Watch as Len Finn unpacks Luke 1:39-56, and shows us the good news of great joy found in the Gospel.
Confidence and Joy
If you want to see what a Christian perspective on the world looks like, than Mary in Luke 1 is good place to begin. It looks like confidence and joy.
Mary’s worldly situation was quite bleak – she was in a lot of trouble. She was an unwed, teenage mother in a rigid, patriarchal society. Yet Mary was filled with joy. She wasn’t just content or resigned to her fate – she was joyful. This kind of joy in this kind of situation is the ideal picture of the christian life.
Mary’s source of hope was that she had found herself in scripture. She could see the meaning and purpose of her situation in the scriptures. She found her story in the scripture’s story.
Mary and Israel
In Mary’s Song (Luke 1:46-55), what she says about herself blurs with Israel – God’s people. Her story and Israel’s story have overlapped in their mutual context of humility and neediness. The story of God’s people has broken out again in Mary – in her weakness, neediness, and in her confidence and joy.
The Protagonist
We can find joy in our stories, because in them, we are not the protagonists. God is the one who casts down the mighty; who scatters the proud. Mary realizes that she is not the protagonist of her story. God is the hero who saves the day. Mary, you and me, are just the damsels in distress. Make sure you get the roles right when you tell this story to yourself.
Your Present Moment
It is easy to think of God as the hero of your eternal salvation, but it can very easily feel like you are the protagonist of this boots on the ground, present moment. But being saved in the now only comes through recognizing the true story. God is the only one who can redeem your present moments.
When you think you are the hero of your own story, than everyone else’s stories are just subplots of your own. Your you-centered view of the universe will not endear you to everyone else. And if you are a follower of Christ, than this is not your story. Your story is the one you find in scripture. Your present moments will be saved when you live out of that story. Owning your neediness, your weakness, and rejoicing in the God who is your Saviour. For God’s power is made perfect in weakness.
Die to Your Old Story
Die to your old story. You are not the hero. Die to your almighty ego.
This can be really hard. And you don’t die to yourself by trying harder. You die to it by leaping headlong into your new story, where Jesus is always the true hero.
Christ Formed in You
In our passage, Elizabeth and her baby rejoice because they have encountered Christ being formed in Mary. Mary’s song isn’t to some far-off God, but to God her Saviour being formed within her. This image is a picture of you and me too. To be ‘in Christ’ – to be Christ’s own, means that Christ is being formed in you. This is true no matter what you think you see in the mirror. The image of Mary pregnant of Christ is a picture of your new life. You no longer live – Christ lives in you. The truly good things you do now are not done by you – they are accomplished by Christ. He works in you and through you, and all in your weakness.
A Better Hero
This is good news because it means that He is not just the hero of your eternal redemption, but also in the redemption of the now. Knowing this frees you to be vulnerable, and humble in all of the areas of your life, because you don’t have to be the hero any more – you have a better one in Christ. The more you rejoice in your humble estate, and trust in Christ as the hero of your story, the more Christ will show in you.
