This advent season we are talking all about how God loves us so much that He sent Jesus! I love that Jesus is so important that we still celebrate his birth every year around this time. One of the things we do to celebrate is decorate a Christmas tree!

Can you try to pose like a Christmas tree?

The challenge for today can stretch a few days if you need. We challenge you to find 3 Christmas trees as you are out and about, this means the Christmas tree in your house doesn’t count! Look when you go into a store, look when you come to church, maybe even look when you go to preschool! Keep looking until you find 3. Ready…set…GO!

Click here for today’s video!

Reminder, this week’s verse is “And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:38 ESV

On Sunday at check in, kids will have a chance to recite the verse they memorized to be entered to win a prize so come ready to share!

All week we learned that though Mary was afraid, she chose to trust God and His plan for her life. This isn’t an easy thing today.

Today we want to challenge you to have a conversation with your parents. Begin by asking the following question and make sure to answer yourself. Maybe you can even commit to praying for one another about your answers.

What thing or part of your life do you have the hardest time trusting God with?

Mary’s song is revolutionary. After Elizabeth’s affirmation, Mary bursts into praise. It’s not a quiet, polite prayer, but a bold proclamation about who God is and what He does. We call it the Magnificat, from the Latin for “magnify” and it’s one of the most radical statements in Scripture.

READ

Let’s take a moment to read Luke 1:46-56:

“And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.”

REFLECT

Mary’s song is a powerful testimony that God delights in lifting up the lowly. Mary herself embodies this truth: a young, ordinary woman from a small town. She has no power, no status, no platform. In the world’s eyes, she’s nobody special. Yet, she was chosen to bear the Savior of the world. This is how God works. This is what His favor looks like.

A lot of us think that if God’s favor is on us, life will feel easy. In high school, that might look like making the varsity team, getting straight A’s, being popular, or having everything go exactly the way we want. We imagine God’s favor as success, comfort, and recognition. But Mary’s song shows us something different.

God’s favor isn’t about being the most talented or the most noticed, it’s about being chosen for His purpose. Mary wasn’t the star of her community, but God saw her, knew her, and invited her into His story. In the same way, God’s favor means He sees you even if you don’t get the lead in the play, even if you’re not the top of the class, even if you feel overlooked. His favor is about calling, not comfort.

And here’s the key: God’s favor doesn’t erase challenges. Mary still faced gossip, fear, and uncertainty. But it does mean those struggles aren’t wasted, He gives them meaning.

Mary acknowledges her humble state, yet rejoices that “from now on all generations will call me blessed.” Advent invites us to see that God’s kingdom does not advance through the powerful or prestigious, but through those who are willing to trust Him in their weakness. Mary’s Magnificat reminds us that humility is not a barrier to God’s work, it is the very posture He honors.

Mary’s words also show how God flips the world’s values upside down. She sings that God brings down the proud and powerful, but raises up the lowly and fills the hungry. That’s the heart of Advent: Jesus comes not in a palace but in a manger, not surrounded by wealth but by shepherds. God’s kingdom is different, it honors humility, faith, and dependence on Him. 

Philippians 2:6-8 says Jesus “made himself nothing” by taking on human form and later “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death.” That’s staggering. God chose not to come in power or prestige but in weakness and vulnerability, entering the world as a baby. This is love expressed. Not love that maintains distance and demands service, but love that enters in, that humbles itself, that identifies with the lowly.

Mary’s song reminds us that God has always had a special concern for those the world overlooks. The poor, the powerless, the vulnerable, the forgotten, these are the ones God consistently shows up for. Not because they’re more deserving, but because they’re more dependent. They know they need God in a way the self-sufficient often don’t.

This passage makes us stop and ask: Do we realize how much we actually need God? Or have we gotten so comfortable, so focused on doing things ourselves, that we miss what His favor really means? God’s favor isn’t about getting everything we want, like perfect grades, the starting spot on the team, or the friend group we wish we had. His favor means we get Him, His presence with us, His purpose for our lives, and His power working even when we feel weak.

For Mary, God’s favor didn’t mean an easy life. It meant carrying the weight of God’s mission, dealing with people’s judgment, and watching her own son be rejected and eventually crucified. That’s heavy. But it also meant being part of the greatest story ever told, God using her to bring salvation to the world.

For us, Advent is a chance to remember that God still works through ordinary people. Just like Mary, we may feel small or unnoticed, but God can use us to show His love in powerful ways. When we choose humility, like serving others, listening, and trusting God, we open ourselves to be part of His story. Mary’s song invites us to magnify the Lord in our own lives, celebrating that He exalts the humble and uses them to bring His kingdom close.

