Luke 1:47-55 (NIV)
And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
Mary bursts into song with the news that the Messiah would be born. Her song is one of praise and celebration: “You have never failed us, and you will NEVER fail us.”
Isn’t this the truth?
Life has difficulties, moments of joy and sorrow, conflict and peace, fullness and emptiness, love and disdain, but the Lord has seen us through every moment. He has not failed us, He will never fail us!
Tonight is the Winter Solstice, the darkest, longest night of the year. As the above passage reminds us, God has seen us through darkness, and brought us into light, time and time again.
Tonight we see the longest stretch of darkness, but when the sun rises tomorrow, dark nights will get shorter and shorter while the sun shines longer each day.
Mary sang of all that God has done, remembering the times when God brought light out of darkness. She sings this on the precipice of a new dawn, the dawn of our Lord the Messiah. From that point on, Jesus’ light will continually take over the darkness of the world.
What else can we do but praise the Lord as Mary did?
Pray: Light of the world, shine in our hearts. Amen.
