22 Dec, 2019 – Berlin Immanuel Church ended the Christmas retreat on Sunday with a sermon on Mary’s Song in Luke 1:46-55. Meditating on Mary’s response to the good news of the coming of the Savior, we can be reminded of the meaning of Christmas. Mary’s first reaction was confusion and disbelief – Luke 1:29, 34, but she humbled herself and accepted that this is not about her – “I am a virgin” – but about what God is doing. We always fall in the error of thinking of ourselves first, of what we have done or what we have to do. The rich young man who met the Savior but left empty in Luke 18 or Nicodemus in John 3 made this error and Jesus always pointed them to what God is doing – “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” So when Mary put her faith in God, the confusion turned into knowledge of God’s glory, power and grace and she burst into the deepest joy coming from her spirit and a desire you glorify the Lord with her soul, her whole inner being.
Sunday Service: My Spirit Rejoices in God My Savior
Christmas is not about what man does, it’s not about trying to be nicer to each other, it’s about looking at the riches of God’s grace in sending His one and only son into the sinful world. It’s about seeing our “humble state” (verse 48) as sinners who have to give account to God who is holy (verse 49) and in whose presence there can’t be any evil. But the same holy God is also merciful, he lifts up the humble (verse 52) and fills those who hunger and thirst (verse 53) for true righteousness in Christ. Christmas is a joyful news because it’s about the faithfulness of God who fulfils his promise (verses 54-55) and poured our his grace on us in Christ even though we were underserving sinners. Christmas is a revelation of God’s love for us who gave his Son for the world. May we look at this great work of salvation that God does and rejoice in his mercy and magnify him in this world because we have found favor with God.