The End of Christmas ~ Luke 1:46-55

December 20, 2015 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson
Intro: Maybe its just a sign Im getting older, but I find myself growing more and more cynical when it comes to
Christmas songs (or what passes for Christmas songs in our culture). Its beginning to look a lot like
Christmas. Bah-humbug. I dont like the sappiness. Its a holly-jolly Christmas, its the best time of the
year. I used to feel that way, but Ive known too much sadness both in my own life and in the lives of those I
care about that is accentuated at this time of the year. And if I hear Jingle Bells one more time.
I dont mean to rob anyone of Christmas cheer; its just for me the sentimentalism of much that we call Christmas music just doesnt float my boat any more. Im not against all Christmas songs. I find the ones that speak
to the hope of Christmas in light of human suffering to be much more meaningful and powerful.
The musical group, Casting Crowns, unearthed for me a powerful poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
called Christmas Bells (1863). Their version is called, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.
I heard the bells on Christmas day / their old familiar carols play / and mild and sweet their songs repeat /
of peace on earth good will to men // and in despair I bowed my head / there is no peace on earth I said /
for hate is strong and mocks the song / of peace on earth, good will to men.
Question: How do we understand the hope of Christmas (with all its promises of peace on earth, good will to
men) in a world where hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men?
Today, I want us to go back into the Christmas story of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus of
Nazareth, and I want to invite you to join me as we take a brief look at one of the first Christmas songs on
record, namely, The Magnificat by Mary the mother of Jesus.
NT Wright, Its one of the most famous songs of Christianity. Its been whispered in monasteries, chanted
in cathedrals, recited in small remote churches by evening candlelight, and set to music with trumpet and
kettledrums by Johann Sebastian Bach. Its the gospel before the gospel, a fierce bright shout of triumph
thirty weeks before Bethlehem, thirty years before Calvary and Easter. Its all about God, and its all about
revolution. And its all because of JesusJesus whos only just been conceived, not yet born, butwho
has made Mary giddy with excitement and hope and triumph.
The End of Christmas ~ Luke 1:46-55
Mary has been told that her son is the long promised descendent of David, and that the Lord God would give
him the throne and he will reign and of his kingdom there would be no end.
46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he
has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me
blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy
is for those who fear him, from generation to generation.
1. What does it mean to magnify the Lord? To make God large in our lives. The idea is related to the idea
of glorifying the Lord, which means to make him weighty, significant. She does this from the core of her
being. The opposite would be something that is trivial, or insignificant.
2. Why does she magnify the Lord? Because she has found herself wrapped up in a story larger than
herself. She has found herself at the summit of the hopes and dreams of the ancient people of God
who longed for God to move in new and fresh ways to bring about healing to this world.
NT Wright, Marylike so many Jews of [her] time, searched the Scriptures, soaked [herself] in the
psalms and prophetic writings which spoke of mercy, hope, fulfillment, reversal, revolution, victory
over evil, and of God coming to the rescue at last.
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3. Note the revolutionary nature of her song.her protest song against the proud and the mighty.
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
1. Notice what scholars call, the prophetic past tense. Mary speaks as if this had already happened.
She speaks of the coming kingdom of God that was sung about in the songs of oldsongs that
spoke of a new world order in which a future kingher son!would rule in truth and righteousness
(cf. Ps. 2, 110).
2. Singing these sorts of songs can get you killed, especially if they are overheard by the mighty powers
that sit on their thrones. (cf. King Herod in Mt. 2.)
3. Her protest continues against the oppressors and despisers.
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. 54 He has helped
his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his
offspring forever.
1. The first season of Adventthis season of anticipation and waitingwas finally over. The long
promised blessing spoken originally to Abraham, some 2000 years previously, she sees fulfilled in the
child that she is carrying.
For Mary, her Christmas song is not some sappy, sentimental song about chestnuts roasting on the
open fire, but rather a defiant revolutionary song about about a new king and a new world order,
about the promises of God coming true at last. Peace on earth, at last! Or so she thought.
2. Fast forward to the birth of Jesus and his presentation at the temple. A man named Simeon greeted
them and sung a song over Jesus, and then said to Mary, Behold, this child is appointed for the fall
and rising of many in Israeland a sword will pierce though your own soul also (Luke 2:34-35).
Fast forward to King Herod getting wind of a child who was born to be a king, and the flight of Mary
and Joseph into Egypt to escape the decree of Herod that all male children in Bethlehem two years
old and younger, were to be slaughtered (cf. Mt. 2:1-18). Peace on earth?
Fast forward to the ministry of Jesus, and Mary, along with her other children, thought Jesus had lost
his mind (cf. Mark 3:21). Peace on earth?
Fast forward to the crucifixion of Jesus, when Marys defiant Christmas song seemed more like the
gullible nonsense of a teenage girl. At this moment when all the hope and fears of all the years
came crashing down around her, she must have felt silly for believing the ancient promises. Her tear
stained cheeks, her stunned expression mixed with grief, her desperate questions met with the
deafening silence of the heavens, all served to pierce her soul. Peace on earth?
and in despair I bowed my head / there is no peace on earth I said / for hate is strong and mocks
the song / of peace on earth, good will to men.
3. It certainly seemed like the end of Christmas. But what Mary didnt fully understand was the end of
Christmas, that is, the purpose of the first Advent was to guarantee the second Advent.
What Mary didnt understand was that Jesus came in his First Advent to deal with a much deeper
problem than political oppression. He came to destroy the spiritual oppression of the Evil One so
that Jesus could one day destroy all evil without destroying us in his second Advent [HT: Keller].

