Courtesy of Evan Courtney
Let’s face it, we usually have an expectation of how Christmas must look, sound, feel, smell, and taste. The trees…the decorations…the gifts…the baking…the parties…the cards…the wardrobe…the lights. ARRGGGGHHHHHHH! Who can find time for it all?
Christmas 2002 was my busiest Christmas ever. I had just finished my first contracted book and was planning to start edits the week after Christmas. That was plenty enough to case a panic. But it was just the beginning.
We moved into our new home on December 14. The same day as the dress rehearsal for a play in which I happened to have a main part (which was to be performed the next day). The same day as a dear friend’s funeral. A funeral I was asked to sing for.
I left the house at 7:30 that morning, before the movers arrived. By the time I completed rehearsal, changed clothes at the church, drove into town for the funeral, sang, and got back home, there was nothing left at my old house.
The next week and a half were spent unpacking, shopping, wrapping and baking. That year we barely got a tree up and were still hanging the ornaments as the grandkids were running through the door. Needless to say, it wasn’t the Christmas I envisioned.
Mary’s first Christmas wasn’t exactly what she thought she’d be doing, either. But when we read the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 1 and 2, we don’t find Mary running around in a panic.
First of all, Mary claimed peace:
Luke 1:29 does say that Mary was greatly troubled, and I had always thought she was troubled because she had been told she was going to have a baby. But when I studied the scripture, I realized she hadn’t even been told the news yet.
Instead, Mary was troubled because the angel had appeared to her. And I can see why—after all, it’s not everyday that you have an angel standing there talking to you! Yea, I think I would find that a little troubling. As a matter of fact, one Bible commentary actually said people in the book of Luke often responded with fear or awe when confronted with acts of God, like seeing an angel. (Ya think?)
Then the angel tells her “Christmas was coming” and it was going to take a little bit of work on her part. Now, granted, he didn’t say it in exactly those terms. But we can all agree Mary’s to-do list suddenly got bigger.
- Get water from the well
- Feed the goats
- Grind the wheat
- Bake the bread
- Have a baby
Not only have a baby, but have a baby without the benefit of being married. A baby who would be the Savior of the world! Now, that could be a little frightening for any of us. But think about this: she not only wasn’t married, it was physically impossible for her to be pregnant. Yea, I’d say that could be a little troubling.
But instead of panicking, what did Mary do?
- She submitted to the plan. In Luke 1:35 it doesn’t say “the Holy Spirit has come over you,” it says “the Holy Spirit WILL come over you.” Yes, the angel had delivered the message, but it wasn’t a done deal until she submitted to the plan.
- She trusted God. She trusted Him with her life! Even as a young girl carrying the Christ-child, she could have been killed because she wasn’t married. And yet, she didn’t say, “Who’s going to protect me? Who’s going to take care of me?” She simply said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”
In the midst of the fear, Mary claimed peace. Her life was about to turn upside down into chaos, and yet she claimed peace.
Do you feel that life is making your plans for Christmas? Do you feel like the burden is too great? I know sometimes I do. But that’s when we need to stop, submit to HIS plan, and then trust Him to work out the details. We can be like Mary, we can claim peace at a time when peace is hard to find. But we can’t do it until we agree to work on His plan and His timetable.
Courtesy of ChristianPhotos.net
Mary also praised God:
One favorite Christmas that stands out for me was the year I got my Davey Crockett coonskin cap and leather jacket. I got up early that Christmas morning and ran into the living room. There, in the moonlight, I found my amazing Davey Crockett presents. I couldn’t believe it! What more could a girl want? After trying on the furry hat and leather jacket, I ran back to my room, climbed up to my top bunk, and looked out the window at the nighttime sky. Then I bowed my head and reverently prayed as only a child could, “Thank you, Santa Claus, for my Davey Crockett hat and jacket.”
As sad as that was that I was praying to an imaginary man, I can see that at least my heart was partially right. I knew I needed to thank someone. I knew I needed to praise someone bigger than me. Definitely someone bigger than my parents. After all, I knew they didn’t have any money!
The Bible tells us that Mary got ready and hurried to another town, to visit her cousin Elizabeth. And there, as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she blessed Mary.
Next, in Luke 1:46-55, we read Mary’s song, a hymn of praise to God. Rather than living in fear and frustration, she’s praising God. She’s praising Him in the midst of the struggle, in the midst of the fear.
- She praised Him for His blessings.
- She says He has done great things for her.
- She praised Him for His power and His miracles.
- She praised Him for His faithfulness.
There she was, possibly running for her life, and yet she praised God. What can we praise God for today? What can we praise Him for during the holiday season?
And lastly, Mary pondered:
Christmas morning is a time of excitement across America. Children get up early and hurry to see what’s under the tree.
In Luke 2, when we read about the night of Jesus’ birth, we see that the shepherds hurried to see Jesus. Oh, that we would be that excited about the gift God has given us in His Son!
And this was a surprise to me: In verse 19, it says Mary pondered that visit from the shepherds. Even though I’ve read that scripture over and over again, I’d never properly placed Mary’s pondering. I always thought it was the Wise Men and their amazing gifts she had pondered. But no, she didn’t ponder the honor or the expensive gifts or the value they represented.
Instead, it was the visit by the shepherds that Mary tucked away into her heart and mind. The lowly, dirty shepherds.
Mary pondered the message, not the Magi! She pondered the Baby, not the bows! She pondered everything this Child she had just birthed would do for all mankind. After all, He was the Son of God.
This Christmas we, too, need to ponder…not the gifts…not the food…not the entertainment. Like Mary, we need to ponder the Babe. We need to ponder the sacrifice and the message. The shepherds’ gift was the message they shared. Their gift was their adoration.
They spread the word. That was their gift.
It could be our gift, too. We could use our gift of writing in order to give the gift of Christ. Could we—would we—share the Good News with those who need a Savior?
We can never give equal gifts with God. We can only give God ourselves—our flawed, sinful, prideful selves. And yet He gave us His Son–the perfect, sinless, humble Lamb of God—to die in our place.
And that’s a gift everyone needs to hear about.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
I pray God’s blessing as we celebrate the Gift and the Giver!
Vonda
