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- Apr 25, 2006
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21 December 2007
Word on the Web
Luke 1: 45-50
Then Mary said,
"My soul praises the Lord;
my heart rejoices in God my Saviour,
because he has shown his concern for his humble servant girl.
From now on, all people will say that I am blessed,
because the Powerful One has done great things for me.
His name is holy.
God will show his mercy forever and ever
to those who worship and serve him.
What is worship? Sometimes it's used as shorthand for singing - e.g. 'we'll now have a short time of worship'. But worship certainly shouldn't be limited to singing; it's much, much more than that. In the Letter to the Romans Paul says that we are to 'offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true worship' (12:1 TNIV). Mary certainly was willing to worship God in this way by literally offering her body to God's service to bear His Son!
Mary also worshipped God in song. In response to Elizabeth's spirit-filled poem/song of blessing that we read yesterday, Mary bursts into poetry/song in the words of what we now call 'The Magnificat'. We learn an awful lot of our theology, our God-understandings, from the hymns and songs we sing. So what can we learn about Mary's understanding of God from these opening verses of the Magnificat? God is:-
* Her Saviour
* The One who shows concern, and does great things for the humble and lowly
* The Powerful One
* Holy
* Always merciful to those who worship and serve Him
Mary's God is a powerful, holy and merciful Saviour, who acts on the behalf of all those who love Him - no matter what others might think of them. In response to this Mary can hardly contain her praise, her rejoicing, her worship. And it is the Son of this awesome, praise-worthy God who is growing quietly, silently in her womb - becoming like us, in everyway, that we might have a relationship of love and forgiveness with His amazing Father!
Next time you are singing a hymn/song take a good look at the words. What picture of God do they paint? How do these words compare with those of the Magnificat?
Almighty and awesome God my soul praises You,
My heart rejoices in You, my Saviour.
I pray that because You have shown Your love for me, a very ordinary person,
Others might recognise Your hand on my life and be drawn to You.
For You have done great things for me,
And I believe you always will do,
For You are always merciful to those who worship and serve you.
Thank You! Amen
Written by Christine Gore
Word on the Web
Luke 1: 45-50
Then Mary said,
"My soul praises the Lord;
my heart rejoices in God my Saviour,
because he has shown his concern for his humble servant girl.
From now on, all people will say that I am blessed,
because the Powerful One has done great things for me.
His name is holy.
God will show his mercy forever and ever
to those who worship and serve him.
What is worship? Sometimes it's used as shorthand for singing - e.g. 'we'll now have a short time of worship'. But worship certainly shouldn't be limited to singing; it's much, much more than that. In the Letter to the Romans Paul says that we are to 'offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true worship' (12:1 TNIV). Mary certainly was willing to worship God in this way by literally offering her body to God's service to bear His Son!
Mary also worshipped God in song. In response to Elizabeth's spirit-filled poem/song of blessing that we read yesterday, Mary bursts into poetry/song in the words of what we now call 'The Magnificat'. We learn an awful lot of our theology, our God-understandings, from the hymns and songs we sing. So what can we learn about Mary's understanding of God from these opening verses of the Magnificat? God is:-
* Her Saviour
* The One who shows concern, and does great things for the humble and lowly
* The Powerful One
* Holy
* Always merciful to those who worship and serve Him
Mary's God is a powerful, holy and merciful Saviour, who acts on the behalf of all those who love Him - no matter what others might think of them. In response to this Mary can hardly contain her praise, her rejoicing, her worship. And it is the Son of this awesome, praise-worthy God who is growing quietly, silently in her womb - becoming like us, in everyway, that we might have a relationship of love and forgiveness with His amazing Father!
Next time you are singing a hymn/song take a good look at the words. What picture of God do they paint? How do these words compare with those of the Magnificat?
Almighty and awesome God my soul praises You,
My heart rejoices in You, my Saviour.
I pray that because You have shown Your love for me, a very ordinary person,
Others might recognise Your hand on my life and be drawn to You.
For You have done great things for me,
And I believe you always will do,
For You are always merciful to those who worship and serve you.
Thank You! Amen
Written by Christine Gore
