One day, just over 2000 years ago, the angel Gabriel appeared to a young woman named Mary and told her that she was to give birth to a son named Jesus, who will be called ”Son of God.” Today’s scripture reading, from the Gospel of Luke, relates Mary’s response.[1] She exclaims, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

But I am here today to proclaim that the Mighty One has done great things not only for Mary, the mother of Jesus, but has done great things for each and every one of us. Every one of our souls glorifies and magnifies the Lord. We can all rejoice in God our Savior, holy is his name.

To begin with, we live in a world created by God. As Isaiah says, “God created the heavens and formed the earth; he established the universe and created this world not in vain; he formed it to be inhabited.”[2]  No, the world is not a fortuitous combination of molecules which, in a purely random way, has resulted in the flight of birds, the beauty of sunsets, the ability of our eyes to see, glorious sounds of Mozart’s music, the discoveries of science, the wisdom of our great thinkers, and the love we share with each other. Evolution is real, but it is a process initiated and guided by God. As the Apostle Paul says, in God, “we live, move and have our being.”[3]

And God not only created the universe, but he created man in his own image. This does not mean that we look like God, but rather that God has indwelt us with his own spirit, sent from Paradise and living in the depths of our minds. Jesus taught that “The Kingdom of God is within you.”[4] We do not have to wander the world, like a lost soul, searching for God. God’s Spirit is within us. This Divine Spirit is God’s will for us. It partakes of God’s perfection. It ever stimulates us to greater realizations of the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness which are part of God’s nature. And by following this Spirit’s guidance, we will eventually fulfill the great commandment Jesus proclaimed to us, to “be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”[5]

Mary was blessed by a visit from the angel Gabriel. Likewise, you and I are blessed by our own guardian angels, ministering spirits who strive to help us as we pursue our lives in this challenging world. They may rarely appear to us in the way Gabriel appeared to Mary, but they do watch over us and guide us in life. Perhaps at times you have sensed their presence.

And our God is much more than a creator spirit. Jesus told us that “God is love.”[6] He taught that God is our “heavenly Father,” [7] and that he loves each one of us with an infinite love. God the Father treasures each one of us as a unique personality, without a duplicate in the whole universe. We are precious in the Father’s sight. Yes, God loves us. He delights in us and rejoices when we follow the guidance of his indwelling spirit and his ministering angels. He longs to be in communion with us for all eternity.

And since God is our Father, we are all brothers and sisters in his family. Because we know this truth, we reach out to each other in love.

Let me ask you, how would you define love?

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As we see, there are many possible definitions. A favorite of mine is, “God is the desire to do good to others.” Recently a number of children were asked to define what love is. A seven-year old named Bobby said “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” I pray that this Christmas, each of us will stop and listen, listen for the voice of our guardian angel, listen to the still, small, voice of the Divine Spirit within us, listen to the love expressed by our brothers and sisters. When we do that, our souls, like Mary’s will magnify the Lord. We will rejoice in God our savior, holy is his name!

Amen!