Behold the Wonder

by D'Janapha Fortune on December 23

“And Mary said: ‘My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant; For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name’” (Luke 1:46-49).

In this week’s passage, we encounter the opening lines of the Magnificat. The Magnificat is a song of praise sung by young Mary after she has internalized and shared the news of her supernatural pregnancy with her cousin, Elizabeth. In these opening lines, Mary glorifies the name of the Lord and the unique position in which He has placed her as the mother of Jesus.

Mary's exclamation in verse 48, “For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed,” is so bold and assured that I can’t help but ask more questions in an effort to dig deeper.

At that moment in time, what generational knowledge did Mary have about God and his future plans for the earth?

If we go back to the beginning in Genesis, we learn that the first set of humans broke the covenant God intended between Himself and His creation (see Genesis 3:1-7). As an extension of His grace, the Lord recommits to give humans another chance through covenant but this time, a unilateral covenant known as the Abrahamic covenant. This covenant with Abraham included a promise of blessing and redemption for all of humanity through the person of Jesus Christ (see Genesis 12:1-3). For generations, people made reference to the day the Lord’s promise to Abraham would be fulfilled. Fast forward, Mary is expecting the fulfillment of that very promise through her womb.

Who was Mary, that she would be chosen for this incredible assignment?

Mary was a humble believer in the Lord, whose pure faith would receive and carry out God’s redemptive plans for humanity as He intended.

What was the depth of this blessing Mary sang about?

The blessing was access to eternal life. Out of covenant love, God was and still is assuring an abundant and everlasting life of peace, joy, and goodness for His people simply by being united with Him.

So, as we approach Christmas Day, acknowledge the end of this year, and prepare for 2025, may we all adopt Mary’s song as our own song of praise. It is a song that speaks to the past and also prophetically speaks to the future. All in all, we should not take for granted the opportunity we have to behold the wonder of the season, which is the ever-present love of Jesus Christ—an enduring, covenant love that stretches across generations and reaches those who are humble in heart.

(D’Janapha is one of our NorthStar writers and a member of Union Church in Baltimore.)