Advent: The Songs of Christmas

The Jewish Rabbinical religion of that day expected the Messiah to come to the learned and powerful and make an alliance with them to defeat the foes of God. All man-centered religion wants to boasts of its works, its ceremonies, and its ability to placate and please a holy God. That is idolatry. Atheistic man is proud and wants to build a tower made by his hands. The Nimrod impulse exists in the hearts of many today who think that through science or government or finance we can solve our dilemmas. That is atheism.

But, Mary here provided the theological grounding for her praise: God is God and we are not. And that is good. God Himself told us:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.

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For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:6-9 NKJV).

St. Paul picked up on Mary’s theology when he wrote:

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27).

The gospel of a Savior dying on a cross is abhorrent to religious man who desires to make his own arrangements for salvation. The gospel of grace, that the Almighty offers eternal life as a gift to repentant sinners, seems contrary to what we know. The irony of the Gospel, though, is our salvation. God came to us in a manger to a maiden from the backwoods, not to a nursery with a nanny in a palace. His power is revealed in weakness. His death is the key to life. His Crown was first molded in thorns. His people are often beaten for their faith, but are more than conquerors. This is the irony of the Gospel. And it is precious to those who are as our Lord said: “poor in spirit.”

There is another great theological statement here from the voice of Mary:

The Incarnation Is about God’s Covenant

Dr. Robert L. Reymond called this section of Mary’s Song one of the great theological statements in the Bible.¹ Here Mary is a covenant theologian. The foundation of Mary’s praise rested in her undeniable understanding of God’s covenant. Listen again:

He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.

Mary is remembering Genesis 12:2 in which God promised to Abraham:

I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing…And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (NKJV).

The Incarnation of Christ is the fulfillment of the ancient promises. The Christmas Story is the story of the Bible. The birth of the Lord Jesus was promised to Abraham and brought to fulfillment through Mary.

That Covenant is a wonderful promise to you and your family. God has blessed us with the opportunity to enter into His family by trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord. The blessings are for now and forever. The blessings extend from Abraham to Mary and to you and me today and to those afar off who will hear and believe.