December 12, 2006
Sing, Sing, Sing
Somewhere in my forties the Christmas carols that I had been singing all my life sunk deeper into my soul. It was as if the lyrics suddenly had profound meaning that I had never experienced before. My heart and mind seemed to unite on the wonder of Christmas, the inexplicable joy of my Saviors birth. “Mary Did You Know?” is a Christmas song written in the 90’s that causes me to meditate on the circumstance of Jesus birth every time I hear it.
The times were most difficult back then. The people of Nazareth had a strong Jewish faith. Mary and many ordinary people of the land, were increasingly aware that they were powerless themselves, but God, the all powerful, could raise up the lowly. Their faith was of the deepest kind:
"The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Blessed be the Lord. The Lord our God, the Lord alone! Therefore you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deut. 6:4-5)
Mary's faith was strong. Yet, in fervently religious Nazareth with its high moral standards, she hardly stood out at all, even in the eyes of those who knew her best. Besides, as a young woman living in a society where men counted most, she would be little noticed except as a mother and a wife.
When she was 15 or so, Mary's parents made plans for her to be married, as was customary in those days. They chose Joseph of Nazareth, a carpenter, for her husband. The engagement took place and Mary returned home to wait about a year before she would go to live with her husband as his wife. But then, something happened.............
Mary was chosen by God to bring forth the Savior of the world. An astounding series of events and responses took place for the miracle of all miracles. What grips my heart as a mother is imagining Mary holding her baby – what went through her mind? Next time you hold a baby imagine you are Mary, you have just gone through extraordinary unexplainable events but now your baby is in your arms. This is finally a normal experience looking at her baby something Mary shared with millions of moms. Mary lovingly and tenderly kisses her precious baby boy – she kissed the face of God. Doesn’t that just take your breath away? Focus in on that – she kissed the face of God. Mary held her child in her arms, the child she delivered would deliver her. Awe-inspiring reality – did she know? Could she sense it? Did Mary feel it? She kissed the face of God. Moses couldn’t even look at the face of God but Mary kissed the face of God. Oh Mary, that sleeping child you held so long ago is the Great, I am and you kissed the face of God. In my mind I want to go to the manger, I want to sit beside Mary, I want to hold her baby, I want to kiss the face of God.
A pearl to string: Present day wise men worship the Child of Bethlehem who was born to be the Man of Calvary.
Following that Christmas star
May His presence light your way,
Lyndi
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