“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
Luke 2:19
With Christmas two days away, expectations run high. But realities of life press in: a first Christmas without a loved one, Christmas where everyone is sick, Christmas alone in a jail cell, Christmas under the weight of strained finances. Were it not for God’s promises, the fulfillment of them in Jesus, and our knowledge of the whole story, we’d lose heart.
The first Christmas wasn’t what Mary expected either. The journey to Bethlehem while the baby was due and the meager lodgings once they arrived would have been hard. And think of Mary and Joseph’s concerns about parenting the Son of God! Yet we’re told that Mary treasured these details and stored up the memories. She knew it was all about the baby, the Messiah.
Treasure Christmas, no matter how it turns out for you, because it is “about the good news that one miserable Christmas for Mary—and the misery and suffering of that Babe in the manger who eventually died on a cross—made it possible for every miserable sinner who comes to Christ in faith to become God’s child” (Ann Swindell, 2024).
The first Christmas wasn’t what Mary expected either. The journey to Bethlehem while the baby was due and the meager lodgings once they arrived would have been hard. And think of Mary and Joseph’s concerns about parenting the Son of God! Yet we’re told that Mary treasured these details and stored up the memories. She knew it was all about the baby, the Messiah.
Treasure Christmas, no matter how it turns out for you, because it is “about the good news that one miserable Christmas for Mary—and the misery and suffering of that Babe in the manger who eventually died on a cross—made it possible for every miserable sinner who comes to Christ in faith to become God’s child” (Ann Swindell, 2024).
Scripture Focus
Psalm 77:11-15
Insight
The holiday spirit can “go south” quickly. Say with the psalmist, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD. …You are the God who performs miracles" (77:11, 14).
Bible In A Year
- Micah 5-7
- Proverbs 23
- Revelation 1-2