Mary’s Perspective – My Soul Magnifies the Lord

Gabriel's call on Mary is not an offer; it's a pronouncement of God's sure plan and intention concerning her life.

Scripture: Luke 1:26-55

Sermon Notes:

1. The appearance of a strange man, the angel Gabriel, unannounced in Mary’s home would have been alarming to the peasant girl betrothed to Joseph.
2. There is nothing that Mary had done to warrant God’s favour; it was solely by God’s grace.
3. The greeting “The Lord is with you” prepared Mary to receive God’s special calling (commission) on her life.
4. Gabriel’s call on Mary is not an offer; it’s a pronouncement of God’s sure plan and intention concerning her life.
5. Mary accepts God’s call upon her without hesitation.
6. By contrast, Moses, Gideon, Jonah, and Paul are reluctant at God’s call. But His calling is non-negotiable.
7. Mary asks how she will conceive as a virgin, inquiring not in doubt, but with admiration of God’s good work.
8. Gabriel says the Holy Spirit – the power of the Most High – will overshadow Mary (cf. Ex 40:35; Ezekiel 10).
9. The dwelling of God on earth will be Mary’s womb. Elizabeth confirms this, exclaiming (lifting up her voice) that Mary herself is the place of God’s dwelling.
10. Mary receives similar significance as the temple and the ark of the covenant. She is the place of God’s dwelling, where God sits enthroned.
11. Likewise, we as believers are a temple of the Holy Spirit; we are the sanctuary; we are the holy place of God.
12. In the new covenant, God will write His law upon our hearts.
13. The world should see the righteousness and justice of God’s reign in our lives; God’s peace and justice should be manifest in our lives.
14. God’s Word to us today is: “Greetings; you are favoured; receive Me; I want my glory to be upon you; I will give you a new heart, give you new life, and pardon your sin.”
15. Our response is Mary’s: “Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
16. In life’s trials and challenges, God’s word to us is: “Fear not; the power of the Most High overshadows you.”
17. This meal (the Lord’s Supper) recognizes God’s presence upon us.
18. Christ sustained His people in the wilderness; and so He sustains us by the Lord’s Supper; nourishing our faith, confirming that we are in God’s presence.
19. Christ is with us this morning, just as He was with Mary,

Application Questions:

1. Why was Mary alarmed at the angel’s appearance? What were Mary’s natural fears given Gabriel’s announcement?
2. Do we respond like Mary to God’s announcement of His call upon our lives?
3. How are we in some sense 1) a temple, and 2) an ark of the covenant?
4. Are our lives a testimony of God’s reign and rule in the world?
5. Is God’s peace and justice manifest in our lives? How can we display these attributes of God’s rule in our lives this week?