Magnify The Lord!

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Luke 1:46-47

T’was the week before Christmas and everyone was hurrying. If we didn’t know better, we’d resemble the mice who were scurrying! No one has time to think of Joseph, Jesus and Mary; We are cooking, wrapping, and have no time to tarry. I wonder what Mary would say if she could speak to each of us? I know she would urge us to keep Christ in Christmas! (With apologies to Clement Moore)

There’s just three days left before Christmas, and although I am sure people are magnifying many things, somehow I don’t believe the Lord is in the picture as we finish up our plans. When we magnify things, we make them appear larger than they are. We tend to magnify the unimportant things and forget to magnify the person that is the reason we celebrate.

Mary was devoted to her God, and she was able to put aside the uncomfortable stares, the gossip, the discomfort, and the emotions of it all. She was able to teach us that faith isn’t just about knowing the path ahead, but rather trusting that God will lead us through the unknown. Mary didn’t ask for a life of comfort, but rather, she chose a life of purpose. In doing this, she magnified the Lord. When we magnify the Lord, we praise Him, extol Him, glorify Him, and tell of His greatness.

The time is growing shorter, but there’s still time to remember to magnify the Lord in everything we do. Joseph found a way to do just that. He had to have been a man of great faith, but he also had to have had a list of questions a mile long. However, through it all, he trusted God and believed that God’s will was best.

There’s still time to magnify the Lord by caring about other people just as Joseph did. His job was to care for all the characters in the Christmas story, and he did it humbly and with love. Do we?

The story is told of a young couple with an 18 month old son who had gone to spend a few days with the grand parents at Christmas. Christmas Day fell on Sunday that year, so right after church, they said they good-byes and set off for home. There weren’t many filling stations open, but they did find a truck stop to fuel up and went in to get something to eat.

They went in the dimly lit restaurant and sat down. They thought they were the only people there until their son, Eric, said “Hidere! Hidere!” He was putting
“Hi” and “there” together to make one word, “Hidere!” Every time he said it, there was a response from a table in an alcove near the door, “Hi there, little boy! Hi there, little boy!”

The parents looked in the alcove and saw an old, raggered, tattered looking man whose coat was old and torn and at least two sizes too big! His trousers drug the floor, his shoes had holes in them, he was unshaven, and when he smiled, all his teeth were gone. Yet, for some reason, little Eric kept speaking to him!

Finally the old man said, “Little boy, do you know how to patty cake?” Sure enough, Eric showed him. “Little boy, do you know how to play peek a boo?” Soon, the two of them were engaged in that game. The dad became uneasy about the situation, so they ate and prepared to leave as soon as they could.

As the Mom was walking by the old man holding her son, Eric reached both arms toward the old man. The man asked, “Would you let me hold your baby?” Really she had not much choice because Eric lunged into the man’s arms. He cradled Eric in one hand and patted his back with the other as Eric put his arms around the man’s neck and laid his head on his shoulder.

Closing his eyes, the old man whispered to Eric while tears streamed down his cheeks. In a while, he handed Eric back to his Mom and said, “Thank you very much. You have given me my greatest Christmas present.” As we care for others, we magnify the Lord.

Finally, to magnify the Lord, we should learn to give of whatever we have. This is really what Christmas is all about, isn’t it? When God gave himself, Christmas happened.

Mary said, My soul shall magnify the Lord, and it was so!

Merry Christmas!