Pondering

Luke 2:19 (KJV) But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

(Proverbs 25 also read)

We are so used to looking back at all the things mentioned in Matthew and Luke about the birth of Jesus.  We have Christmas pageants.  Our pastors preach on the Christmas story.  Paul wrote about the incarnation.  There is so much that we have to meditate on, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord.

What did Mary have to ponder?  Not as much as we do, but she had much to think about.  For Mary it goes back to that angel, appearing to her and talking about having a child without having a husband and what this would mean to the world.  Then you have her meeting with Elizabeth, and the testimony that Elizabeth gave to her.  Do you have her thinking about how God intervened with Joseph to keep her from being set aside as an immoral woman?  And all the movies and Christmas cards, we see all kinds of magical things going on around the nativity.  The Bible gives no record of angels appearing over the manger.  We don’t know about any strange lights radiating from the head of the baby.  Mary had much to think about, and then the shepherds showed up and shared even more.

I think her pondering just began to blossom at this point.  I think she spent years meditating on the meaning of all this and it’s still didn’t come through to her until after the resurrection.

We also have much to ponder.  We can add the writings of Paul about the incarnation, about giving up equality with God, and becoming a man, about the resurrection, about all the things involved in becoming sin in our behalf.

So?  Merry Christmas.  And happy pondering day.  Try to find some time to sit and think about what all this means and how it’s going to change your future.  The birth changed Mary’s life.  It change the world.  How could you expect less for yourself?