Forming Faith Blog

Glorifying and Praising (Luke 1 & Luke 2)

Posted on December 10 2024 by Gregory Rawn

The readings for the fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas both include the announcement of good news by angels and end with glorifying and praising God.

The Annunciation in statues. Mary and the shepherds respond to angelic announcements by glorifying and praising God.

Part 1 (Advent 4, December 22)

This is it, the home stretch for Advent. We are approaching the fourth Sunday of Advent followed a few days later with Christmas (Eve and Day). And while each part of a book (in this case, Gospel) connects with the next, the reading for Advent 4 leads directly into the Christmas story with promise and fulfillment, announcements and praise.

An Angel Announces to Mary

The Gospel of Luke begins with the promise of the birth of John (later the Baptist), but the most important promise is told starting in Luke 1:26. One of only two angels named in the Protestant Bible, Gabriel is sent by God to a young woman in an insignificant town in a backwater part of the Roman Empire.

Gabriel has a message to announce, a promise to deliver. God has chosen this girl, Mary, to bear the very Son of God, not by natural means, but by the direct work of the Holy Spirit. Mary is someone who is favored by God. Interesting (to me, at least) is that the Greek word for “favor” in both verses 28 and 30 is the same as “grace” and “blessing.” So, Mary is the recipient of God’s grace and blessing, a blessed one.

Mary Glorifies and Praises God

While the text (optional this week) does not specifically call Mary’s song (Luke 1:46-55) glorifying and praising God (a phrase I’m taking from Luke 2:20), that’s what she is doing. God has chosen a girl of low birth, otherwise insignificant in history, and exalted her beyond all others. She does not merely glorify and praise God for what God is doing for and through her. Her song, the Magnificat, praises God for the grace God gives (and will give) to everyone whom the world deems lowly and insignificant.

As I reflected on last week for Isaiah 61, Mary praises God for the Great Reversal. As she puts it:

[God] has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
[God] has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

Luke 1:52-53

While this might be harsh news for those of us with wealth and power, it is definitely good news for those most in need of it.

Part 2 (Christmas, December 25)

What begins as a promise to Mary by Gabriel is fulfilled as God’s Son is born in humble circumstances. In this case, the reversal is that the One who holds ultimate power chooses to become a lowly, powerless baby.

An Angel Announces to Shepherds

Just as the angel Gabriel announced the imminent promise of God’s arrival to Mary, the angel of the Lord announces the good news of the Messiah’s arrival to lowly shepherds. And while Mary had to wait nine months for this Messiah, the shepherds only had to wait however long it took them to get from the fields to the food trough (there couldn’t have been that many mangers in Bethlehem, right?).

Gabriel’s news was intensely personal for Mary with global ramifications, but the angel of the Lord’s news was explicitly “for all the people” (Luke 2:10). The Messiah was not born for those in power but “for you” (the shepherds, representing the common people).

The Shepherds Glorify and Praise God

Mary, after a few questions, trusts the angel and the promise. The shepherds, too, believe the promise of the angel. They don’t even ask any questions. They just say, “Let’s go!” and hurried off. Scripture doesn’t tell us what the shepherds say or do when they find the Holy Family, but it is clear what they do afterward. They tell people what they heard and saw, testifying to the birth of the Messiah.

Then,

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2:20
Announcing, Glorifying, and Praising in Faith Formation

The dramatic (and frightening) announcements of both angels lead to faith and praise. Most people never receive a direct announcement from a heavenly being, so it’s not fair to make a direct comparison between these first recipients and us. Faith can be harder if it’s based on the announcement recorded in an ancient, written text.

This underscores the importance of sharing our experience with God along with the words of Scripture. The shepherds made their experience known to many, and their hearers responded with amazement. Given how reliably and fast information is transmitted in a community (like rumors), I’m sure everyone in Bethlehem and beyond heard about this. (Whether they believed it was a different thing.)

When we hear, and share, experiences with God, our response should be to glorify and praise God. As faith formation leaders, part of our responsibility is to give our participants space and support to identify their experiences with God and then to share and praise. You can even use our free activity for this week to make this even more fun!

Advent and Christmas blessings,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

Download a FREE activity for 12/22 & 12/25/2024
Free Resource

During the main Narrative Lectionary year (September 8 to June 8), we provide a free resource download from one of our products to help you in your faith formation ministry. This week, download the activity “Announcement, Announcement” from our Living the Word: Kids (PK-2nd, NL) curriculum. This activity can be used on Advent 4 or Christmas (or both, I’m sure the kids would love to teach the adults how to do this), with all ages, and would be great for worship!

Order Faith Formation Resources

It’s not too late to order for winter (and spring)! Advent is here (and therefore our winter faith formation resources), but you can still purchase what you need and download it right away! Order winter and spring seasons for the Narrative Lectionary, Revised Common Lectionary, and Classic Sunday School products. If you don’t have much time for full-length children’s Christian education, then check out our Kids Mini Lessons for the NL and RCL.

Are you looking for shorter resources for family/intergenerational events or Sunday school? Check out our Learning Together series, a set of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. You can read outside reviews on both our newest Do Justice and Created to Care units! Our faith formation resources are easy to use, theologically sound, and inclusive.

At Spirit & Truth Publishing, we might have exactly what you are looking for:

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