As we approach Christmas, I cannot help but long to see our collective gazes lifted up to behold the wonder of the incarnation with fresh eyes. Annual rhythms, like Advent, are opportunities to draw nearer to Christ, and experience fresh waves of his mercy. Yet, if we are not careful, the moment will pass us by with no true spiritual growth taking place. Why is this?
On the one hand, many will miss the opportunity by busying themselves with familial and religious duties. Like Martha, who had Christ in her home, but could not break from the mounting dishes in order to sit at his feet, we too will be prone to consume ourselves with all sorts of duties this Christmas (Luke 10:38-42). From hosting, to cooking, to preparing, to cleaning, to buying and wrapping, and going and attending… The frenetic pace of culture out there, beckons us to fall in line, and keep ourselves just distracted enough that we fail to sit at the feet of Christ with meaning and intention.
On the other hand, many will settle for some form of simple seasonal sentimentality. Between the Christmas songs, the decorations, the eggnog, and the time off, one is tempted to believe they have experienced something spiritual simply because sentimentality is in the air (or is that cinnamon?). No, we must refuse to settle for seasonal sentimentality, while Christ our Savior invites us to behold his glory.
One of my favorite verses in the narrative of the birth of Christ comes towards the end of Luke’s account. After giving birth to Jesus and laying him in a manger, the family is visited by a group of lowly local shepherds, who report of a heavenly choir of angels bearing witness to Christ’s birth in the field. Upon hearing the shepherds story, we are told of Mary the mother of Christ:
Luke 2:19 "But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart."
It is into this posture of treasuring and pondering that we are invited. To “treasure all these things” is to let the reality of the incarnation fill you with a sense of awe inspiring wonder. Treasure makes one rich. And those who are in Christ, have been blessed with a wealth that money cannot buy, a peace that surpasses understanding, through Christ our savior. Are we treasuring Christ this Christmas? Is the gold of the gospel shining through our fingertips for all to see? Are the diamonds of our justification and the rubies of our sanctification cherished as our greatest treasure?
To “ponder them” means to think about these things with enough time and depth that we are changed by our reflections. It hints at a person with a curious and inquisitive mind who sits in stunned adoration of it all, and is not content to rush through life without enjoying the depth of the moment. I have found that many simply have never been trained on the skill of spiritual pondering. But oh what depth of insight and strength for tomorrow Christ will afford to those who sit patiently at the feet of the Master.
This post is an invitation to go deeper, and to make sure that you do not miss Christ this Christmas. Slow down. Pick up a pen and paper. Pour your heart out to God in prayerful reflection. Open your Bible and linger in spiritual meditation. Let the wonder of the incarnation fill your soul with delight.
“Though creation may be a majestic organ of praise, it cannot reach the compass of the golden canticle—Incarnation! There is more in that than in creation, more melody in Jesus in the manger, than there is in worlds on worlds rolling their grandeur round the throne of the Most High.”
Charles Spurgeon
