Luke 1:46-55 Sermon Summary

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Why Mary's Worship Matters: Hope When Life Is Hard

Life doesn't always fit neatly on a smiling holiday postcard. 

Sometimes we do the right thing and it doesn't produce immediate fruit. Sometimes we get hit in the mouth and wonder whether God is good and sovereign, or whether He lets righteousness get punished by dark forces for no reason.

Mary found herself in exactly this kind of situation. She was faithful and obedient, simply going about her business as Joseph's engaged bride-to-be. Yet God called her to a difficult work precisely because He favored her. Her calling would subject both her and Joseph to public shame and reproach.

What Does It Mean to Be Favored by God?

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he greeted her as "O favored one." But this favor didn't look like blessing in the traditional sense. Mary would bear the Son of God while still a virgin, making it appear she had been unfaithful to Joseph. 

Joseph would initially plan to divorce her quietly until God sent a messenger in a dream.

Both Mary and Joseph were called to embrace what appeared to outsiders as a compromised situation.

Mark 6:3 refers to Jesus as "Mary's son" with no mention of Joseph - the first-century equivalent of calling
Jesus fatherless. Being favored by God sometimes feels more like being cursed when we look with mere eyes of flesh.

How Do We Respond When God's Call Feels Heavy?

Mary's response teaches us something profound about worship in difficult circumstances. Her worship wasn't mournful, though there's certainly a place for that. Instead, her worship carried a joyful and weighty declaration of hope.

Mary's response was deeply rooted in hope-filled faith that God's call and His execution of that call was good and right. She believed this so deeply that she could respond in joyful worship regardless of her circumstances as she waited in faith for the Lord to keep His word.

Why Does Mary Respond in Hope-Filled Faith?

The Lord Has Kept His Word
Gabriel's message to Mary in Luke 1:33 was a mashup of four references from the prophet Daniel. 

The same Gabriel who delivered God's word to Daniel was now sent to Mary to help her understand what was about to happen. Mary was living out, in real time, scriptures she had grown up with. She was experiencing God keeping His word live and in living color.

God had promised a king like David who would come to rule over His people forever. The time was fulfilled, and Gabriel informed Mary that her son was that promised king. Mary's response to God keeping His word was hope-filled faith because she had witnessed the faithfulness of God firsthand.

Elizabeth Spoke Prophetically
After receiving Gabriel's message, Mary went in haste to visit Elizabeth. When Mary greeted Elizabeth, John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth's womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 

The word "filled" here is the same word used when a sponge is so saturated that liquid overflows its capacity.

Elizabeth became an instrument to speak a message from the Lord to Mary in her hard calling. She declared Mary blessed because she believed God would fulfill what He had spoken to her. This was exactly what Mary needed to hear from the Lord, and she received it without question or rejection.

What Kind of Worship Does Hope-Filled Faith Produce?
Mary's worship was a verbal declaration of the greatness of God. She wasn't singing, but declaring to those
who could hear - and to God Himself - the very greatness of God. 

Her audience was Elizabeth, John the
Baptist in the womb, the eternal Son of God in her own womb, and the Father and Spirit who were watching.

This wasn't a performance. There was no choir, no instruments, no show. Just God keeping His word, a prophetic confirmation, and Mary breaking out in declaration of God's greatness so that God in her womb could hear.

What Mary Declared
In her worship, Mary declared several truths about God:
• God sees her: She acknowledged that the Lord has seen her humble estate
• God is mighty: He is able to do whatever is needed to keep His word
• God's name is holy: He stands alone as the only God worthy of worship
• God's mercy is for those who fear Him: This is the sole way of salvation
• God shows strength by scattering the proud: He chooses the weak, not the strong
• God exalts the humble: He brings down the mighty and lifts up the lowly
• God has kept His word: He has helped His people just as He promised

How Should We Apply This to Our Lives?

Remember That Jesus Has Come and Is Coming Again
The eternal Son of God took on flesh at Christmas with no advantage to Himself. He lived the perfect
sinless life, died in our place for our sin, was buried, rose on the third day, and ascended back to the Father.
When He comes the second time, it will be to judge the living and the dead. Christmas is an invitation to
repent and believe.

Trust God to Keep His Word
If God would promise and keep His word in such a monumental way through Mary, He will certainly keep
His word for us who are eagerly waiting for Him. Don't let conflict with the kingdom of darkness beat you
into walking back your hope in God's goodness. He who began a good work in you will bring it to
completion.

Respond to God's Word in Worship
Like Mary, we need to declare the greatness of God in song, praise, and prayer. In corporate worship, this
means singing clearly, praying while others sing, and declaring God's greatness even when it's not the
exact words of the song being sung. 

Don't be ashamed to declare the greatness of God out loud - your audience is Him, not the people around you.

Build a Framework Through God's Word
How can we taste the faithfulness of God if we don't have a framework for what God has said and how He has done it? This requires reading and making sense of God's word on a daily basis. God's word is the framework that will help you remember His faithfulness when life hits you hard.

This week, commit to building the same framework that allowed Mary to worship in difficult circumstances. 

Start or continue a daily Bible reading habit that will download God's faithfulness into your heart and mind. When life gets hard - and it will - you'll have the foundation to declare God's greatness even when circumstances suggest you shouldn't.

Ask yourself these questions:
• Am I regularly reading God's word to build a framework of His faithfulness?
• When difficulties come, do I respond with hope-filled faith or do I question God's goodness?
• Is my worship dependent on ideal circumstances, or can I declare God's greatness even in hard times?
• Who is my real audience when I worship - God or the people around me?

Mary's example shows us that true worship isn't built on circumstances that are just right for worship. It's
built on the unshakeable foundation of God's faithfulness to keep His word, regardless of how things
appear on the surface.