Break the ice. What song are you most likely to be caught singing out loud in the car?

Luke 1:46-55 is Mary's song of praise to God and a response to his grace. This song is often called the "Magnificat" because the first word of her first line in Latin is “magnificat anima mea Dominum,” which means “My soul magnifies (glorifies, praises) the Lord.”

Read Luke 1:46-55, The Magnificat, aloud together:

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46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.” (NLT)

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1. What does Mary reveal about herself when she identifies the reasons for her joy in verses 46 and 47? Who is God to Mary? Why is this important?
2. Mary’s song of praise gives evidence of her relationship with God and her personal knowledge of him. What do you learn about God and His character from Mary’s song? What specific attributes of God does Mary draw attention to in these verses?
3. To understand verse 48 correctly, we must look back at verse 45. Why will all generations call Mary blessed?
4. In our recent study of Psalms, we learned that affirming the sovereignty of God over all things helps us to be thankful, worshiping people, and Mary is a beautiful example of this. Where do you need to grow in fear of the Lord (verse 50)? Are you in a season that your soul magnifies the Lord and your spirit rejoices in God? What are the hindrances?
5. The presence of the Holy Spirit enables us to believe and trust, not only for salvation but also for the whole Christian life. Those who have been made righteous by faith will live by faith (Romans 1:17). What person close to you needs to hear you express your faith?