Joyful Expectation of the Messiah

Scripture: Luke 1:46-56
Mary accepted her mission with uncompromising faith and obedience. She acted with unwavering trust and faith because she believed that God would fulfil the word he had spoken. Her great hymn of praise echoes the song of Hannah (see 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and proclaims the favour of the Lord: God exalts the lowly and he fills the hungry with good things. Hannah like Mary had been without child and God in a marvellous way gave her a son, named Samuel, whom she dedicated at an early age to the service of the Lord (1 Sam. 1:24ff.) Mary, too, would lose her son to a servant ministry that would take him to the cross. Christmas is a time for renewing our faith and hope in God and in his promises and for deepening our love for God and for neighbor.