READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l The angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and Mary with life changing messages. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth would bear a child in her old age and he was to name him John. The angel visited Mary later to pronounce she had found favour with God and would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit. The child will be Jesus, the long-awaited Son of God, the Messiah. Mary travelled to visit Elizabeth. It was a moment of shared understanding as two faithful women waited expectantly for God’s promises to unfold. Joy is a major theme of this passage.
Three lessons of joy in this Advent season:
1) Joy of Fellowship (V39-45)
Mary hastened to visit Elizabeth in response to God’s call and after she learnt of Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy. Mary’s greeting to Elizabeth was followed by three unusual happenings:
a) the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped, suggesting that Mary’s baby was special
b) Elizabeth was instantly filled with the Holy Spirit that she prophesied Mary is the mother of the Messiah
c) Elizabeth was full of joy and praise for the Messiah, proclaiming Mary’s baby as the Lord in the highest sense. Her son was to be great but Mary’s son would be greater.
Elizabeth’s proclamation of praise was her first act to honour Jesus.
Discipleship Lesson:
Let us respond to the Spirit’s leading in bringing joyful fellowship to others. We pray for opportunities to cultivate relationships to share and encourage one another and experience God’s joyful presence together as we go through different phases and challenges in life.
2) Joy of God’s promises (V46-50)
Mary expressed her deep faith, understanding of God’s promises, joy and gratitude for God’s greatness, mercy and faithfulness in a song of praise. She magnified God, not herself and recounted eight times what God has and has done for her and her people. Mary recognised she is a sinner and needed to turn to God for salvation. With humility, trust in God’s promises and faithfulness, and total submission (V38), Mary is our role model of what is experience of God’s grace and mercy.
Discipleship Lesson:
True joy comes from trusting with humility in God’s promises and faithfulness.
May we wait in active anticipation with posture of humility and alertness like Mary. Whatever 2025 may bring, let us wait with openness to see what God can and will do.
3) Joy of God’s reversal (V51-55)
God overturns worldly expectations to fulfil His purposes. Mary identified three groups for reversal – the helpless (V51), the humble (V52) and the hungry (V53).
These are people overlooked and undervalued by society. God delights to raise the humble, the obedient who are receptive to His will.
Discipleship Lesson:
We too are invited to participate in the kingdom by advocating justice, caring for the vulnerable and bringing hope to those around us.
Our faith is not passive, it calls us to live out God’s kingdom values that reflect God’s heart to the world.
True greatness is found in serving others (Mt 20:28). The last will be first, the first will be last (Mt 20:16).
God selects unlikely people to carry out His reversal e.g., an aged Elizabeth, a young carpenter Joseph, an unwed young woman Mary from a small town.
Jesus took on the form of a servant, unrecognised by people, to step out of eternity to the world to become the main character in God’s redemption plan, the Bread of Life and the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world.
The gospel message is the story of reversal. Death is conquered by life, sin is conquered by grace, separation is conquered by reconciliation.
May the Lord come into our heart, fill us with His presence, remind us of the greatest gift of His Son, and restore to us the wonder of Jesus’ birth. The Lord help us hear His voice and obey Him wholeheartedly.
(Sermon notes by Woo Choi Yin)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- How does expectant waiting deepen your faith and reliance on God?
- How does fellowship with other believers encourage us during seasons of waiting?
- Mary’s song begins with praising God for His faithfulness. What specific promises of God give you joy and assurance today?
- Share an example of a time when you experienced God fulfilling a promise in your life. How did it strengthen your faith?
- Mary highlights how God lifts up the humble and fills the hungry while sending the rich and proud away. What does this teach us about God’s character?
- How does God’s power to bring about reversals give us hope during difficult times?
- In what ways can we reflect God’s heart for justice and mercy as we wait for His ultimate kingdom?
