Magnification

The first challenge is MAGNIFICATION - that's a good translation of megalunei 'My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour'. This is such a challenge to praise at full throttle.  Formula 1 praise.  In continuous tense Mary focuses on who God is - he fills the space, his attributes are enlarged and overwhelming. I once visited a place in Buxton many years ago where high magnification microscopes were set up with a number of glass slides ready to view. (I have since called the place a microscoparium...but I don't think there is such a word)! Suddenly a human hair, splinter of wood, flea and several things of beauty lay magnified in front of me.  I was amazed you at the detail, textures, qualities which I would have missed without slowing down, focusing, enlarging and giving time to wonder.

Magnification pushes us to ask how big our God is in our prayer lives.  About how much wonder and awe  we are seeing as we talk with the Mighty God whose character is so majestic with attributes of wisdom, goodness, righteousness, justice, love, mercy and so many qualities way beyond us - of his all-knowing, ever-presence, unchangeability... and so on.  And Mary's song helps us focus by going to the most distinctive attribute of all - that God is holy.  Holiness is the best God description of all.  That's why when Jesus was asked by his disciples how they should pray he began: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name'  Because 'holy' gloriously sums up the sheer distance, otherness, of God from creation, from us. His utter difference, transcendence, moral perfection, awe-inspiriting majesty.  Yet, this mighty holy God has come close to in Jesus and shown his mercy and love.

I shared with the congregation that I have put a new note on the bathroom mirror.  A personalizing of verse 49: Mighty God you've  done great things for me. Holy is your name and your mercy extends to me. That's a pretty good way to begin a day.