Christ is certainly on center stage on Christmas Eve, as it should be. But my heart always has a special spot for Mary. Maybe it's a girl thing, especially since I remember holding a newborn son of my own during one Christmas Eve service. I have a deeper understanding of how vulnerable Mary was in a human sense, how utterly she was driven to total reliance on God and Joseph who God had provided as a core part of the cultural and financial care of Mary and of the tiny baby who was God's own son.
I think of these words: Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully, (Luke 2:29). They are worth pondering. As mothers we consciously develop so many precious memories but I remember there seemed little time to stop and breath all the sweetness in. And it seemed everything was washed in exhaustion. So Mary being aware that this was something special, something deeper than the obvious speaks to me, to my need, to follow her example.
Tucked into the cooking, the church services with grandchild's voice, the traveling, hugging, laughter, music, scents and wrapping paper, I will take time to enjoy all the "moments" and to thank God for so many blessings. But more importantly I will be conscious of and thoughtful about the original blessing that we celebrate, more thoughtful of the cross on Calvary which awaited thirty three years ahead, of a World lost in the undulation of fun and sorrow, yin and yang, that swirls without purpose until God gets our attention and, when we are willing, restores us to our purpose.
May the deepest blessings of Christmas seep deeply into our lives, not just for a day or a season, but for all seasons, in all times, in all places as God has ordained.
I think of these words: Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully, (Luke 2:29). They are worth pondering. As mothers we consciously develop so many precious memories but I remember there seemed little time to stop and breath all the sweetness in. And it seemed everything was washed in exhaustion. So Mary being aware that this was something special, something deeper than the obvious speaks to me, to my need, to follow her example.
Tucked into the cooking, the church services with grandchild's voice, the traveling, hugging, laughter, music, scents and wrapping paper, I will take time to enjoy all the "moments" and to thank God for so many blessings. But more importantly I will be conscious of and thoughtful about the original blessing that we celebrate, more thoughtful of the cross on Calvary which awaited thirty three years ahead, of a World lost in the undulation of fun and sorrow, yin and yang, that swirls without purpose until God gets our attention and, when we are willing, restores us to our purpose.
May the deepest blessings of Christmas seep deeply into our lives, not just for a day or a season, but for all seasons, in all times, in all places as God has ordained.
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