Luke 1:46-56 – Magnificat

Read Luke 1:46-56

It’s with a heart like Mary’s we should all praise the Lord. Such a beautiful tribute to her God.  When is the last time you truly found delight like that in your Lord?

This canticle (song) is one of four similar hymns found in the book of Luke. We will encounter the other three in other posts. Many churches over the ages have incorporated this song into their worship services, liturgy, etc., particularly during Advent.

What would your magnificat sound like? Grab a piece of paper, or open a computer file, and start praising God. You’ll notice the form here. Start with praise to God for what he has done for you. Mary was overcome with the fact he chose to use her to make history.

Next, declare God’s greatness above all things. What do you feel inside about God when you think about what he has done. Let those words spill out on paper.

Finally, bring to mind a remembrance of the great things God has done, and there are many examples in the Bible you can use. Which ones speak to you? Feel free to elaborate on his goodness.

Here’s a beautiful example of Mary’s Song. Listen HERE.

If you are having any difficulties in writing your own praise song today, that’s okay. Just spend some extra time in prayer thanking God for all of the blessings in your life, all of the great things he has done over the ages, and don’t forget to thank him for the wonderful future he is preparing for you!

Let’s pray. Lord you are great and worthy to be praised. My heart overflows with adoration and praise. I sing to you a new song and thank you for the voice you have given me. May I use it for your glory and shine with your Spirit. You have fed many with little, you have healed many with afflictions, you have rescued me over and over again. Your power is great and you reign on high, forever. Thank you for loving me. May my words and deeds be pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Luke 1:39-45 – What Do You Believe In?

Read Luke 1:39-45

There is so much going on in this short passage. We are told that it was only a “few days” after receiving the message from the angel that Mary left to visit her relative, Elizabeth. I’m sure Mary was very excited to see Elizabeth and share “girl talk” about what was happening in their lives.

In Luke, we don’t see the interaction between Mary and Joseph, but could it be that she left quickly after telling him she was pregnant. Joseph’s anguish and deliberation takes place in the book of Matthew.

Mary didn’t have to say a word, as the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth with the knowledge of what was happening to Mary. Even the son in her womb leaped for joy!

Mary no doubt left behind a questioning fiancé and surrounded herself with family. With Elizabeth, an older woman, pregnant in her final trimester, Mary was probably a very good companion and helper. Mary was also able to process the reality of what was happening to her. I can’t even imagine being the mother of  God’s son, can you?

Is Mary alone in her blessedness? While she is the only one that will  ever carry the Son of God, we can all receive God’s blessing. Elizabeth said, “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Now I realize the context here is huge, but for us it can also speak volumes.

As we prepare our hearts for the Christmas season, and more importantly for the second coming, all we need to do is believe. Believe that God will do what he has said. There are so many promises in the Bible. We need to believe them. Even without seeing first, especially without seeing them. We will then have a faith that will set us apart.

Jesus told us he is going to return. We need to believe that with our whole heart. We need to feel the anticipation each and every day. We should be living our lives as if he were coming today.

What does that look like for you? Do you want to tidy your house and have some cookies in the oven? Do you want to walk away from an unhealthy relationship and rely on God’s perfect will for your life? Do you want to devote more time each day to building your relationship with God?

How can you change things up in your life to be more obedient to God, to be ready? What lies are filling your head and keeping you from believing God’s word to be true?

Let’s pray. Lord I come to you today yearning to be closer to you. Help me to shut out all the ugliness of the world so I can truly focus on you and your goodness. May your peace and mercy wash over me and give me a new sense of joy. As we celebrate your incarnation, may we stay truly expectant on your second coming. Lord, I want my heart to be ready. I want to help bring others to a faith and belief in you as well. Give me the words to say and the wisdom to know when to speak. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Luke 1:26-38 – Favor With God

Read Luke 1:26-38

Now it’s Mary’s turn to be visited by an angel with some unbelievable news. I imagine she is happy to be engaged, looking forward to her new life with Joseph as her husband. Perhaps there are wedding preparations underway. Weddings in those days  and in that culture were quite different, sometimes lasting for days. There would be a lot of people attending, sometimes the whole village.

