Magnified!

As I considered December, I could sense that extraordinary moment, as if an orchestral symphony was beginning an incredible crescendo.  The hint that something was about to explode in magnificence and splendor.  The cherry on top of the cake, the final flourish, the knowledge that something epic was about to happen – and it does!  “𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙙 𝙖 𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙧, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙.”  (Luke 2:11) Christmas, the crowning achievement of a year filled to the brim with miracles.  The Creator becoming the created!

Mary understood the miracle of that very first Christmas. She knew the astonishing significance of this one, grace filled, day. Luke 1:46 tells us, “𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙: “𝙈𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙧.”  From the moment the angel appeared to Mary she began to magnify the LORD; she rejoiced in her God and Savior. Words of praise and adoration spilled from her lips, Mary did not magnify the LORD merely in her thoughts but with her voice! Loud and full of rejoicing!

I remember as a child being fascinated with the microscope at my father’s office. My Dad would take a tiny ant and place it under the glass, and I would jam my eye against the eyepiece.  Suddenly I could see every detail, every hair on that little ant’s leg, its alienlike eyes looking back at me. I’d gasp with wonder, it was incredible! 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱!  You see, the more you magnify your Savior the greater He becomes, and the greater He becomes the more you magnify Him! Of course, we cannot make our wonderful, mighty God any greater than He already is or even begin to imagine His actual greatness, but when we magnify our LORD, make known His marvelous deeds, proclaim His abundant goodness then He becomes greater in our eyes. He becomes elevated in the eyes of those around us who hear our proclamation! Faith grows bigger and hope shines brighter.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, proclaim His abundant goodness and shout His great name in an epic crescendo of praise! Let’s bring our gift of worship to the King of Kings, the Savior of the world, and make His deeds known among the people!  Let’s join with the angels in shouting, “𝙂𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙣!” (Luke 8:14)