I love Christmas! I love everything about it! The music, the celebratory feeling in the air, the time with family, our family traditions, exchanging gifts, and the decorations. I put my decorations up sometime in December, and they don’t come down until January 6th. Much to the chagrin of the Hubs. His favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, to which I say, “Bah Humbug!” It’s Christmas all out for me! It is a mixture of thankfulness for what God has done for all of man and thankfulness for the gift of Himself, of His forgiveness, His gift of eternal life, a time to celebrate and a time to contemplate what I can give back to Him in the way I live my life forward.
As we draw near to Christmas, I can’t help but let my thoughts drift to the fact that we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior as we approach the end of each year. And that seems significant to me.
So, I sit and ponder. Funny word ponder. Say it a few times. You’ll think the same. Ponder, Ponder, Ponder! Pondering is not a fleeting thought. It takes time to ponder. When we take a short journey through its Latin roots, we discover that it shares those roots with the word pound. So, pondering is weighty thinking. Heavy thoughts take time.
Mary pondered, too.
She pondered that first Christmas so very long ago. She pondered when the Angel of the Lord proclaimed the good news that God became man in the form of a baby, totally dependent on His mother for all of His needs.
It is truly mind-boggling to consider this. Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. He is divine, yet He became so fully human that He subjected Himself to being born of a virgin. The Virgin Mary, the mother of our Savior, also needed a Savior—just as we all do. Jesus was born like any other human child, traveling through the birth canal, yet without the assistance of a doctor or the cleanliness of a hospital room.
The birth of the Messiah, the Savior, occurred most likely in a cave, sharing the space with livestock. In those days, the custom was to build homes near caves, when it was possible, to use as a stable. He was wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed in a manger, a trough used to feed the livestock when unable to let them graze in the pastures surrounding the city. This birth was not unusual, except perhaps for the fact that they were forced to stay in a cave instead of a family member's guest room. Due to the census, no one had any room to spare.
Most likely, this birth in a Bethlehem stable went unnoticed by many. But out on a hillside, all of Heaven made it known to lowly shepherds, of all people, that the Messiah was born. I could not tell the story any better than God Himself...this is one of my favorite passages in His Word…
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:8-19
That last verse gets me every time I read it. I used to think, I wonder what exactly was Mary pondering? Was it just an overwhelming wonder of all that happened to her from the time of first hearing from the angel that she was going to conceive and have a baby...and not just any baby but the Messiah? For surely Mary knew from the words of the angel that this baby was to be the Savior she had learned about from the time she was a young child, the Messiah they were all awaiting.
Or as she held Him in her arms, looking into those tiny little eyes did she think about what He would grow up to be? His life’s purpose? His greatness? How it would all play out? You know, those things all mothers wonder about as they hold that precious child in their arms for the first time. Feeling that overwhelming love come over her...I cannot imagine the overwhelming love of the mother holding LOVE itself.
So much to think about…to ponder.
I want to challenge you as you finish up this Christmas season and look to the new year. Even as I challenge myself. Spend some time in this weighty thought process. Thinking about all God has done for you. How will you respond to such a gift?
This time of year can be tricky…we have fallen into the false belief that we owe someone something back when they give us a gift. Giving or receiving a gift that one feels obliged to give or receive becomes a burdensome thing. Almost like we are trying to repay the gift.
But the truth is when a gift is freely given nothing is expected in return. The joy is in the giving. And when it comes to the gift that God has freely given us we could never repay that gift. But we can respond to the love that has been so freely offered to us. The gift of love, of an abundantly full life with God, is a gift to embrace! To be thankful. It is a gift to share with others!
So, as we end the year celebrating this gift and what a gift it is, let’s take the time to ponder. What are we going to do with this gift in the coming year? How are we to respond to all that has been given us through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.’ John 3:16 (CSB).
Blessings,
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