“And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” -Luke 1:28-29
Advent and Christmas are seasons of familiarity. Many of us have familiar traditions that we observe year after year. We watch the same movies, we make the same cookies, we hang the same decorations, we sing the same songs. This is a season of familiarity.
The Christmas story is also a familiar story. We re-tell it year after year, highlighting the journey of Mary and Joseph, the birth of Jesus in a manger, the visit of the shepherds and the gifts of the wise men. I imagine that, for many of us, this story is etched into our brain. We can picture what Mary and Joseph looked like, we can recite the words of the angels, we can recount the journey of the magi. We love hearing the details of this story year after year, it has become a familiar story, one we are comfortable imagining and re-telling. But, I can’t help but wonder: could it be that we are missing the miracle of this story because it has become so familiar? Could it be that as we re-tell the story time and time again we miss the extraordinary grace of God communicated through the birth of Jesus? Do we miss the good news that God loved the world so much he sent his only Son to be a human, to live and die as one of us so that we might be reconciled to God?
I rejoice that this is a season of familiarity. I rejoice that our children and our children’s children can recite the story of our Lord’s miraculous birth. But I invite us to look past the familiarity of the plot and the characters; look past the manger scenes you’ve visited and the familiar images you recall. Allow yourself to look at the story with fresh eyes, and be amazed once again at the miraculous work of God. I invite you to make this season more than a season of familiarity – make it a season of wonder. I invite you to ponder.
To ponder is (according to dictionary.com) “to consider something deeply and
thoroughly” or “to meditate.” Mary, we learn in the gospel of Luke, is one who ponders. In the story of the Annunciation, Mary pondered the appearance of the angel, perplexed by his words of greeting and favor (Luke 1:29). Mary pondered the meaning of her child’s birth with the visit of the shepherds who sought out Jesus to worship him (Luke 2:19). Mary grasped the miraculous work of God in that first Christmas, and she pondered the meaning of it all. She wondered with awe and joy at the work of God, the One who was coming to save the world.
Today I invite you to ponder. Don’t let the story of Jesus’ birth become too familiar to you, don’t let it become boring or redundant. The story of Jesus’ conception and birth is full of wonder and miracles, expectation and joy. Allow yourself to ponder it, to treasure it in your heart, and spend time wondering about the extraordinary gift we were given in the birth of Jesus.
Advent Blessings,
Laura
No comments:
Post a Comment