Advent · Fourth Sunday in Advent · Year B
Psalm 89:1-5 (19-29)
Mary’s Song
December 20, 2026
Overview & Insights
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)
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 challenges to the status quo that will mark Jesus’s ministry as this Gospel will describe it.
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Commentary
Commentary on Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 Working Preacher
Lutheran reading of the psalm's celebration of God's steadfast love and covenant with David.
Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 89 Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik's verse-by-verse study of the Davidic covenant sung and then lamented.
Psalm 89:1 Commentaries BibleHub
Classic commentators gathered on singing of the mercies of the Lord forever.
Background & Word Study
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What is the Magnificat?
Mary's song at the Visitation praises the God who lifts up the lowly and fills the hungry with good things, casting down the proud and the mighty. It is the church's evening song of the great reversal.
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