But now, an angel appears and turns these plans upside down. But don’t we all long to hear these words, “for you have found favor with God!” That had to stop Mary in her tracks. As unbelievable as it sounded, she seemed much more willing and accepting of the message than Zechariah had of his own message in the last reading.

After trying to clarify how exactly a virgin could give birth, Mary was at peace. I love her words, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”  She was indeed the Lord’s servant. She was going to give him all she had – her body, her future, her trust. How willing are we to do the same?

One of my favorite Christmas songs is Mary, Did You Know?  Click here for song. The words are so beautiful. Having been pregnant myself, I know the joy of having a baby growing inside. But how different it would be to know the baby was God?! At each thought, there had to be a extra jolt of joy, coupled with fear.

As young moms, we already fear the responsibility. We already fear that we will fail our children. Imagine if your child was God himself. God chose to come to earth as one of us so that he could feel what we feel. While he created us, to truly understand our weaknesses, he had to become one of us.

I really respect Mary and her bravery. She understood her culture and what this would do to her reputation. From this reading however, it is clear that all she could do was thank God and surrender to him. We should take this good example and be ready to surrender ourselves. Are you holding yourself back from a full surrender to God?

What job has God given you to do? What do you think your purpose is for God’s kingdom? While we have all been gifted something, we don’t all use those gifts. Our purpose is to use the gifts God has given us to help those around us, to further his kingdom here on earth, and to make a difference. We are God’s hands and feet,  and we should be ready to do his will and serve others as he would serve.

Let’s pray. Father God, I thank you for the gifts you have given me. The joy and peace I feel when I use them for your glory is astounding. My wish for everyone is that they would experience this true joy. Don’t let me ignore your voice. I want to serve you, help others, and make this world a better place. Soften the hearts of those who resist. Provide understanding to those who aren’t following you. Draw me closer to your heart, oh God. Let me, too, find favor with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Luke 1:1-25 – Are You Serious?

Read Luke 1:1-25

As we embark on the Book of Luke, we are just a week away from Christmas. I realize you may be reading this post sometime in the future, not necessarily in December, and that’s okay. The Bible is always alive, and we can be “certain of the truth.” The message is always fresh and new.

Luke’s perspective of the birth of Jesus comes from Mary’s perspective, wherein Matthew’s account is from Joseph’s perspective. Today we see how God’s plan for bringing his son into the world actually started with Mary’s relatives, Elizabeth and Zechariah. God wanted someone (John) on the ground, setting the stage, to prepare the way for his son, the Messiah.

John’s parents were righteous and without children. We are told they were very old. I love when God uses the faithful, especially when it would be unexpected. We get a glimpse here of how priests did their work in those days. Was it by chance that Zechariah was chosen that day to enter the sanctuary? Or, had God been waiting to use that opportunity to make his move?

What was Zechariah’s response? He was “shaken and overwhelmed with fear.” I don’t know about you, but I’m guessing my response would have been much the same. We just don’t see angels every day. While we might hope for an angelic visit and a prophetic word from God, if it actually happened we might be a little afraid. At least a little.

What a message Zechariah heard. Quite unbelievable, I would say. What was running through Zechariah’s head? I’m sure his prayers for a son had ended long ago as they were now old. Now, to hear from God himself that the child you had longed for would be “great in the eyes of the Lord…filled with the Holy Spirit…a man with the spirit and power of Elijah,” all to prepare the people for the coming Lord. What a message! 

I can understand his moment of unbelief. It was all too good to be true. But his hesitation and doubt led to his not being able to speak…for months! That miracle is also incredulous, don’t you think? But what a bold statement God makes here.

