SCRIPTURE
Luke 1:46-55
And Mary said,
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
SONG
O Holy Night
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born.
O night, O holy night, O night divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming;
With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand:
So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from Orient land,
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend;
He knows our need, To our weakness no stranger!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! your King! Before Him bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is Love and His gospel is Peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease,
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful Chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his Holy name!
Christ is the Lord, then ever! ever praise we!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory, evermore proclaim!
ACTIVITY
In the passage today, it says that Mary “said” the prayer that is sometimes called the Magnificat. But it is definitely written in poetic form, and many people have put it to song. But that’s not the only scripture that has been put to song, many other scriptures have been as well. Putting scripture to song helps us store God’s Word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).
As a family, see which songs you can remember that have parts of the Bible quoted directly into them. Some examples to get you started: “Create in me a clean heart, O God”, “I know Whom I Have Believed”, “Beloved, Let Us Love One Another”, “Revelation Song”, “The Lord is My Shepherd”, “I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord Forever”, “Thy Word”, “Beloved, Let Us Love One Another (1 John 4:7 and 8)” and there are lots more!
Sing some of the ones you know well.
Older kids might like the challenge of choosing a Bible verse and putting it to their own melody.