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 What Mary didnt understand is that Jesus had come to make atonement for the sins of the world in
his first Advent so that God and sinners could be fully reconciled, and dwell together with true peace
on earth in his Second Advent.
What Mary didnt understand about the First Advent is that three days after the crucifixion of her son,
Jesus would rise again from the dead as the first fruits of the new creation that he would bring
about with his second Advent.
What Mary didnt understand is that the first Advent of Jesus guarantees the ultimate triumph of good
over evil when Christ returns again in his second Advent.
Bottom line: The first advent guarantees the second advent.
Illustration: June 4, 1944, when the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy to push back the Nazi
forces, the decisive turning point in WWII occurred. Sure, there were still more battles to be fought, but the
Allies decision that day guaranteed the ultimate victory over Hitlers military machine.
Because D-Day has occurred, V-day is assured.
Because Advent 1 has occurred, Advent 2 is assured.
What Mary didnt know is that her prophetic past tense song is more true than she realized. Because the first
advent guarantees the second advent, her hope becomes our hope, that God has moved in such a decisive
way in the birth, death, & resurrection of Jesus, we can say with confident and defiant hope, Because Advent
1 has occurred, Advent 2 is assured.
Casting Crowns/ Longfellow: Then rang the bells more loud and deep / God is not dead nor doth he sleep /
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail / with peace on earth, good will to men.
The Hope of Christmas tells us it the face of human suffering, that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God
is the ruler yet. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail / with peace on earth, good will to men.
Joni Eareckson Tadas A Christmas Longing in Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, On this side of eternity,
Christmas is still a promise. Every Christmas is still a turning of the page until Jesus returns. Every
December 25 marks another year that draws us closer to the fulfilment of the ages, that draws us closer to
home. When we realize that Jesus is the answer to our deepest longing, even Christmas longings, each
Advent brings us closer to his glorious return to earth. When we see him as he is, King of Kings and Lord of
Lords, that will be Christmas indeed!

NCC, may your hearts be bolstered this Christmas season

anchored in the Christmas hope that the first advent guarantees the second advent,
And Christ shall come again, and he will wipe away every tear from your eyes,
and death shall be no more,
neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore,
for the former things will have passed away
in the presence of the one who says, Behold, I am making all things new.
(Revelation 21:4-5)
For that is the end of Christmas!

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