God wants us to trust him and his word to be true, too. We should not question it. Even though we may not understand it, the message is from God, and that should be enough. What doubts are you struggling with today?

God can use us all for his purposes. Don’t we have the same assignment John did, to prepare the way for Jesus? It might look a little different, only because Jesus has lived, died and been risen again. Our story has even more dimensions than John’s would of at the time. Are you keeping it to yourself?

We must now prepare people for Jesus’ return. We don’t know when that will be, but we do know we need to be ready. That is what the season of Advent is all about. It’s placed before Christmas in the church liturgical year, but it is really something we should be proclaiming year round.

Advent means “coming” in Latin, so in church circles it is the coming of Christ. He has already come, and we wait for his second coming. I’ve also heard it said Jesus has come three times, once in Bethlehem, once into our hearts, and the last when he returns. Jesus does lives in us through his Holy Spirit, and we are empowered by the Spirit to do great things.

What are you doing for Jesus this day?

Let’s pray. Father, thank you for including me in your story of love and redemption. I marvel at how your plans are always so perfectly orchestrated. May I give you free reign in my life so that you work miracles through me. I don’t know what you have in store for me, but I look forward to each new day with anticipation and expectation. I pray for my children as they walk through life, that they will come to know you and appreciate all that you have done for them. May the wonder of the miracle of Christmas continue to grow in my heart this Christmas season. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

James 5:13-20 – Prayer is Powerful

Read James 5:13-20

The answer is the same – PRAY! The question could be, “What should I do next?” or “How am I ever going to make it through this day” or “Am I ever going to be well again?” Pray. Pray. Pray.

If you are searching for something or troubled by circumstance, pray. Prayers are answered everyday.

Do you ever wonder why your prayers aren’t answered. Could it be that they were just answered differently than you would have hoped?

Did you offer your prayer in faith? What does that mean to you? To me, it means I pray to God with the faith and assurance that he is going to answer my prayer according to his will. If we are praying outside his will for us, it is likely to be answered differently than we were hoping.

We used to use the first half of verse 16, in our recovery ministry. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” There is a lot of power in confessing your wrongs to another person. Sometimes it’s easier than confessing the same sin to God. Together, you can pray to God, for each other, and miraculous healing can take place. It’s almost like a double cleansing.

When we keep our sins and wrongdoings to ourselves, the guilt or shame can only fester inside us until we release it. What sin are you holding tight to, wanting to keep hidden from view?

The second half of verse 16, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” If we are right with God (righteous) our prayers will have more power. Our hearts are right and in direct alignment with  God’s will and plan for us. It is also more likely that our prayers won’t be for something outside of God’s will anyway, and therefore the results will be more dramatic. God looks at our hearts.

The book of James ends with  an observation about the one missing from the fold. God’s heart longs for his missing sheep that have wandered off. We all know one or more of these folks. They may be people who grew up in the faith but then walked away during college or as a young adult. Or perhaps they were new followers who were never connected with a church fellowship to shepherd them. Or perhaps it’s someone we see in church every Sunday but who has  never embraced a relationship with God.

James adds, “whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” We need to be that “whoever” and be watching for those brothers and sisters who have wandered off.

There are so many enticements in the world, as there have always been. It is our job to be strong and rise above and conquer. Yet, the little voices in our heads can be so convincing – “sleep in on Sunday, you deserve it” or “go ahead, nobody is watching.”

Don’t believe it. God is watching. God is waiting. We need to be praying and keeping ourselves connected to our creator.

Let’s pray. Lord thank you for the open line of communication we have with you to pray at all times. When something doesn’t go my way, help me overcome the disappointment. Instead of questioning why, may I turn to you and rely on your comfort and redirection. I know you heart longs for those lost to you to return. Use me God to help shepherd them back so they can have life and be forgiven. Lead me to those opportunities. Use our business and the contacts we make. Bless it for your purposes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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