Sunday, December 20, 2009

“…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. 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 2:18-20

Do you ever wonder what that night was like? The night Jesus was born? I think it was probably pretty ordinary. Everyone was grumbling because they had traveled a long time to get to their hometowns just so Rome could get more taxes from them. Mary, 9 months pregnant, had traveled about 80 miles on foot (and probably donkey), then found herself with nowhere to stay, alone and in a barn during her labor and delivery. I bet she had questions. Sure, the angel had spoken to her about the big picture, but not the details, and that “angel conversation” had been months ago. I bet she had lots of questions.

“Did I really see an angel? Maybe I was dreaming.”
“What have I gotten myself into?
“Maybe mom was right…”
“Is this baby really who I think he is?”
“Maybe I’m crazy like everyone says!”

But imagine when the shepherds showed up out of nowhere. They claimed they had been invited by angels to one of the biggest days EVER on earth! The day that God came to earth…in a diaper. Wow.

And the text tells us that “Mary treasured these things…and pondered them in her heart.” I’m sure the moment the shepherds showed up telling their stories of a heavenly choir and looking for God-Come-To-Earth (aka her baby Jesus), Mary felt a new kind of peace. I bet she was reminded that she was a child of the God who keeps His promises, even the hard-to-believe ones. I’m sure she thought about all she had been through the past 9 months and was thankful that she hadn’t given up when it got really hard. And I bet she pondered how in the world she became such a huge part of God’s plan. And I bet she smiled at her little baby - God, in a diaper.

So, what do we have to ponder this Christmas? Like Mary, we are children of the God who keeps His promises. We are a part of His big plan. And we can partake in the peace that came down on Christmas night. The peace brought by God came down as a baby. God come down to be a part of our lives, because He doesn’t want to live without us. Wow. What a Christmas present!

~Tirzah Turner