And Mary said, "I'm bursting with God-news; 47 I'm dancing the song of my Savior God. 48 God took one good look at me, and look what happened - I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, 49 the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. 50 His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. 51 He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. 52 He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. 53 The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. 54 He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. 55 It's exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now."
Luke 1:46-55 (The Message)
Do you hear her voice? Yes, it has been filtered through generations, cultures and language but it is stll there. Her passion, her faith, her excitement and her trust in a completely faithful God resounds in her song. Was her voice melodic? Did she find herself singing this praise around her home as she did her daily chores the same way we get a song stuck in our heads? The Message talks about her "bursting with God-news" and other translations say things like, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior." That emotion and that connection with God is not something that you fabricate or conjure up.
Today there is much ado about Christmas. "The World" has commercialized, materialized and Santa-sized the event while the Church fights to keep the story of Jesus central. We talk about how many wise men there really were and what the manger really looked like and point out the fact that the Magi didn't see Jesus at the same time the Shepherd's did. Sometimes we try and do things to cut out the clutter of Christmas: we skip having a tree, we skip the exchange of gifts or at least cut down on how much we spend. Please understand that I think all of these responses to the out-of-control-flashing-lights version of Christmas are good things. Please do what you need to do to focus on Christ!
For me, though, it is about people. I understand instructions fine and I will champion truth over comprimise any day of the week but people are what draw me into the miracle of Christmas. Obviously it is Jesus himself that ultimately grabs our attention but when you read the song that burst out of Mary's heart, is it possible to not worship?