St. Mary, Mother of God

St. Mary, Mother of God
August 15, 2010

Luke 1:46-55
My Soul Magnifies My Savior

Sinners need salvation. And to get salvation, you need a Savior. Mary understood this basic fact. And so she sang:

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. (Luke 1:46-47)

Mary was not a perfect person. She was a sinful person from birth. She recognized this truth and was filled with joy when the angel Gabriel told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Savior.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name. (Luke 1:48-49)

You have every right to join the centuries of Christians who remember the blessed Virgin Mary. We call her blessed because God blessed her. Sure, there are some within the Christian church who claim that Mary was perfect and without sin. They have failed to take all of God's Word seriously, and specifically, the sentence before it. Mary called God her Savior and 40 weeks later she would give birth to Jesus. Jesus means savior and He is our Savior from sin.

His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50)

Mary sings of God's mercy and of how it lasts. Speaking for the Lord, the prophet Nathan declared this same joyful fact to King David 1000 years before Mary was born:

Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever. (2 Samuel 7:16)

David's kingdom here is God's kingdom and it will endure from generation to generation because Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of David, is David's successor.

The kingdom of God is found among those who follow Jesus. In His kingdom, even the lowliest sinners are made into powerful princes. The Lord made humble David to be king over Israel. And even though she wasn't a queen, humble Mary was chosen to be the King's mother. Jesus is the King who rules forever, even though His mother was a lowly commoner and a lowly sinner. Great is God's mercy!

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. (Luke 1:51-53)

See how beautifully Mary sings about God's ways. He makes the last first and the first last. Beware, socialists! You need not apply this verse! God isn't re-distributing wealth; He is paying for the sins of all. He is declaring those whom He has made faithful not guilty of their sins. He makes His faithful people first; those who rewrite His ways are made last.

Many rewrite His ways when they say that Mary was perfect. Or when they claim that Mary never died. But many rewrite God's ways when they reject remembering the blessings God has granted to His saints, like Mary. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to not forget the history of the kingdom of God: Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

The first Lutherans kept thanking God for the saints, apostles, and martyrs:

[We approve] honoring the saints in three ways. The first is thanksgiving. We should thank God because He has shown examples of mercy, because He wishes to save people, and because He has given teachers and other gifts to the Church. These gifts, since they are the greatest, should be amplified. The saints themselves, who have faithfully used these gifts, should be praised just as Christ praises faithful businessmen (Matthew 25:21, 23). The second service is the strengthening of our faith. When we see Peter’s denial forgiven, we also are encouraged to believe all the more that grace truly superabounds over sin (Romans 5:20). The third honor is the imitation, first of faith, then of the other virtues. Everyone should imitate the saints according to his calling. (Apology XXI, Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Edited by Paul T. McCain. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005, S. 202)

He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and His descendants forever, even as He said to our fathers. (Luke 1:54-55)

Before the Lord God changed Abram's name to Abraham to emphasize that he would be the father of a great nation, He promised him that Jesus was coming to save the world. Mary remembered God's promise.

The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)

This promise was cherished by Abraham's family. And it was even repeated by God to Abraham's grandson Jacob (also known as Israel) during Jacob's dream of angels going up and down:

All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. (Genesis 28:14)

Mary knew her Savior. She knew that He was the Promised Savior, promised to lowly sinners like Abraham, Jacob, David, and her. This is why we thank our Savior for choosing Mary, not because she is special or holy in and of herself, but because she is just like us: a sinner whom God has declared a saint.

Dear Jesus, call us like You called Mary. Use us to do Your will and be Your hands here on earth. Make our voices the instruments of songs that declare the loving details of Your atonement for all and our justification by faith in You.

Amen.