Advent Day 22

"And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."

    ~Luke 2:17-20

As Christians we're called to share the good news we have, but sometimes we put the onus on sharing and it becomes lifeless or stressful or a work in and of itself. We do not share our faith because of a command, however, (though it is commanded) but because the joy and life and restoration we have moves us to share. When our eyes are cast towards God, when we see the good He is doing and the good He is, we are energized to share. When we see the desperation of the world in light of what we know, we want them to know what we know, to have the hope that we have. Like the shepherds, we move naturally outward based on our experience with God. 

I'm too often guilty of letting my urgency, expectancy, and joy be dimmed by filtering them through the thoughts and hearts of other people (or my assumptions of their reaction at least), but I want to bring good news to the world. I want to cause wonder in the hearts of those around me. And I get to. Because the story hasn't changed. We are still declaring the good news that God became man for us, and that truth still inspires wonder in many who hear it. The only difference is that those the shepherds' met experienced their testimony as a present event whereas we know it as past, but our wonder doesn't run out with time. The truth is still in the present tense. Salvation is born in a manger. Hope has entered the world. Joy, peace, and wonder can belong to all who hear it. Then, now, and forevermore. 

And I'm sure Mary had just as much wonder as the rest of us, but she interacted with the miracle differently. Her Savior wasn't someone only to meet but also to raise. Her Messiah was her son. And the events of His birth were a part of her life, not merely something of which to bear witness. Through the grace of God she had given birth to her salvation. And she held that in her heart. It wasn't one moment but moment after blessed moment to process, building into a life. She held it all in her heart, embracing intimacy with God through His work over her life.

No one left the place of Jesus's nativity the same. 

Mary could not experience the favor of God, the blessing of His promise and miracles, the honor of holding Christ in her arms and be the same. Neither could the shepherds continue as they had. Though they returned to their ordinary lives, they did so glorifying and praising God for all they had witnessed. Encounters with God change us. No matter how similar or different things look in the patterns of our lives, our whole world is transformed. Our emotions, our motivations, everything is changed. Glory fills our lives and praise pours from our lips. And as we close this Christmas Eve, that is what we anticipate. The God who transforms us come into the world. The promise of the salvation we can now receive. The birth of our Lord, our Redeemer, Immanuel, God With Us.

Merry Christmas