Rejoice (Sing Your Song)

12-17-23

Hoonah-Hadley

Luke 1:46-55

Call to Worship Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Daily Verse Luke 1:47

As we give names and titles to children, dogs, streets, cars, churches and endless other things, so it is with God’s word. These titles and names give us an idea of what’s inside, or what’s coming.  There are little dogs named Gracie, big dogs named Buck and tail wagging junk yard dogs named Lily. You can tell a dog by its name, but regardless of size, you can tell a lot about a dog upon your first meeting. Dogs are unapologetic and simple in their greeting; their spirit is no secret.  Herein God’s word.  Our study bibles have titles and outlines for books, chapters and paragraphs so we know what’s coming, what’s in a thing. Our lesson today in Luke 1:46-55 is widely known as “The Song of Mary” or simply “Mary’s Song”. As soon as the door opens the spirit of the dog is revealed, and so it is with Mary, she leaves no doubt who she is, what resides deep within her.  Vs. 46 “And Mary said: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord.’” In a sense, Mary is singing her song. The 1973 hit song by Billy Joel called Piano Man, helps us along with this famous line “Sing us a song, you’re the piano man, sing us a song tonight, well, we’re all in the mood for a melody and you’ve got us feeling alright.”  A song can be an actual song with singing and instruments, but it can also be within you, your spirit, how you carry yourself, your conversation, how you greet folks at the door. You have a song in you, what does it sound like when visitors come?  Is it country, blues, folk or rock and roll?  What does your spirit say about the song that is in you?

Another classic, the 1972 hit “Guitar Man” by Bread: “Who’s gonna steal the show?As we give names and titles to children, dogs, streets, cars, churches and endless other things, so it is with God’s word. These titles and names give us an idea of what’s inside, or what’s coming. There are little dogs named Gracie, big dogs named Buck and tail wagging junk yard dogs named Lily. You can tell a dog by its name, but regardless of size, you can tell a lot about a dog upon your first meeting. Dogs are unapologetic and simple in their greeting; their spirit is no secret. Herein God’s word. Our study bibles have titles and outlines for books, chapters and paragraphs so we know what’s coming, what’s in a thing. Our lesson today in Luke 1:46-55 is widely known as “The Song of Mary” or simply “Mary’s Song”. As soon as the door opens the spirit of the dog is revealed, and so it is with Mary, she leaves no doubt who she is, what resides deep within her. Vs. 46 “And Mary said: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord.’”  n a sense, Mary is singing her song.

The 1973 hit song by Billy Joel called Piano Man, helps us along with this famous line “Sing us a song, you’re the piano man, sing us a song tonight, well, we’re all in the mood for a melody and you’ve got us feeling alright.” A song can be an actual song with singing and instruments, but it can also be within you, your spirit, how you carry yourself, your conversation, how you greet folks at the door. You have a song in you, what does it sound like when visitors come? Is it country, blues, folk or rock and roll? What does your spirit say about the song that is in you? Another classic, the 1972 hit “Guitar Man” by Bread: “Who’s gonna steal the show?

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“You know, baby, it’s the guitar man. He can make you love. He can make you cry. He will bring you down.  He will get you high…Night after night, who treats you right?  Baby, it’s the guitar man.  Who’s on radio you go and listen to the guitar man…” Music has its own universal language, we sing it, play it, store it up in our hearts. We go to concerts, tap our foot in the car and stick in our ear buds as we walk along the way. 

The bible is full of songs, in fact there are 150 Psalms, and a psalm is by definition a sacred song or a hymn, to sing of or celebrate in psalms. You may be gifted with the ability to play an instrument, you may have a beautiful singing voice, or not, either way, you have a song in your heart. Another way of viewing a song is a gift. A song is a gift, but a gift is only a gift if it is given. Talent is another word for gift. In Matt. 25:14-30 a man gives “talents” to three individuals according to their ability and at the end of the day, he asks them what they did with their talent. Now in this parable the “talent” refers to money but in theory, if we could put it that way, it refers to gifts. At the end of our days, we too will be asked what we did with our talent, our gifts, our song. Mary continues, vs. 47 “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” 

Charles Wesley was said to have written more than 6,500 hymns (1707-1788) The hymn “Rejoice-The Lord Is King!” was based on Phil. 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again: Rejoice!”  With this melody, Wesley was encouraging his listeners to have a more spontaneous joy in their lives as they become aware that a Savior has been born and He will reign victorious forevermore. “Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!” If we take Phil 4:4 to heart, it is not an option for God’s elect, it is not a suggestion, it is a scriptural command. We see it again in 1 Thess. 5:16 “Rejoice always, pray…give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

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There are many hit songs in the bible, Moses had one. Exodus 15:1 “Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying: ‘I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!”  Miriam following on the heals of Moses song had a hit of her own, vs. 20-21 “Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.  And Miriam answered them: ‘Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously!  The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!’”  In Judges 5 Deborah sang a song. “On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: ‘When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord!  Hear this, you kings!  Listen, you rulers!  I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.’” 

David had a truckload of hit songs. 1 Chron. 16:8 “Oh give thanks to the Lord!  Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works!”  Hannah’s prayer answered she sings a song in 1 Samuel 2 “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation.”  Joy is great pleasure or happiness. To be joyful is to display joy. And to rejoice is to feel or be joyful, to have or possess joy. 

Moses’s song came some 1400 years before the birth of Christ. Deborahs song, about 1000 years before Christ. Hannah’s song, about 900 B.C. David’s song in Chronicles, about 450 B.C.  What they all have in common is the subject and cause of their song, their rejoicing, “Sing to the Lord!”  “Praise the Lord!”  “Give thanks to the Lord!”  There was hope in humanity for more than 1000 years of a savior, imagine the song of the one that would deliver Him!

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Mary’s song was inspired by 2 visits.  The first was a visit from the angel Gabriel, the second her visit to Elizabeth. The first visit, vs. 28-30 “…the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women...for you have found favor with God.’”  The angel tells her the news about her relative Elizabeth and then gives us this eternal truth that is, in, and of itself, cause for song, vs.37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Bind it on your finger, write it on the tablet of your heart, let it pour forth from your lips in song. Mary’s response in vs. 38 “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!  Let it be to me according to Your word.” Herein Mary gives us the foundation to our morning prayer, the faith that sings its song while the dawn is still dark.  Mary cradles this news as she rises and departs with “haste” to carry the joy within to Elizabeth.  This divine errand, coming to fruition upon this visit, had the unborn child within Elizabeth leap for joy. Spurgeon: “It were well if all our social intercourse were as useful to our hearts as this visit was to Mary…When we meet with our kinfolk and acquaintance, let it be our prayer to God that our communion may be not only pleasant, but profitable; that we may not merely pass away time and spend a pleasant hour, but may advance a day’s march nearer heaven, and acquire greater fitness for our eternal rest.”  Herein Mary is divinely inspired to sing her song. The piano man gets us in the mood for a melody. Night after night we go to the radio and listen to the guitar man.  It’s not until Christ wells up inside us that we will know the joy of Mary. When we know that He is ours and we are His. When we understand the prophetic utterance and eager anticipation of this news for thousands of years, when our passions and nature are transformed within, then we can sing, we must sing. 

Rejoice, Rejoice Emmanuel!  Sing Your Song.

Amen!