You probably know that the Christian year begins with the first Sunday of Advent (the fourth Sunday before Christmas) and that Christmas is the second season in this year. Did you know that the “liturgical” season of Christmas is only twelve days long – lasting from Christmas through Epiphany when we celebrate the coming of the Magi? This more traditional/liturgical approach to the celebration Christmas is vastly different from our culture’s manic focus on celebration – without Christ as the center. But we Believers can approach all the things of the Lord from a much more God-centered focus. And, today in this seemingly quiet pause between Christmas and Epiphany, let us focus on parts of the last verses of the Christmas story.
“Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart….When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him…As Jesus grew, so did his wisdom and maturity. The favor of men increased upon his life, for he was greatly loved by God.” (Luke 2:19, 39-40 NIV, Luke 2:52 TPT)
I expect Mary had many, many things to ponder in her heart. The angel visitations, the strange unfolding circumstances, the constant care by Joseph, the protection of her and her baby, the recognition of this baby as Messiah – all these would have been well worth pondering. Before the new year is upon us, I invite you to ask God what you need to ponder. What memory, what word(s), what hopes, what ideas, what new revelations do you need to spend time with? What do you need to ask God about that thing? What might the Spirit of the Lord and his Voice be trying to tell you as you ponder?
“The child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him…As Jesus grew, so did his wisdom and maturity. The favor of men increased upon his life, for he was greatly loved by God.” In a way, these are the final, closing sentences to the whole story of Jesus’s birth; this baby became a child who grew into an adult. These four sentences encapsulate a period of about 27 years from the time the toddler returned from Egypt to when the God-man Jesus began his public ministry. Yet, notice what they say Jesus did: he grew, he became strong, he was filled with wisdom, God’s grace was upon him, he matured, he increased in favor, and he was greatly loved by God. I know that Jesus WAS God, but, still, don’t those sound like the kinds of descriptions you’d want for your children or grandchildren – or for yourself?
Why wouldn’t we pray they (we) would grow in strength, wisdom, and God’s grace and love?
God,
Thank you for these seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany when we take time to remember and ponder the reality that Jesus emptied himself of all the benefits of the Trinity and became a human. Thank you that through his servanthood, humility, and obedience our debts to sin are paid. Thank you for his example of growing in grace, wisdom, maturity, love, and favor. We pray in the name of Jesus that we and our children and grandchildren – both physical and spiritual – would also be growing in all these ways. May our hearts and minds be turned to your heart and Spirit and may our lives reflect the goodness of you, our God. As this season melds into the next, help us to ponder what you need us to hear. What memory, what word(s), what hopes, what ideas, what new revelations do we need to spend time with and hear from you about? Help us to have the patience and grace to sit at your feet and quietly listen for your Holy Spirit within us. You, Jesus, are honored above all others and we kneel and confess that you are Lord to the glory of God the Father. AMEN!
“Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality. Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross. This is why God has given him an exceptional honor—the name honored above all other names—so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will kneel and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11 GW)
“Jesus”
There is a truth older than the ages
There is a promise of things yet to come
There is one, born for our salvation
Jesus
There is a light that overwhelms the darkness
There is a kingdom that forever reigns
There is freedom from the chains that bind us
Jesus, Jesus
Who walks on the waters
Who speaks to the sea
Who stands in the fire beside me
He roars like a lion
He bled as the lamb
He carries my healing in his hands
Jesus
There is a name I call in times of trouble
There is a song that comforts in the night
There is a voice that calms the storm that rages
He is Jesus, Jesus
Who walks on the waters
Who speaks to the sea
Who stands in the fire beside me
He roars like a lion
He bled as the lamb
He carries my healing in his hands
Jesus
Messiah, my Saviour
There is power in Your name
You’re my rock and, my redeemer
There is power in Your name
In Your name