Read Luke 2:19 NIV
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
I am not sure why, but the Christmas season always seems to bring out the storyteller in people. Maybe it is that nostalgic part of us that makes it easy to recall Christmases of the past. Whatever the reason, there are generally no shortages of tales regaled from days gone by at Christmas time. My family never gets tired of the stories my father-in-law tells from his childhood days in Germany, or the story about my husband as a young boy, chopping down a tree from the neighbors yard and dragging it home – proud as can be – for their Christmas tree. Those stories are like little pieces of pure gold for us. Treasured. Priceless. I am sure you can easily recall your own family stories. The stories we remember might be happy stories or they might be ones that hold a bit of sorrow or even regret. But they have meaning for us because they tell the story of “us” – where we come from, moments that shaped who we are, and where we belong.
That’s what today’s verse makes me think about. “The Christmas Story” wasn’t just a story to Mary…it was her life; a part of her. I would guess the things she “pondered” in her heart were more than just the specific details of the story, but maybe the influences of where she came from, moments that shaped her within it, and how all that happened, giving her a sense of belonging in God’s larger narrative.
The really special thing about her story…is that it can be part of our story too. This week, as you remember what God did more than 2000 years ago when He gave us His Son, maybe spend some time reflecting on more than just the details. How is that age-old “family story” shaping you now and what does that mean for you as you continue to grow in your relationship to a God who loves us so much that He came to live among us?
