by Ruth Wilkinson
Magnificat. It’s a wonderful Christmas word.
I must confess, though, that when I hear it what springs to mind is an image of a feline superhero. “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…. MagnifiCat!”
But that’s not what it means. Magnificat is simply the first word of the Latin translation of the passage we’re looking at today. And it just means, “I magnify.”
It’s a big, flashing arrow pointing at something. It means, “Pay attention! This is important!”
It’s a magnifying glass held up to a fingerprint, allowing us to see all of the detail we’d otherwise miss. It’s a big, fat, stinky magic marker writing out a message, so it can be seen from a distance. It’s a melody played on a great, honking tuba, so you can’t possibly miss it.
I magnify!
When Mary, Jesus’ mother, realized what was happening — what she was in the middle of; what she had become instrumental to — Luke records that she burst out in what is essentially a mash-up of Old Testament verses and phrases that she had memorized; verses from the books of Psalms, Job, 1 Samuel, Genesis, Deuteronomy, Isaiah… Poetry and prophecy. Truths that she’d been steeped in all her life and which suddenly, joyously, tumbled out in a hymn of praise to the God who had set her on an unprecedented path.
And in this moment of irrepressible, inexpressible joy, she not only magnified God, she magnified something in particular about him. Something that was profoundly, thrillingly relevant.
As we read together these, her words, pay attention to what it is about her God that she magnifies.
Look for the details. Read the message. Listen for the melody.
And rejoice!
“My soul shouts the greatness of the Lord.
My spirit sings the joy I’ve found in God my Saviour.
Because He has looked on ordinary me
and now I, His servant, will be known in every generation
as happy and blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and His very name is unlike any other name.
For those who stand in awe of Him,
His mercy flows from
generation to generation,
wave after wave.
He has shown the strength of His arm against those with prideful hearts,
as He scatters them,
as He topples the powerful from their thrones.
He lifts up the lowly and the humble.
He has filled and satisfied the hungry with good things.
The rich He has sent away empty and empty handed.
He has helped His chosen, Israel,
keeping His kindness in mind.
And faithfully remembering His promises,
from day one, through Abraham,
and to eternity.”
Luke 1:46-55
Christianity 201 