Wilsonville.Church/MarysSong

I’m glad you are reading this devotional. I write one every year and kind of think of it as my Christmas present to you. I hope, and pray, that it will help you experience and express God’s glory this December.

By way of introduction, I think it is best to start with our summary for the sermon series that corresponds to this booklet (Mary’s Song - Wilsonville.Church/MarysSong). Here’s what it says:

“Christmas is stressful for everyone, but consider Jesus’ mother. Mary was a young girl who was engaged to be married. An angel told her she was pregnant, despite her being a virgin. It was a miraculous conception, but nobody would believe that. While we worry about our in-laws coming over, she worried her fiancé would leave her, family reject her, and society scorn her. Yet, the story of her pregnancy includes a song of celebration—a song called The Magnificat. The truths that compelled her to worship in the hard months of pregnancy can, and should, compel us to worship this Christmas…and every Christmas. These are lessons from The Magnificat.”

While each sermon will contain lessons from Mary’s incredible song, this devotional will have more personal stories and specific application than could ever fit in a single sermon. I hope you’ll read one entry each day and do your best to live out its truths.

One more thing, if this devotional is impactful for you, please let me know by going to Creekside.Me/Respond. I love hearing how God uses my words.

Merry Christmas,

Chad

Day 6 | Savior

I love the story of Jesus’ birth; the circumstances and events are beautiful and miraculous. Who doesn’t like reading about angels, shepherds, and wise men? Who doesn’t like considering all that Joseph and Mary endured? There’s stars, animals, and kings. There’s good, bad, suspense, and elation. The whole story is incredible. But the thing that makes it all worth celebrating, is salvation through sacrifice.

Many of the world’s greatest stories involve sacrifice. The greatest story ever told is no different: Jesus sacrificed everything to save everyone who believes in him

Like I said yesterday, it is impossible to know what Mary was thinking when pondering Jesus’ plan of salvation. But she knew he would save. The song, “Mary Did You Know,” aptly asks of Mary, “Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect lamb?” Sadly, that lamb that would be slaughtered for the sins of the world. I know this doesn’t feel very Christmasy, but it’s impossible to truly celebrate Christmas without considering all that Jesus sacrificed to save us from the slavery of sin and the horrors of Hell.

So today, reflect on the sacrifice that was required for Jesus to be the Savior. That sacrifice culminated on the cross, but began at conception. Jesus left the glory and perfection of Heaven to become a fetus—this itself is an incredible sacrifice. But beyond the womb Jesus would continue to sacrifice for our salvation. He felt pain, experienced sorrow, and endured suffering. And he did it all so that you might be saved.

As you think about the birth of Jesus this year, be like Mary and remember God came to save us. But also go beyond what Mary knew the day she sang her song...reflect on all that Jesus sacrificed in order that you may live eternally with him.

Day 5 | Savior

I saved my friend’s life once. At least, I might have. We were doing some volunteer work in downtown Portland and while we were talking, we stood near the MAX line. My friend’s back was turned toward the line, so when the train approached, I saw it and he didn’t. Looking back, I’m not sure why I didn’t do something sooner; perhaps I thought he’d notice the train at some point or that he was further away from the tracks than he actually was. Either way, I was wrong. As the train raced towards my friend, I realized that it might hit him. So, far too late and with a weird level of calm, I reached out and pulled him towards me. The train sailed by and we kind of looked at each other with scared eyes that said, “I can’t believe that almost happened.”

Maybe we don’t think of it this way, but before the coming of Jesus the train of sin and death was bearing down on the world—on you and me. We weren’t just standing near the tracks, but laying right on them because of our stubborn rejection of God and His will.

At the thought of Jesus’ birth Mary declares God her Savior. She probably couldn’t have articulated all that this would mean, but she did know that humanity had a train coming right for it and symbolized in the coming of Jesus was the reaching out of God’s hand to pull people towards Him. As you think about the birth of Jesus this year, be like Mary and recognize that Christmas is the first part of God’s plan to save His beloved children.

week 1Luke 1:46-47

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”

Notes: December 1, 2019

Day 1 | Glorifies

Several years ago, I had the privilege of visiting Zion National Park. It is, hands down, the most stunning place I have ever been to. The scenery was so surreal, it felt almost fake. As I drove into the park, I was stunned by the spectacular scenery. It is easy to describe the luscious foliage and mountainous rock formations as magnificent. They are. But more importantly, they point to a glorious creator.

