Pastor Ian delivers the third message in this series for Christmas, titled ‘Heart Songs For Christmas’.
Reading from Luke 1:39-56.
Mary spoke a word of revelation, that she would bear God’s only son.
Mary made a journey to see her relative Elizabeth, who she found to be already six months pregnant. Mary had previously made many journeys including this one but this was not the most important journey.
The most important was from her head to her heart. The journey was not a physical one but an internal one.
Her life plan was about to dramatically changed.
In v. 46-47, she declared that her soul and her Spirit rejoices, there is a separation of the two things.
Mary’s song reveals something very significant about praising and worshipping God. Although v.46 comes first, it is in the present tense ‘My soul magnifies’, whereas v.47 is in the past tense. ‘My spirit has rejoiced.’ Both phrases are unique in scripture.
In other words, her soul magnifies God because her spirit has already rejoiced in God.
A spirit that rejoices in God leads to a soul that magnifies God. (Big Him up)
“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
Luke 1:46-47 ESV
Biblically, the soul is the root and seat of our emotions. It’s a reference to our inner self, our emotional centre. It is through our soul, we feel connected to people. We think about them, we have feelings towards them.
The Spirit is the side that connects us to the Father. The natural cannot connect us to the Father. it’s the part of us that understands what God has done for through Christ and what He wants to do in us through HIs spirit. It’s the part of us that understands what God Himself has won for us.
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
Romans 8:14 ESV
Our Spirit is the part that makes us alive both to and In Christ.
Our natural response to God having understood who He is, is to worship Him in spirit.
Mary’s response was through her song, her worship starts with the Spirit.
“And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”
Luke 1:35 ESV
A scriptural truth necessary to understand is that God alone is holy, not Mary. She was certainly Jesus’s mother and she was blessed. But it is God alone who is Holy.
Remember that this was no ordinary pregnancy or birth, God conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit and put Him into Mary’s womb. That is what makes him Holy.
Jesus is NOT an emotion or feeling. We worship Him because of who He is.
Mary has an understanding of God, that is why she could worship God through the Spirit and scriptures.
Our sin separates us from God. We are not good enough. Mary was not good enough. But He came into this world to save us from our sins.
We pray that you will find and sing your own heart song. Recognising that we all need the Spirit to connect us to our Father God. He loves us you and longs to speak and connect with you today. Accept God’s free gift of his Son that you may receive him.