Object: A magnifying glass.

Good morning, boys and girls. Imagine what it would be like to make yourself as big as you wanted to be with a magic wand, or a special word. How big would you like to be? (Let them answer.) That's big. There is something about being big that is exciting. We can hardly wait until we grow up to be as big as our fathers and mothers. To be able to grow tall is wonderful. It's great to grow smart and strong. But the Bible is always telling us that it is even greater to grow another way. I want to talk to you about the way this morning.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a true believer in God all of her life. Even when she was a child, she knew that God was something very special to her. I am sure that she prayed and worshiped God every day. But when she was told by God that she was going to have a child, and that the child was going to be special because it was going to be God's son, then she believed even more.

Mary talked about her soul being magnified. How many of you have a magnifying glass? Do you know what a magnifying glass does? (Let them answer.) Right, it makes everything look larger and easier to read or see. Mary said that her soul was magnified. It was larger than before. Not only was it larger, but her love for God and the wonderful things that he was able to do was also larger for everyone else to see. Mary could not stop talking or praising God for the wonderful things that had happened to her.

I wish that we could magnify all of our souls. All of us know something about God, and we think that he is great for the things that he has done for us, but how do we show it? Do we sing songs about God with glad hearts and joyful voices? Do we thank God in prayer and tell others how wonderful God is to share his world with us? Do we thank him for all of the good things that are in the world? That is what we call magnifying the Lord, to make God easy to see for everyone. Let your friends and neighbors know that you know how good God is to you.

When you see a magnifying glass I want you to remember Mary, the mother of Jesus, and how happy she was to be able to serve God. When you think about how glad Mary was, then think about how glad you are to know God and share God's love in the same world with others. Amen.