Mary’s song begins with the action of glorifying the Lord. The Greek translation for “glorifies” is “megalunō,” which means “to make great” or “magnify.” Mary’s song is usually referred to by the Latin form of this word, magnificat; this word is important because it defines Mary’s response to being pregnant with Jesus. It caused her soul to recognize and declare the greatness of God.

Many of us have experienced seeing something magnificent that creates a desire to glorify God. Whether it’s witnessing a sunset over the Rockies, basking in the glow of a Hawaiian sunrise, or enjoying a crisp and colorful Northwest autumn, there are times of utmost beauty that compel us to make to recognize and declare the greatness of God.

Sadly, for many of us, Christmas is not one of those times. We get so caught up in the beauty of lights, we forget the true beauty of our Savior’s birth. We get so caught up in magnificent presents, food and parties, we forget how the miraculous conception of Christ-made-flesh point to One magnificent God. As you think about the birth of Jesus this year, be like Mary and let it move your soul to recognize and declare the greatness of God. Be stunned by what we’ve witnessed in Jesus coming to earth and glorify the Lord.

Day 4 | Rejoices

Damian Lillard, the point guard of the Portland Trailblazers, has provided me with two of the happiest moments of my life. The first was in 2014 when he sprinted towards the player inbounding the ball while clapping wildly. There were 0.9 seconds left and the Blazers were down by two points in game six of their playoff series against the Houston Rockets. The ball was passed to him, he caught it, jumped high while fading left, shot the ball, and…swish! The ball went through the hoop and pandemonium ensued.

I was at the game that night. I’ll never forget jumping up and down. I’ll never forget my uncle yelling, “Woo, woo, woo!” over and over again. I’ll never forget the exuberant crowd while walking back to our car. When I think of rejoicing, I think of this moment.

There are a lot of things to stress about at Christmas. We worry about buying presents, balancing our time, and being around certain people in our family. But our stresses fail in comparison to Mary’s. She was a teenage girl who was pregnant in a society where having a child out of wedlock could get you killed and would get you ostracized. The truth was that the conception was miraculous and she was still a virgin, but who would believe that? Yet, in the midst of all this, Mary rejoiced. And she rejoiced because she knew that the baby inside of her would bring victory to his people. As you think about the birth of Jesus this year, be like Mary and rejoice…even in the midst of worries, burdens, and stress. After all, Christ the King was born to bring victory over the hardships of this world. Now, that is something to rejoice!

Day 2 | Glorifies

When I was young, I loved getting the Christmas advertisements in the newspaper and circling the things I wanted for presents. It created a sense of anticipation and excitement for what I might get for Christmas. So, when we recently received a Christmas ad in the mail, I was excited to continue the tradition with my four-year-old daughter. I told her to grab a pen and circle everything she wanted for Christmas. It turns out she wanted everything. She literally circled every item that was marketed to girls. She ended up drawing a giant circle around an entire page.

It’s obvious what kids glorify during Christmas: the presents. Honestly, I think I still define my favorite childhood Christmases by what I got. The G.I. Joe Space Center was my favorite. As we grow and mature, we (hopefully) learn that Christmas is more than just the presents. What we get is replaced with what we give, and presents aren’t as important as the people we cherish. Sadly, most people will continue to magnify just about everything but God during the Christmas season. Our calendars are so full of activities, we forget about the magnificent event that took place one night in Bethlehem. Our hearts and minds parallel my daughter, circling everything we want, but missing the Jesus page.

Consider this: What does how you spend your time and money in December tell you about what you are glorifying at Christmas? Most likely, it’s not God. But this year can be different. As you think about the birth of Jesus, be like Mary and make God great. Put the circle of your life around Him!

Day 3 | Rejoices

There’s a story I tell every Christmas: In my early 20s, I helped teach kindergarteners in Sunday school. One Sunday in December, I only had one child, so we joined another class. The teacher had tape on the floor so the kids knew where to sit…and how to sit. She kindly but firmly reminded them, “Bottoms on the tape.”

The lesson was on the birth of Jesus. The teacher had a nativity set next to her in front of the children and as she went through the story, she would point out the various characters. Near the end of the lesson she asked a question. I don’t remember what the question was, but the answer was the most obvious Sunday school response: Jesus. Upon hearing the question one of the kids jumped off the tape towards the nativity set and joyfully declared, “Baby Jesus!” The teacher’s response to the rejoicing child? “Bottoms on the tape.”

We’ve been far too accustomed to keeping our bottoms on the tape during the Christmas season. We dully go through our traditions—the ones we like and the ones we don’t, and lose the joy surrounding the reason we celebrate. As you think about the birth of Jesus this year, be like Mary and the little child from Sunday school...get off the tape and rejoice!