Luke 1:46-55
And Mary said “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” Luke 1:46-55 (NRSVUE)
This is Mary’s song, and it is called the “Magnificat,” which translated in Latin means “magnify.” Mary sings this upon visiting her cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant (with John the Baptist). Prior to visiting her cousin, Mary had received a visit from the angel Gabriel who informed Mary that she was to give birth to Jesus, the son of God. Mary was still processing this news when she went to visit Elizabeth.
While Mary could have reflected on the anxiety she may have been feeling, her song instead is full of gratitude at being chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. She recognizes that despite being an ordinary young woman, she has been chosen by God for a miraculous purpose. She is aware that generations to come will call her blessed, and she sings God’s glory of having exalted her while acknowledging her lowly place in this world.
As I write this devotion, the 2026 World Cup is taking place, and as of this day sixteen teams remain to compete. One team, Cape Verde, recently lost their match to Argentina. There were many plays that will be recounted (for years) but, the biggest takeaway would have to be the eight saves that goalie Vozinha made to keep Cape Verde competitive to the very end – four at the expense of the great Lionel Messi. Cape Verde had never before been to the World Cup, and Argentina was the reigning champion from the previous World Cup. When asked about playing Argentina, Vozinha had this to say, “Messi is the greatest footballer of all time. Sharing the pitch with Messi is a dream and I’ll proudly tell my kids I played against him one day.” Vozinha, who will be arguably one of the most relevant and recognized players of the 2026 World Cup, was so humble and sincerely just grateful for the opportunity to play the game with Lionel Messi.
The common thread here is that humility and greatness can exist at the same time. Knowing that God had exalted Mary, a sinner and an ordinary woman proves that God’s kingdom functions differently than the world then and now. God’s mercy extends to those that fear him. Mary goes on to sing that God will bring down those who exalt themselves. And in the end Mary sings of God’s promise to Abraham.
Questions for Reflection:
- How do we continue to recognize that God’s world is the world for which we need to live and not the earthly world?
- What would our song about God and his blessings sound like?
Prayer:
Dear Señor, (as an Argentinian would pray)
Thank you for your many blessings. We are grateful for your continued presence in our daily lives. Thank you for meeting us where we are in our humble lives. Thank you for your promises made and kept with the arrival of our Savior Jesus. We are ordinary human beings and yet the grace of God is ours. Amazing…grace. That is truly something to sing about. Amen.
(My son-in-law is from Argentina!)
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