A time to ponder
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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But Mary treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19).
Yesterday we heard about singing a new song of praise to the Lord who was promised to come. Today, we have an angel making a proclamation backed up and amplified by ‘a great company of the heavenly host’, announcing the arrival of the Lord. The proclamation was made in an amazing lightshow to a most humble group of people – shepherds.
How is Christmas Eve for you? Is it just another night preceding another family gathering? A time to nostalgically remember all of those you have loved and lost? Another night to spend on your own, making the most (or least) of your own company? Are you exhausted by the responsibilities of organising and catering for the family get-together and the long lists of things still to be done? Or are there concerns about potential bad behaviour and ongoing family issues?
Will you hear the proclamation?
Some years ago, a friend spoke to me about something that had happened and said I could ‘ponder these things in my heart’. I often remember her words, particularly at Christmas, when I hear today’s reading and the verse, ‘But Mary treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart’.
What would it have been like for Mary? She was a young woman who, in the last stages of pregnancy, had made a long and arduous journey with her husband. On arrival, they found that all the accommodation was booked out and that the only available spot was a stable, where she went into labour and gave birth to her Son, who she was told would be the Saviour of the world. They were visited by a group of shepherds who wanted to see their baby Son. Imagine how the shepherds would have explained what they had seen and heard and why they had come to visit! They certainly would be treasured memories.
Fast forward to the events of Good Friday – maybe those treasured memories remained to give Mary comfort and hope as her beloved Son gave his precious life for all of us. May your treasured memories this Christmas bring you comfort, joy and renewed hope in the promises that the Christ-child came to fulfil.
Precious Saviour, thank you for sharing our human experience and becoming one of us. Help us listen to the proclamation of the good news of your birth, and help us make time to ponder your love and what it means for us. Bless us this Christmas as we gather with families and friends, are on our own or remember those who are no longer here. Help us to glorify you today and always. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick trained as a social worker and worked in foster care and adoptions. She was the director of Lutheran Community Care in South Australia. Colleen is now retired but is a member of several committees and boards within the LCA and the community. She has a husband, John, two daughters and three granddaughters. Colleen lives in Adelaide, South Australia.
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