Scripture: Luke 1:46-55 and 68-75

Key Words: trusting, obeying,

Big Idea: Zechariah had a hard time trusting, while Mary found it easier.  God was faithful even still.

Songs are a great way to say how we feel.  Advent really showcases this.  There are so many wonderful Christmas songs: fast ones, slow ones, funny ones, sad ones (Christmas Shoes anyone?). There are songs about hippopotamuses and songs about snow; songs about jingle bells and songs about reindeer.

 What are some of your favorite Christmas Songs? Sing one or two with your family.

 In Luke 1 we find two different songs.  We find the song of Mary in verses 46-55. This is sometimes called “The Magnificat.”  Mary finds out she will be the mother of God’s Son. In verses 26-35, she is visited by the angel Gabriel who tells her she has been chosen by God to have the baby Jesus.  Even though this seemed impossible, her response is, “Behold, I am the servant, of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”  She trusts without hesitation. A few verses later, we see her praising the Lord for all he has done.  She says her soul magnifies the Lord, and calls his name holy.  She remembers things the Lord has done, and references his promises to Abraham.

Mary trusted in her Lord. I’m sure she never dreamed she would be the mother of God’s own Son, that she would be asked do something as uncomfortable or unexpected as this, yet here we find her rejoicing and magnifying her Lord. Mary trusted and rejoiced.

In verse 68 and following, we find another song.  This time the singer is Zechariah.  Zechariah was a relative of Mary.  In the beginning of Luke 1, we see that he was an older man who had no children, even though he and his wife Elisabeth longed for them. He was a priest, and while performing his duties, the angel Gabriel appears. Gabriel tells him he is going to have a son!  Zechariah’s response is different from Mary’s.  Instead of trust and worship, Zechariah answers with doubt and questions.  Where Mary seemed to find it easy to trust, Zechariah finds it hard.

 Which do you identify with?  Is it easy to trust or hard to trust?

The story doesn’t stop there.  Because of his lack of trust, Zechariah temporarily loses his ability to speak (Luke 1:19). Zechariah’s failure to trust brought consequences. The good news is that Zechariah’s failure to trust did not mean the failure of God’s plan.  God gave Zechariah that son just as he said he would, and this time Zechariah showed his trust in God by naming the child John, as he had been commanded.  At that very moment “his tongue was loosed, and [he] spoke, blessing God.”  This is where we find his song, in verses 68-75. Zechariah’s song, like Mary’s, recounts what God has done and speaks to what He will do through this child of promise. Zechariah did not trust and had to face the consequences before he was able to sing, but God in his grace still gave him a song to sing.

Just as we sing songs at Christmastime, we can sing songs throughout the year.  Songs of who God is and what he has done. Because of Jesus, we all have a song to sing.  Whether trust comes easier to you, as it did for Mary, or whether it’s a more challenging process for you, as it was for Zechariah, who God is, what He has done, what He promises to do will never change.

Like Mary and Zechariah, let’s respond to God’s goodness throughout the year and rejoice for the great things he has done. Let us bless the name of the Lord for he has visited and redeemed his people!

What are some things about which you can sing and give thanks to God?