Sermon Tone Analysis
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Entertaining Angels
Make Praise
Make Praise!
Hannah was giving thanks for God’s answer to her prayer
in the gift of her son Samuel,
and here Mary, too, considers herself blessed
as she stands in the presence of her kinswoman Elizabeth
who also, though beyond childbearing years,
has been granted the gift of a child.
In the vignette of this narrative, we see three feminine figures faced with impossible realities,
wrapped up inside miraculous unexplainable wonder
and flooded with praise.
Mary’s Magnificent Song
This story is traditionally known as the Magnificat, or Mary’s song,
and it is written in the style of Hannah’s song in the Hebrew canon.
Hannah’s Story
Her Situation: 1 Samuel 1:1-2, 4-5, 8
Her Supplication: 1 Samuel 1:10-11
Ms. Understood: 1 Samuel 1:14,16
Blessed and Impressed: 1 Samuel 1:17-18
No longer Distressed: 1 Samuel 1:20
Hannah’s Sacrifice
1 Samuel 1:24-28
Hannah’s Song
Hannah, long barren and bereft,
waiting for a child,
grateful that God had seen her plight and answered her prayer.
She promised to give him away
and return him to God and the tabernacle once he could eat solid food.
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Unbridled Praise: 1 Samuel 2:1-2
Unanswered Pride: 1 Samuel 2:3-4
Answered Prayer: 1 Sam 2:5
Amazing Grace: 1 Sam 2:8
Assurance of Protection: 1 Sam 2:9
Elizabeth’s Situation
Luke 1:5-7
Zechariah’s Service
Luke 1:8, 10
Zechariah’s Visitation
Luke 1:11-12
Zechariah’s Answered Prayer
Luke 1:13
God’s Plans for John
Luke 1:16-17
Unbelievable Wonder
Luke 1:18
An Answer Delivered in Person
Luke 1:19-20
A Priest Made Mute
Luke 1:22
The Promise Fulfilled
Luke 1:24-25
Well past mid-life in the ancient world,
Elizabeth was blessed with a child in her womb,
though her husband had been struck mute,
and she must have feared the travail of birth given her advanced years.
Mary is Chosen
And Mary, not yet wed, we think,
probably sent to visit with her family outside her village
to give some time and space and protection given her delicate condition
and yet, she, believing and trusting in God.
Mary Comes to Elizabeth
Elizabeth’s Praise
In the ancient world, the inability to conceive and birth a child,
particularly a male child,
was thought to be some sort of punishment of God upon women.
We know now that this is not the truth, but in their time,
women were dependent upon the care of husbands and fathers
and/or sons for their survival
which made their roles as wives and mothers critical to their existence.
Mary’s Song to God
However, she did not yet know how things would work out
and considered herself blessed.
Three Women, One Great God
We can see here that each of these women
has had the blessing of the need of a child answered,
and yet, also some hardship that the very same miracle will bring about.
We Need Miracles Too
We live in different times and places, but we all have needs.
Some of us are praying for children, healing,
and asking God to restore relationships
and help us find employment and stability.
What Miracles Has God Done for You?
Many of us understand what it is to be in need of a miracle,
and many of us know what it is to have been granted a miracle,
to know God is at work,
yet life is still hard.
What Miracles Are You Praying For?
There is still another complication:
one more diagnosis, another fallout,
one more phone call, and one more hardship to face.
Believe God for Miracles
This text calls us to believe in the God of miracles this Advent
and to follow these women in singing our praise.
What are the miracles you are currently praying for and praising God in expectation of?
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