Sermon - Mary's Song, Our Joy

Pastor Jenny frames the third Sunday of Advent (Joy) around Mary’s “song” in Luke 1:46–55 (the Magnificat). Mary’s joy isn’t shallow happiness or dependent on perfect circumstances; it’s a deep, Spirit-born joy rooted in trust that God is with her and will set the world right. Mary praises God for seeing the lowly and for God’s “great reversal”—lifting up the humbled, feeding the hungry, and challenging the proud and powerful. Jenny compares this to the eager “search” of kids finding the elf on the shelf: joy grows as we look for God’s presence with expectation and wonder. She also notes that sometimes we can’t hold joy on our own—community can “hold joy” for us, like a toddler comforting an exhausted parent. The invitation is to let Mary’s song become our song: choose joy, seek signs of grace, trust God’s justice, and rest in God’s promises as we await Christ’s coming.