WATCHWORD:
26 During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.” 29 But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean. 30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. 31 Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. 33 He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. … 38 Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away. Luke 1:26-35, 38
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 … This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:8-12, 16-19
Meditation:
Ponder Anew and Trust
Consider Mary. The remembrance of the Angel visitations. What thoughts, do you suppose, came to her as she watched Jesus grow through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood, and then on to His ministry. Many opportunities for her to call to mind the messages from the Angels to her and the shepherds: “This baby will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High,” and, “He is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Were the thoughts overwhelming? Did she doubt? Did she think, as we probably would; Is this really the Messiah, playing there on the floor, crawling and stumbling as he learned to walk? Is this the Son of God crying to have his nappy changed or to be fed, or sitting restlessly during lessons from the visiting rabbi? Did she smile as He first learned to use a hammer, or a chisel, or other tools of the carpenter trade, and feel pride as He mastered those, which, of course, He did? Do you think she recalled that amazing day in the temple, He was just 12, when she and Joseph thought they had lost Him? Lost the Lord? Did that cause her to smile at the memory? At that moment of doubt?
Then there were the many conversations the two shared; why they had fled to Egypt, her time spent with aunt Elizabeth before His cousin John was born. And then, much later, the news came that John was now preaching and baptizing somewhere along the Jordan River. It was then that Jesus, this son of hers, this Son of God, now an adult, had said he would travel to the Jordan and find John, to be baptized. Did Mary realize that this was all part of God’s plan?
Do you suppose she recalled the wedding, in Cana, a family gathering, a feast celebration, which some theologians think was the marriage of Mary’s sister, Ann, to John, the friend that Jesus loved? When the wine ran out, she knew it was time for her son to take on His mantle as Son of God. So, with confidence, she instructed the stewards to fill the water jars.
That was just the start. So many stories of Jesus’ ministry came back to Nazareth, many people skeptical and not believing. But Mary knew who He was. The miracles, the healings, the walking on water, then there was Lazarus. Stories easy for her to understand, because she trusted what she had been told by angels so long ago. Yes, He was the Son of God, the Messiah.
But the hardest one, the one that pierced her heart, was what Jesus was going through just above her, as she sat at the foot of the cross on Calvary. “How could God have allowed Him, His Son, to go through this, this awful thing,”, she asked herself. No, in truth, she asked God. Still no answer came, only her tears and heart-break.
It was the next day. Her son had died and was buried, and yet on this morning she felt a blessed sense of grace as she pondered anew all that she knew of this son of hers, His history, and God’s promises. With that, she moved around the upper room filled with grieving followers of her son, reassuring them, smiling, loving them, and telling them to remember what Jesus had said. His words came to her with clarity, “It is written, that the Messiah should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,” Her son was the Messiah, so, as she moved around the room, each conversation ended with, “Take heart, he third day is coming.”
God’s promises are ironclad. His timing is perfect. Our listening and understanding are flawed and we are impatient. We, like Mary, we need to ponder anew, each day, what the Lord has done and can do, as we remain faithful, trusting in our hearts that His promises are Truth and Light. They are for us, His children. Be strong and courageous, for He is Almighty God. Trust only in Him. Amen.
A Prayer in Song:
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work, and defend thee.
Surely God’s goodness and mercy will daily attend thee.
Help us, Lord, to Ponder anew
what the Almighty can do,
who with great love doth befriend thee.
Amen.
