“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. “
Luke 2:19-20
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DECEMBER 13, 2024
Mary must have been exhausted by her days traveling between Nazareth and Bethlehem at the end of her pregnancy. Now, having given birth just hours before, a band of shepherds suddenly appeared in the night with a fantastic account! Mary had experience with angelic visits; God communicated via angel to herself, her husband Joseph, and Zechariah. Still, this astounding event must have been hard to wrap herself around, even as she lived it out in her body. The Gospel of Luke provides a progressive narrative, but to Mary, in the midst of it all, it must have been bewildering.
Although undoubtedly in need of sleep, Mary soberly considered what she heard from the shepherds. Why were the shepherds told of her child’s whereabouts? What did it mean that the angelic host of heaven descended upon shepherds proclaiming peace to the earth? How could all this be happening?
Mary was the one person upon whom all the supernatural intrusions surrounding the birth of the Messiah converged. Just months ago, she sang the Magnificat to Elizabeth, a remarkable prophetic pronouncement of God’s great redemption and justice. Yet even she could not have entirely understood the redemptive plan God was unfolding in and around her. But she was watching carefully, meditating upon the things she had seen and heard.
Worship was the proper response to Jesus’ birth that night. The shepherds got it right as they returned to the fields glorifying and praising God for what they had experienced. And Mary’s entire body was wrapped up in worship, as she submitted to the tasking of birthing and nurturing God Himself; her mind joined in as she pondered it all in her heart.
The Christmas story may be very familiar to us, but it should evoke worship in our voices, heart, mind, and body too. God has entered the world as a helpless newborn infant to bring us peace: how can this not lead us to glorify and praise the God we love!
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- How would you communicate the meaning of Christmas to someone else?
- How could you make worship a central part of your celebration this year?
Church Reading Plan:
- Today, December 13: Haggai 2; John 3
- Saturday, December 14: Zechariah 1; John 4
- Sunday, December 15: Zechariah 2; John 5