“And Mary said…”
Mary. The mother of Jesus.
Poet. Songwriter. Praise leader. Mary.
“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.
Beauty in prose. Letters with life.
My soul…
My spirit…
A servant…
Blessed…
The question rolls through my mind… is this passage from Luke 1 written as a solo, or as a song for the entire choir?
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.
His mercy…
His strength…
The humble, exalted…
The proud, scattered…
The hungry, filled…
The Magnificat. A masterful solo, now covered by a growing chorus of saints. A template. A guide for the words that should explode from my soul.
What could I do with 138 words? Should I do less than Mary? Is she teaching me how praise erupts from the soul properly connected to God? Humility clearing the pathway to reverence and worship.
Praise, adoration, awe unleashed. The promises of God embraced.
And Dan said…
“My soul magnifies.
My spirit explodes in adoration.
You know me… Broken. Sinful. Faithless. Fearful.
Yet, you looked on me… not with distain, but with promise and hope.
You. Yes, you God, have done great things with a weak and ordinary life. Beyond anything I could have asked for. Not because of my resume, but because of your abundant grace.
You welcome the humble… even as you allow the self-reliant and arrogant to reap their natural reward. Destruction poses as a friend to the proud, but there is no escape for those who trust in themselves. Save me. Forgive me. Anchor me.
You love me. And I can’t help but sing.
Indeed. My soul magnifies.”
My Magnificat. What about yours?
Mary… Christ in her womb. The hope of mankind. The promised one.
Me… Christ in me, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). The Savior of the World. In me. In you.
He is worthy of praise. From the lips of a teenaged Mom. From the soul of an aging man.
What I know as I enter 2022 is that every authentic encounter with Christ ignites a chorus of praise.
First a solo, then a choir.
Mary’s Magnificat. My Magnificat. Your Magnificat.
Our Magnificat!
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