• Where in your life do you need to embrace lowliness and dependence on God rather than self-sufficiency?

• How might God be calling you to align yourself with His concern for the overlooked and powerless?

PRAY

Lord, we praise You because You see what the world overlooks. You lift up the humble and fill the hungry. Help us recognize our own need for You and experience the true favor that comes from being known, chosen, and used by You for Your purposes. Make us people who value what You value and celebrate how Your upside-down kingdom brings justice and mercy to the world. Amen.

READ

Mary's song is revolutionary.After Elizabeth's affirmation, Mary bursts into praise—not a quiet, polite prayer, but a bold proclamation about who God is and what He does. We call it the Magnificat, from the Latin for "magnify," and it's one of the most radical statements in Scripture.

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant."

Let’s take a moment to read Luke 1:46-56:

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.”

“His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”

“He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.”
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.”

“He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.”

“He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

REFLECT

Let's sit with that word "lowliness" for a moment. Mary isn't just being humble—she's stating reality. She's a teenage girl from a nothing town in an occupied nation. She has no power, no status, no platform. In the world's eyes, she's nobody special. And yet God has chosen her for the most significant mission in human history.

This is how God works. This is what His favor looks like.

We've been conditioned to think God's favor means success, wealth, comfort, and ease. We think favor is getting the promotion, winning the lottery, having everything work out exactly as we planned. But Mary's song tells a different story about God's favor.

God's favor is about being chosen for purpose, not necessarily comfort. It's about being seen, known, and invited into His story, even when—especially when—the world overlooks you. God's favor doesn't remove difficulty; it gives meaning to it.

Mary continues: "He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty."

This is where the Magnificat gets uncomfortable for those of us with privilege and power. Mary is declaring that God's economy is upside down from ours. He exalts the humble and humbles the proud. He fills the hungry and empties the self-sufficient. He scatters the arrogant and shows mercy to those who fear Him.

The Incarnation itself is proof of this. God didn't come to earth through political power or military might. He came through a young woman's womb, born in a stable, raised in obscurity. The all-powerful God chose powerlessness. The eternal Word chose silence and infancy. The Creator submitted to His creation.

This is love expressed. Not love that maintains distance and demands service, but love that enters in, that humbles itself, that identifies with the lowly.

Mary's song reminds us that God has always had a special concern for those the world overlooks. The poor, the powerless, the vulnerable, the forgotten—these are the ones God consistently shows up for. Not because they're more deserving, but because they're more dependent. They know they need God in a way the self-sufficient often don't.

Here's the question this raises for us: Do we recognize our own lowliness? Do we see our need for God? Or have we become so comfortable, so self-sufficient, so full of our own strength that we've missed what it means to experience God's favor?

God's favor doesn't mean we get everything we want. It means we get God—His presence, His purpose, His power working through our weakness. Mary's favor meant carrying the weight of God's mission, facing social stigma, watching her son be misunderstood and eventually crucified. But it also meant being part of the greatest story ever told, being used by God to bring salvation to the world.

Maybe you're in a season where you feel overlooked, powerless, or small. Maybe you're facing circumstances that make you feel forgotten or invisible. Mary's song is for you. God sees the lowly. He lifts up the humble. He fills the hungry.

Or maybe you're in a season of abundance and strength. Mary's song is for you too—a reminder to hold your blessings lightly, to remember your own need for God, to align yourself with God's concern for the vulnerable rather than the values of a world that celebrates power and self-sufficiency.

The Magnificat teaches us that God's favor is expressed through unexpected people in unexpected ways for unexpected purposes. And often, that favor looks like being invited into something challenging, something costly, something that requires everything you have.

But it's worth it. Because God's favor isn't about making life easy—it's about making life meaningful. It's about participating in how God's love gets expressed in the world.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.

• How has God shown His favor to you in ways that didn't match your expectations of what "blessed" should look like?

• Where in your life do you need to embrace lowliness and dependence on God rather than self-sufficiency?

• How might God be calling you to align yourself with His concern for the overlooked and powerless?
  

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:

Lord, we praise You because You see what the world overlooks. You lift up the humble and fill the hungry. Help us recognize our own need for You and experience the true favor that comes from being known, chosen, and used by You for Your purposes. Make us people who value what You value and celebrate how Your upside-down kingdom brings justice and mercy to the world. Amen.