Redemption’s Purest Songs of Praise

Text: Luke 1:46-80

Theme: Both Mary’s and Zechariah’s songs of praise were motivated by God’s redemptive plan for us.

Key verses: “And Mary said, ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him…'” (v. 46-49) “‘He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.'” (v. 54-55) “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us…'” (v. 67-69) “‘to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant…to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear…and you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God…to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.'” (v. 72-79)

What God said to me: Son, I am glad you rose early to meet me this Christmas eve morning. I enjoy our times together. Praise is such a natural and flowing response to my plan of redemption for my people. I am saddened at how they often squelch their praise – even when they clearly see and know what I have done for them. Take some time and look closely at these two songs of praise. They both started with upward, direct statements of adoration: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel…” Mary recognized the importance of her personal engagement in praise. She knew the joy inside her should come out, and she gladly let praise spill from her. Zechariah lifted his head and heart toward me from the very first words of his prayer. He consciously and diliberately spoke praise to me. Next, notice in both these prayers a clear intention to praise me because of what I had done and was going to do for them. Mary was amazed that I regarded her lowly place and that she would forever be remembered and honored. Zechariah clearly stated that his offering of praise was because I had come and redeemed my people. He refered to my Son as the horn of salvation for them. Dwayne, do you see how simple this praise-motivating process was for them? First, they recognized the focus and goal of their praise was nothing less than me. Second, they realized the impact of my provisions and love came all the way down to them and to their lives and families. Praise is about me and about you because redemption is about me and about you. I am good with you using your own name and with you refering to your benefits from me when you praise me. I thrill to think of the many ways I have blessed you. I love it when you recognize them and take time to acknowledge and celebrate them to me. Finally, it is important to see how praise should also be motivated by what I do for others beyond yourself. Mary said my mercy extends to those who fear me to generations beyond her. Zechariah rejoiced that my mercy would shine on those living in darkness. These were people not even in his family or of his ancestry. The purest praise comes from hearts that are concerned for others, not just for themselves. That is the essence of my character. And if you are to praise me properly you too must see that my plan for man stretches to the farthest corners, to the undesirables, to those you don’t know or understand or even like. My mercy and love is for all those who walk in darkness. When you love me, Dwayne, as you should, you will be good with that. In fact you will praise me because of such unconditional, pervasive love.

What I said to God: Father, Lord, I sit amazed in Your presence right now. Thank You for revealing these simple but profound elements of praise to me. On this eve of celebrating Your birth, help me and my family love You with all we are and praise You for coming down not only to us, but all of the world.