What makes you happy? And, as a Christian: What should make you happy?
According to Scripture, Mary (the mother of Jesus) experienced Holy Happiness. As we look at this specific time in her life, we learn two important actions that can help us experience Holy Happiness in our lives as well.
Mary had an angel appear to her and say, “Even though you are a virgin, you are going to become pregnant and bear a son.” And she believed him! Though it caused some trouble with Joseph, they worked it out and Jesus was born. We know the story.
But there is one part of the story we often don’t pay much attention to; and that is Mary’s relationship and visit to her relative Elizabeth, also miraculously pregnant. Do you remember who Elizabeth’s child was? He was John the Baptist.
When Gabriel the angel appeared to Mary, he used Elizabeth as evidence that God could do the impossible. So Mary went to see Elizabeth and when she entered the house, here is what happened:
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she exclaimed in a loud cry: ‘You are the most blessed of women, and your child will be blessed! How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me! She who has believed is blessed because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled!’ (Luke 1:41-45)
Elizabeth confirmed God’s message to Mary through the angel.
With this obvious confirmation, Mary was moved with joy and she uttered what has become known as Mary’s Magnificat…her song of praise! We find it recorded in Luke 1:46-55.
In her song, we learn what impressed Mary and made her experience Holy Happiness. By studying it, we can learn what should make us happy as well. Let’s walk through it.
Mary begins by stating something about her soul and her spirit.
Mary sang that her soul “magnifies (proclaims the greatness of) the Lord.” She also sang that her spirit “rejoices is God my Savior.”
Thousands of times you may have heard the phrase: “Lord and Savior.” Where does that come from? The Bible! Mary uses both words in the opening phrases of her song of happiness… acknowledging Jesus is both her Lord and Savior.
As Lord, He deserves our humble devotion – our reverent offering of worship, adoration and praise. We are to magnify Him.
As Savior, we should respond to Him in great joy because it is He who has saved us! We are to rejoice in Him.
How perfectly Mary expresses what each of us should feel and do:
· Honor/magnify the Lord – the One who rules
· Rejoice in the Savior – the One who saves
But why? Why is Mary honoring/magnifying and rejoicing?
“…because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave.” (vs. 48a)
When God looked at Mary, He first saw…
1) A Devoted Follower – “His slave” (vs. 48)
God saw in Mary one who was faithful to obey. One who would do as He instructed. Maybe, to really receive and experience Holy Happiness, we have to be devoted followers as well.
When God looks at you, does He see “His slave?” Can He say that about me? You? Your church or my church? Can He look at us and KNOW that we will obey Him?
I believe, the more we are genuinely His slaves – giving honor and praise to Him as Lord, and rejoicing in Him as Savior – then the more likely we are to experience Holy Happiness.
Secondly, when God looked at Mary, He saw…
2) A Dedicated Believer – Elizabeth said of Mary: “She who has believed is blessed…” (vs. 45)
Mary had seen an angel! Now come on; if someone comes up to you all out of breath and excited, and says, “I’ve just seen an angel!” how are you going to respond?
What if they go on to say the angel told them something was going to happen that you KNOW is IMPOSSIBLE. What are you going to think?
Mary was a virgin. She had never had sex. And the angel told her, “You’re not going to have sex, but you are going to have a baby!” What?
In Mary’s day, there was only one way to get pregnant…and she had not, and was not going to do that…but she was going to be pregnant!
And the angel even told her, “Your relative Elizabeth, who is way too old to have children, is pregnant also. Go check with her!” So not ONE, but TWO impossible occurrences the angel said were going to happen.
How would you have responded?
How do we respond when faced with something we KNOW is IMPOSSIBLE?
How did Mary respond?
She believed. According to Scripture, that is the key.
Elizabeth said, “She who has believed is blessed…” (vs. 45)
God looked across the earth – or least among all the Jewish virgins in Nazareth of Galilee – and He saw Mary. And when He observed Mary, He saw one He knew was…
· A Devoted Follower, and
· A Dedicated Believer
So He was able to do a miracle in her life; and she was able to experience Holy Happiness!
This is why Mary was able to receive and experience Holy Happiness. But I want to switch gears for a moment and see what this experience of Holy Happiness next caused Mary to do.
Beginning with the end of verse 49, through the rest of her song, Mary focuses on God. This is important!
vs. 49b “His name is holy”
vs. 50 “His mercy…”
vs. 51a “He has done a mighty deed…”
vs. 51b “He has scattered…”
vs. 52 “He has toppled…”
vs. 53 “He has satisfied…”
vs. 54 “He has helped…”
vs. 55 “just as He spoke…”
Eight references to God…to a trait of His character; to something He has done; and/or to something He has promised in the past and is now accomplishing.
What point am I trying to make? What does the Bible show us?
Simply this: Holy Happiness should lead us to…
Magnify – proclaim the greatness of – the Lord; and to
Rejoice in God my Savior!
This is what happened in Mary’s life. And this can lead to Holy Happiness in your life and my life as well.
So remember: Holy Happiness is received and experienced by those who are devoted followers of the Lord & dedicated believers in the Savior. And experiencing Holy Happiness should cause us to react by magnifying God and rejoicing in Him.
Do so, and like Mary, be blessed!
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