The Advent Calendar - Pt. 17

 

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:15-20 ESV).

 

Our reading for today has another one of those phrases that just seems to leap into our minds with questions. Here Luke recalls the story saying “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (v. 20). What did Mary ponder? Did she shake her head in awe and wonder, trying to grasp the truth that lying in front of her in a manger was the Son of God himself, the promised Messiah? Did she wonder how God could also be a real human baby boy? A baby that needed cuddling and attentive care? Mary surely realized that she was in the presence of a miracle. Thinking about what the shepherds had said, she probably thought back to the day nine months earlier when she too was visited by an angel. On that day she learned that she, a virgin, would become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that the child in her womb would be the very Son of God.

 

Almighty God, who is beyond space and time, chose to empty himself and to take on human flesh. Out of his great love for you and me, he came as a baby born to this mother that night in Bethlehem. There in the manger lay our Savior, who would surrender his own life for your sake and mine.  The one whom Mary held and nursed, who could not even hold up his head, was God in the flesh come to make us whole. And, one day this very real human being would choose to give his very real body over to be crucified. And Mary would be there to ponder that too.

 

I’ve had some experiences in life that caused me to wonder, to ponder. Typically these are the times when events defy all natural explanation. Standing in front of the little plastic bassinette where each of my sons were lain so soon after birth were those kinds of times. Each of their births was different. Kyle made his appearance after a long labor. I remember seeing him for the first time as the attending nurse wheeled him by the waiting room where I was, and I was lost in the depth of the miracle of life before me. David’s birth was much easier, though none less wondrous. Aaron, required surgery to complete his birth; yet, even with that difficulty, the miracle was striking. However, none of these great treasures can compare with that which Mary received. Let’s not lose that wonder in the midst of all the “noise” of this year. God is with us!