all the things
that they need to
understand.
They can't argue positions
in the way that they'll
have to argue positions as
they grow older.
But they don't need to go
through the greatest
doubts of their life to
know that their faith is
real or to even be able
to have a real faith.
That's not the teaching
of the Bible.
They don't have to wait
to go through the worst
experiences in life to
know whether or not this
is all real and whether
it's true and whether
they're going to believe
it.
It's actually the opposite.
They need to establish
this now.
Kent Hughes said the
church must never make
the mistake of minimizing
or patronizing its youth.
Children must be taken
seriously.
Teenagers must be
intelligently challenged.
The church must invest
deeply in the spiritual
nurture and discipling
of its young.
That's something we need
to lay as a foundation
now as a people.
All of these kids are
going to be teenagers
before long.
Chelsea and Ashlyn and
Clementine are on the
cusp of it already.
And if they can go and
sit through a calculus
class in high school,
surely we can do better
than God told Noah to
build and Arky, Arky,
or whatever the songs are
that sometimes we sing,
it needs to take them
serious.
This thing goes for the
home.
Mary's faith was likely
the product of faithful
parents who are committed
to raising their children
in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord.
And Elizabeth is right.
The one who believes the
word of God will be
blessed by God.
And we all know how
strong the temptation to
doubt the Lord grows as we
age.
So we need to commit to
taking seriously the
discipling of our
children.
And then we need to go to
them and we need to learn
from them because there's a
lot we can learn from Mary,
a child, in this passage.
Gospel companionship,
prophetic assurances,
finally we'll be finished,
word-based worship.
Word-based worship.
These final verses,
verses 46 to 55,
they record what many
refer to as the very first
Christmas song.
We know for sure that its
contents composed one of the
earliest Christian hymns.
It's called the
Magnificent.
Perhaps the title given to
the paragraph in your Bible
maybe even says that, the
Magnificent.
That term comes from the
Latin translation of the
very first phrase, my soul
magnifies the Lord.
And like with all things
related to the Virgin Mary,
it's been misused by the
Roman Catholic tradition.
But we shouldn't let the
abuse of one group rob the
rest of us of its
significance in Christian
prayer and worship.
In fact, we do have a
tendency to do that from
time to time, don't we?
We understand as
Protestants that there is
something vastly different,
necessarily different between
us and Roman Catholicism and
some of the Orthodox
churches as well.
But we need to be careful
that we don't rob ourselves
of genuine, helpful,
uplifting tradition just
because it also is utilized in
some fashion in these other
churches.
The Magnificent is one of
those things.
We need to learn from it.
We need to examine it.
We could spend weeks really
examining it.
We're not going to do that.
In fact, I'm not even going
to read it.
I'm going to let you read it
again.
We've read it once already.
I'll let you read it on
your own time.
I just want to kind of do
a flyover of it as it
connects to the larger
context of this passage.
Okay?
Martin Luther said,
At home in my own house,
there is no warmth or
vigor in me.
But in the church, when the
multitude is gathered
together, a fire is
kindled in my heart and it
breaks its way through.
Now, I'm certain that
Luther had magnificent
moments of private worship
during his life.
There is no doubt about
that.
But his experience here and
what he says is actually
generally true for all of
us.
If you've ever attended a
professional sporting event,
if you're into that kind of
thing, there is a
difference between the way
that I cheer for the New
York Yankees in my living
room by myself or with
Julie, who doesn't care
about it, versus when I'm
actually in Yankee
Stadium in the South
Bronx and there's 55,000
people who have gathered
around me.
And I got to be, several
years ago, I was with my
brother and a friend, Ken
Baker.
We went and it just
happened to be Bernie
Williams night.
They were retiring this
stuff and putting them in
Monument Park.
It was Derek Jeter's first
night back to Yankee
Stadium since he retired.
And I've never heard a
play so loud in my life.
The game hasn't even
started yet.
And we're sitting in the
stands and the place is
deafeningly loud only
because Derek Jeter is
there.
Now, there's a
commonality in what's
happening between all
those people.
They're all there because
they love the Yankees.
And when they're together,
there is a difference in
the way that they cheer
than if I had been sitting
in my living room and
watching these pregame
rituals unfold.
You know what this is
like.
Our worship can be like
this sometimes.
There are unique moments
that we have in private
worship where the Lord is
working in us and we are
blessed beyond measure.
But there is a difference
between doing that in our
living rooms alone and when
we come together as God's
people and we sing his
praise together and we
reflect on his word
together.
That's what Luther's
getting at.
That is a part of what I
think is happening here for
Mary.
She's not alone now.
She's gone to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth has done this
work and explained this work
of God and it's uplifted her
heart.
It's encouraged her.
She has this assurance and
what that then produces in
Mary is this dynamic worship.
Now when you bring together a
group of individuals whose
unity is based on the union
that they find in Christ and
then you add to that that God's
spirit indwells each and every
one of them in a powerful way,
we should expect nothing less
than passionate worship that is
so reflected in Mary's prayer.
Every Sunday when we come
together, when we sing our
songs, when we read the words,
when we pray together, it
should have the passion and the
vigor because we have exactly
what Mary had.
We have companionship.
We have assurances.
We have the spirit of God in
our lives and that should be
reflected in the way that we
worship.
But the thing I want to point
out and I want you to notice
about Mary's worship before we
finish is that it's all based on
the scriptures.
It was the Bible that shaped
her heart and informed her
worship.
It was her dual sense of use of
soul and spirit that shows her
desire to give her whole self to
God in ways that mirror God's
command to love him with all our
heart and our soul and our mind
and our strength.
She made a direct allusion to the
prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1,
applying God's word to her own
experience.
She recognized the mercy of God
for the humble and the judgment
of God against the proud in the
same exact way that the Psalms do.
She praised God for his
faithfulness to the promises given
to Abraham and through the
prophets in the Old Testament.
All of this is what makes up
Mary's song.
Now critics will use the content
of Mary's prayer to deny its
authenticity.
They assert that an illiterate
13-year-old girl from Nazareth would
never be able to praise in such a
way that is so richly theological.
But what they fail to acknowledge is
that every young Israelite knew by
heart the biblical songs of Hannah,
Deborah, of David, these passages
were memorized.
They were regularly utilized in
Sabbath worship and on the feast
days.
Kent Hughes again says Mary's mind
was full of scripture and sacred
phraseology from what she heard both
in the synagogue and at home.
So when the Holy Spirit came upon her,
he took what she had and wove it into
his hallowed tapestry.
The magnificent, he says,
was a poignant, profound, divine
human composition.
It was nothing less.
Mary's prayer models the way that
every Christian should worship.
The scriptures should shape and
inform our words in private and in
corporate worship.
The more we know and study them,
the easier it will be to view life in
light of what God has said.
And what could give God more pleasure
than when his people passionately
worship him with his own inerrant,
infallible, and authoritative words?
Amazing worship.
Word-based worship.
Now Mary's visit to Elizabeth is a
beautiful picture of God's grace.
He unites us together.
He assures our hearts.
We teach one another through the word
and the result is dynamic worship
as we sing his words back to him.
But the foundation of this community
is faith in Christ.
Too many people attempt to find the
great joy without the good news.
But they've got that backwards.
You can never experience the everlasting
joy that's promised at Christmas
until you believe in and follow
the Christ of Christmas.
And when you come to faith in Jesus,
you'll find that his joy is abundant,
that he lavishes it on us in ways
we would never have imagined.
And that includes the glorious grace
that we find in the local church.
Companionship.
All centered on the gospel.
The good news of great joy.