Christmas Through the Eyes of Mary
'But Mary treasured all these things in her heart and often pondered what they meant.
The shepherds returned to their flock, ecstatic over what had happened. They praised God and glorified him for all they had heard and seen for themselves, just like the angel had said.' Luke 2:19-20 (TPT)
The day that I have longed for is almost here! And I couldn't be more excited. After all the shopping and the decorating and preparations, how nice it is just to be able to sit back and relax with feet up, over a cup of coffee. What precious times are these that I give myself, if only for a few quiet moments and to think about the Christmas story of the baby's birth and meditate on it in my heart.
This story was told by Matthew and Luke, but Mary is the one that went through it. She lived it. Just like treasure were her memories of the events that lead up to her own contemplation. She had cause to wonder, and because it all happened so quickly she hadn't really had time to draw any conclusions as to their meaning. Here she is, meditating and weighing the facts and putting things together in her own mind and in her heart as well. This is the story of the events as seen through Mary's eyes.
You see, Mary was a very young woman and engaged to be married at the time of the Annunciation. Then her visit with Elizabeth had revelation and had been exciting. When she made the trip to Bethlehem with Joseph they couldn't find a room to rent and she was forced to deliver her baby in a stable. Then the shepherds showed up and she marveled at the reports they told about how everything was as the angel had said.
Mary is not mentioned often in the Bible. I really don't know much about her. I admire her for her obedience. As a mother too, I know full well the flood of emotions she probably felt at the birth of her son. The pure joy at the thought of all the potential in Him and the fear in knowing that He would be hurt and have His heart broken some day in this world. Still, she as I should do as well, pondered in her heart about the extraordinary Gift of Life that she was given and how we are all to live it to the fullest with meaning and purpose. Just consider the possibilities! Endless.
I cannot comprehend the endless possibilities without reflection. As for Mary, she probably even wrote down all the events and thirty years later shared them with Matthew and Luke. Not that she would have forgotten the unforgettable, but that she had made an historical record of them for herself and for others is so important. An act of love. A record so simple and pure, just like she was. She saw it happen with her own eyes, and she heard it with her own ears, but it was when she pondered these things in the heart that she was able to dismiss the errors and judgments and practices that often occur when we don't and this helped to enliven her holy affections. She may not have understood it all then, but she received what she did know in faith and waited until the time when the rest would be made clear. The time when she would be known to the world as the mother of the Son of God.
Conclusion: Thank you Mary for your obedience and for sharing your story. To us is born a Savior, Christ the Lord! Glad tidings of great joy. Good news. New beginnings. Hope of peace everlasting.
The shepherds returned to their flock, ecstatic over what had happened. They praised God and glorified him for all they had heard and seen for themselves, just like the angel had said.' Luke 2:19-20 (TPT)
The day that I have longed for is almost here! And I couldn't be more excited. After all the shopping and the decorating and preparations, how nice it is just to be able to sit back and relax with feet up, over a cup of coffee. What precious times are these that I give myself, if only for a few quiet moments and to think about the Christmas story of the baby's birth and meditate on it in my heart.
This story was told by Matthew and Luke, but Mary is the one that went through it. She lived it. Just like treasure were her memories of the events that lead up to her own contemplation. She had cause to wonder, and because it all happened so quickly she hadn't really had time to draw any conclusions as to their meaning. Here she is, meditating and weighing the facts and putting things together in her own mind and in her heart as well. This is the story of the events as seen through Mary's eyes.
You see, Mary was a very young woman and engaged to be married at the time of the Annunciation. Then her visit with Elizabeth had revelation and had been exciting. When she made the trip to Bethlehem with Joseph they couldn't find a room to rent and she was forced to deliver her baby in a stable. Then the shepherds showed up and she marveled at the reports they told about how everything was as the angel had said.
Mary is not mentioned often in the Bible. I really don't know much about her. I admire her for her obedience. As a mother too, I know full well the flood of emotions she probably felt at the birth of her son. The pure joy at the thought of all the potential in Him and the fear in knowing that He would be hurt and have His heart broken some day in this world. Still, she as I should do as well, pondered in her heart about the extraordinary Gift of Life that she was given and how we are all to live it to the fullest with meaning and purpose. Just consider the possibilities! Endless.
I cannot comprehend the endless possibilities without reflection. As for Mary, she probably even wrote down all the events and thirty years later shared them with Matthew and Luke. Not that she would have forgotten the unforgettable, but that she had made an historical record of them for herself and for others is so important. An act of love. A record so simple and pure, just like she was. She saw it happen with her own eyes, and she heard it with her own ears, but it was when she pondered these things in the heart that she was able to dismiss the errors and judgments and practices that often occur when we don't and this helped to enliven her holy affections. She may not have understood it all then, but she received what she did know in faith and waited until the time when the rest would be made clear. The time when she would be known to the world as the mother of the Son of God.
Conclusion: Thank you Mary for your obedience and for sharing your story. To us is born a Savior, Christ the Lord! Glad tidings of great joy. Good news. New beginnings. Hope of peace everlasting.
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