First Things First

I had a couple of hours alone last night, so I took advantage of the time and wrapped presents. As I did, I thought about our Pastor's Sunday message and allowed the Holy Spirit to access the corners of my heart that I so often try to keep hidden. Tim spoke about Mary and, specifically, the text in Luke 1 known as "The Magnificat". This is it, in its entirety:

"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever." (Luke 1:46-55, ESV)

Prompted by Mary's song of praise to God who --and this point is not lost on me-- was about to turn her world completely upside down, I had to look at my own life and consider how much it "magnifies the Lord". If Mary, a young, pregnant teenager, could submit herself to God's authority and become a vessel for His glory, how is it that I so often do not? Whether it's the correct application of this verse or not, I found the answer I sought in verse 51. Am I alone here or can anyone else relate to having their thoughts more than a little "scattered" these days? Ladies, we're especially guilty of this one. Why is it that we are so much more concerned about how our homes look at Christmas than we are with how our hearts look? It's our pride that gets in the way of our ability to exalt our Creator. Let's face it...While we pride ourselves on our ability to multi-task, we simply cannot multi-prioritize. Only one thing can be our truest passion, and nothing is more worthy than Jesus.

Francis Chan asks a rhetorical question in his book Crazy Love. "Isn't it comforting to worship a God who cannot be exaggerated?" The glory of Christmas is the glory of God, and the only way the world will see it is if you and I put 'Worshipping Christ" at the top of our to-do list. Let's make Mary's song our own.

"'My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..."

~Maria