Luke 1:46-56
And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
Thought for the Day
Remember
when reading, praying, or singing Mary's Song, the Magnificat, that
these are the words of a very young woman who had obviously been
pondering them and meditating over them for at least the whole was from
Nazareth to Elizabeth's home. I suspect they are words that she could
never forget, then probably shared them with Luke when he visited her to
speak about the gospel he was going to write. The Magnificat has
traditionally been the main canticle used at Evening Prayer and it was
in that setting that it became a part of me during most of the last
sixty years. Perhaps my biggest take-away from Mary's Song was her
adoration of the holy mightiness of God and his love of justice. A
saying that went around in the Sixties was that the poor had a special
place in God's heart, and that is clearly what Mary is saying - perhaps
one of the key reasons her Son would be born to a very modest couple,
from a very modest community, in one of the least and most despised
provinces of the Roman Empire. Here is a message from God to us about
what it is to be the followers of Mary's Son.
Thanksgiving for the Day
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..."
Intercession for the Day
This
has been a year in which those of a "humble estate" have made their
voices heard. Let us pray for our own sensitivity to the needs of those
who are less fortunate in our society.
Collect for the Day
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age to same;
His holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high
Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children's children and for evermore!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his Name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age to same;
His holy Name--the Lord, the Mighty One
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high
Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children's children and for evermore!
(This
paraphrase by Church of England Bishop Tim Dudley-Smith, now in his
nineties, and first sung in 1969 at a huge festival of new hymns called
Youth Praise. We had the privilege of being there singing it on its
first outing - since then it has become a classic)
From Richard Kew's Daily Devotional with gratitude
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