And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
Luke 1:46-47
When my husband and I lived in Mexico City, we would often go to the artisan park on Saturday mornings. Our favorite artist was a man who worked on his art while he sat in the park. He had a huge magnifying glass propped in front of him, and with it he sculpted. What did he sculpt? A toothpick! We would watch him take a normal toothpick from a box, mount it under his enormous magnifying glass, and with the finest, tiniest blade he would sculpt the toothpick. When he was done, he would paint his creation with a single, fine bristle from a paintbrush. The completed art piece was then secured on a wooden stand and protected with a small test tube.
We have several of his toothpick sculptures. My favorite is a man carrying a load of wood on his back. He is dressed in a white tunic and brown boots. He has a brown pouch hanging from his waist and is carrying a load of wood on his back. The load of wood is heavy, so he is leaning over from its weight. His right hand is grasping a staff, and with his left hand he is attempting to secure the load of wood. An orange cloth protects the wood.
I think of this toothpick sculpture at Advent when I consider Mary’s words in her song of praise. The magnifying glass helps me appreciate the sculpture; it increases my ability to see its detail and appreciate its intricacies. The distinction is that the magnifying glass makes it appear bigger, but it does not increase the size of the toothpick sculpture.
When we join Mary in magnifying the Lord during Advent, we don’t make God bigger. We cannot make God any greater than he is, but we can perceive him as greater in our lives. We magnify God by making him greater in our thoughts, in our affections, in our memories, in our hopes, and in our expectations. We can increase his prominence in our lives. Mary was saying that she suddenly realized how great God was in a new way.
May each of us perceive God’s greatness in a new way this Advent season. May our joyous ponderings reveal the intricacies of his love and the beauty of his person. May our heartfelt reflections cause us to exclaim this song of praise with Mary: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
About the Author
Rev. Gloria D. Kroeze is a retired pediatric chaplain. In her free time, she enjoys walking, creating in the kitchen, adventuring with her husband, and learning about birds. She attends Woodlawn CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich.
