And I want to help other singles believe in and experience this joyful, purposeful, beautiful way of being Jesus offers us in relationship with Himself. I may be an “advocate for joyful singleness”, but as I’ve shared before, I didn’t always have joy in my singleness. If 10 years ago you would have told me I’d still be single at 34, I would have cried tears of sorrow and hopelessness. Please, dear God, let it not be true. If 10 years ago you also would have told me I’d actually be content, be proud of myself, be filled with joy and hope and gratitude in still being single at 34, I would have laughed incredulously. Yeah, right. But deep in my heart, I would have also asked, How? How could I have such joy in singleness when singleness isn’t what I wanted? In a word: Jesus. Amidst all the decorating and baking and shopping and gathering and eating and gift-giving of this holiday season, that’s really what we’re celebrating: Jesus. Joy is found all throughout the Gospel tellings of the first Christmas, but I think sometimes we need to remember this joy. That this joy wasn’t just for that first Christmas, it’s part of every Christmas, even when a particular Christmas season holds heartache. This joy isn’t just for celebrations, but for day to day life, even when day to day life is lonely, tiring, or boring. This joy isn’t just for someday when hopes and dreams come true, but for today, even when we’re discouraged, sad, frustrated, confused, and overwhelmed. And sometimes, we need to intentionally lean into this joy, this good news that the yearly rhythm of Christmas invites us to remember and rejoice in. My Spirit RejoicesJoy is found throughout the Christmas story. And one of my favorite places in the Christmas story where we find joy is in Luke 1:46-55, a passage often titled “Mary’s Song”.* And what a beautiful song it is! It opens with these words: “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Luke 1:46-47, NIV Mary goes on to sing of God’s salvation, compassion, blessing, might, holiness, mercy, faithfulness, omniscience, sovereignty, and care, both in covenant with His people and in her own life.** That’s something I love about this song, how personal and intimate it is: “For he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant… for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.” Luke 1:48-49, NIV This song resembles other songs found in the Old Testament, echoing the words of women who had gone before: Miriam after God led His people through the parted waters of the Red Sea and destroyed the army of the nation that had enslaved them (Ex. 14:15-15:21); Deborah after God gave His people triumph in battle and brought victory through the hands of a woman (Jdg. 4:4-5:31); Hannah after God answered her prayers for a child and she dedicated her son to the Lord (1 Sam. 1:1-2:10).** These “hymns of divine victory”** sing of how God was faithful to His covenant, gave victory against all odds, and accomplished the seemingly impossible through ordinary people. Now Mary joins in this song of victory that echos through the ages of God’s mightiness to save, power to redeem, trustworthiness to provide, and faithfulness to love. We, too, can join in this victory song, rejoicing in God our Savior, trusting His mindfulness of us, worshiping Him in His holiness, and thanking Him for the wonderful things He has done for us. This song Mary sang seems to be a happy one, springing from a time of happiness. But I sometimes I wonder exactly how Mary sang this song. Was it with a bright smile on her face and happiness in her heart? Or was it a bold declaration in the face of fear? Or perhaps it was a whispered prayer of faith? Or maybe it was sung through tears as she clung to God and called on Him for help? Because sometimes, rejoicing doesn’t look like smiles and happiness and serenity. Sometimes, rejoicing is done through tears, in the face of fears, in the midst of uncertainty. Because rejoicing is taking joy and delight in who God is—that He is my joy, my hope, my peace, my strength, my comfort, my help—and that He is with me always. Who He is doesn’t change depending on the circumstances we find ourselves in or the emotions we find ourselves experiencing, and this is why we can “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4). My Soul MagnifiesAnother title that’s been given to this song is "Mary’s Magnificat". Magnificat is from the Latin word for “magnify”, from the first line of the song:*** “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Luke 1:46, CSB This is what rejoicing does: it magnifies the Lord. Not that it makes Him more good, more loving, more mighty, more faithful, more of who He is. Nothing can make God more. But rejoicing fixes our gaze on Jesus. It focuses our hearts and minds on His goodness, His love, His mightiness, His faithfulness, His more-than-enoughness. So we become more aware of and present to and able to delight in His presence in our lives. This is why, whatever the year may have held and whatever the next year brings, we celebrate Christmas, why we take this time to remember and rejoice in the birth of Christ: because it magnifies the Lord—both in that He is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise; and in that it re-centers us in relationship with Him, to orient our days, our decisions, our priorities, our daily routines and rhythms around His presence with us, in us, and through us. This is the joy—and the peace, hope, wonder, goodness, and meaning—of Christmas: Jesus was born, coming to be with us so we could be with Him. And this is the joy—and the peace, hope, wonder, goodness, and meaning—of singleness: the withness of God, in whom we have relationship and presence and communion and belonging and intimacy and commitment and love that is not less-than or lacking, but whole and rich, abundant and abounding, filling and overflowing. Let’s lean into this joy. Let’s celebrate this Christmas. Let’s live in relationship with our God who is with us. *Such as the New International Version (copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.)
**Nijay K. Gupta, Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church (InterVarsity Press, 2023), 53 ***“magnificat”, Merriam-Webster.com, 2025, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnificat Comments are closed.
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