Sometimes I’m so engrossed in a situation or an upcoming event, that I can’t even sleep or think about anything else. Have you had a significant situation or thoughts about a life event totally consume you? Then you know what I’m talking about.
Well, the Bible talks about a situation where someone just could not wrap their arms around the magnitude of the moment. Luke 2:19 tells us that Mary soaked in every moment of Jesus’ birth and the events surrounding the Messiah’s coming. Mary, a Jewish girl, certainly knew of the Messianic prophecies. Of course, her knowledge was academic and of a religious nature, it was not experiential. Sort of like how we know Jesus is coming again for His church, yet when it happens, my guess is that His church will be in awe and totally surprised. So, to answer a popular Christmas song, Mary did know the magnitude of moment, but it seems as if she was in shock. Was she surprised about things such as Jesus, the Emmanuel, being born in a barn rather than palace? She had months to consider what the Angel told her, yet when it happened, I think she just sat back in awe and wonder.
Recently, I was driving and listening to Christmas music… and it just hit me like a bolt of lightning. I thought, “holy cow, this really happened, it’s not just flannel graph and cartoons, the events of Christmas really happened.” Then I began to try to imagine the real moment, not the Charlie Brown version, the real version. The Savior, The Word who was with God when the world was created, The Second Person in the Trinity, was born. All human history was leading to that moment in Bethlehem, and all human history stems from that moment. His name was Jesus, Savior, and His title was Emmanuel, God with us.
This Christmas, ponder with wonder that Bethlehem happened, it really happened, there was a real barn, with hay, and animals, and people running around helping with the birth. Jesus, the Son of God became a humble baby in a stable to baffle the pride of men. He came to save because of perfect love. Do not lose sight of that wonder this Christmas.
