New Beginnings (detail). Christi Belcourt with Isaac Murdoch. 2014

Questions abound when I hear Mary singing ‘My soul magnifies the Lord’ (Luke 1:46).

For example, a dictionary tells me that ‘Magnification is the process of making an object appear much larger or more important than it really is’. So is Mary’s song all about making the Holy One larger or more important than the Holy One really is? Yikes, that raises serious questions about Christian faith.

Thankfully a spouse who knows me well offered me a volume of etymology several Christmases past … ‘magnify‘, borrowed from Old French magnifier, borrowed from Latin magnificare … ‘to esteem greatly, to glorify, to praise’. Wow, that makes more sense.

But for what does Mary ‘magnify’ the Holy One? How is hers a ‘magnifying’ soul?
Many of the first Christians felt their experience described in that of the character of Mary. How might we?

We invite you to join us in Christian worship either in the sanctuary (following COVID protocols of safe distancing, mask wearing and refraining from singing) or by live-stream at https://youtu.be/hoTGMxqvMuc Sunday morning.   Organ preludes will begin around 10:25 a.m. and the service will commence at 10:30 a.m. Previous services can be found on the St. Andrew’s Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/StAndrewsPresbyterianChurchKingston

Please note that beginning Christmas Eve and the following Sunday, vaccination certificates will be required for entrance into the church for all services.

Have a look at the Order of Service below, along with announcements and invitations to grow in Christian worship, community and service. You will also find the words to the hymns, which might offer words for meditation through the week ahead.

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