Big Idea: God has chosen the insignificant Mary for great honor. This is an example of how he overturns human values and conventions.

Understanding the Text

In our first two sections of Luke’s text the angel Gabriel has announced two births to mothers who should not have been expecting a baby (one too old, the other not yet married). Before the births of John and Jesus are narrated, the two families are brought together, and we have in this domestic scene an opportunity to reflect on the significance of these two special people. The unborn John and his mother recognize the superior status of Mary’s son, and Mary speaks with delight and wonder of the incredible honor of being the mother of God’s Son.

The paradoxical values expressed in Mary’s song prepare the reader for the repeated chal…