Pondering & Treasuring the Greatest Gift of Christmas

The moments of Jesus being born and known were captured by Mary. As Luke tells us, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

God actually came here! He came as Jesus to show us what love looks like and to make a way to have relationship with him now and forever.

The King of this world, born in a small manger, where animals ate from – able to be born in a palace – yet choosing to be born in a feed box, clothing himself with humility. Came here, to be with us.

The prediction of Isaiah hundreds of years earlier came alive: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him ‘Immanuel’”, meaning “God with us”. (Isaiah 7:14)

When Jesus came, he showed us how to put others first; how to care for the poor; how to love the outcasts; how to grip hope; how to look at selfishness and pride and see emptiness, and how to embrace selflessness and humility to know life; how to notice the things of this world, but to long for more; how to see that through him, we are offered a glorious means to God.

Jesus made a way – he didn’t have to, but chose to. To be with you. To be with me. To be with us. Immanuel. God with us. 

I pray this Christmas, even if we don’t feel it, that we would choose faith. Choose to believe that God is with us. That he loves us. That he came to this world through Jesus to be with us.

Let’s lift our eyes to the stars, and remember the great Star that led the Wise Men to Jesus. The star of hope, that says all will be okay because a Savior has been born to us.

And as the pace of the days attempts to quicken, let’s slow it down as Mary did by pondering and treasuring the moments. When the perfect morning we planned unravels, when the day turns out just as we hoped, when our kids argue incessantly, and when our kids play seamlessly, let’s ponder and treasure the moments. All is well because a Savior has been born to us.

Let’s celebrate that through it all, God is with us. Immanuel. As the stars shine above, let’s ponder and treasure Jesus, the king of kings, born in a manger to lead the way, to offer salvation, to give us life now and forever.

All is well because a Savior has indeed been born to us. He is Christ the Lord!  

Merry Christmas, friends!