Singing the Lord's Powerful Song

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name

(from Luke 1:39-55)

I consider one of the greatest contributions of the Methodist Movement to be the hymns, both traditional and contemporary.

Within that tradition is Methodism's Great Day of Singing when the worship service is composed of music chosen by the gathered congregation which includes scripture and prayer.

Give me the blessing of a "Hymn Sing Sunday" and free my soul.

What stands out for me in this text is Mary's song, the Magnificat, a she sings about God's unexpected goodness in her ordinary life.

Mary is implying we also may encounter God's unexpected goodness during our daily routine, in the ordinary as well as the difficult activities of daily life.

Songs are power.

Mary’s song is in the past tense because she recognizes she has been drawn into relationship with the God of Israel.

The God of Israel has been siding with the oppressed and downtrodden since the Egyptian captivity, and has been making and keeping promises since the time of Abraham.

Mary's song recognizes that she’s included in this history of God's redemption.

Songs are powerful.

For several months before the fall of the Berlin wall, Citizens of Leipzig had been gathering on Monday evenings for a candlelight vigil around St. Nikolai church singing songs of hope, protest and justice.

They demonstrated a confident and courageous hope in God’s divine activity to save and redeem the world.

It seems to me that as we gather and sing Advent and Christmas songs in the face of the wars and chaos of our times, God is active as lift our voices and of God's redemption in our times.

Think about it: Today it seems as though hope in on a distant horizon. How does this story of possibility through singing ring true for you this season?