The Christmas Code - December 18, 2022
MARY, DID YOU KNOW?
Lord, thank you that anyone may come to You... and that includes me.
Luke 2:19
Mary. A young girl playing in the streets of Nazareth with her friends one day and finding she is pregnant, though a virgin and unmarried, the next. Her initial response? “how can this be?” (Luke 1:34)
After Jesus was born, it all began to sink in, Mary “pondered” all these things in her heart. The word picture is of a cake, with all the ingredients in a bowl, being stirred up. She was putting it all together, stirring it up in her mind... the prophecies... the angel’s message... the virgin birth.
She knew those chubby little hands would never be adorned with expensive gold or silver rings. They were destined for other things, like touching lepers, forming spittle for blind eyes, and eventually being pierced with Roman spikes. But she also knew that millions of us would follow in His steps. She “pondered” all these things and kept them to herself.
CODE WORD: BAKE
As you enjoy a host of Christmas pastries this holiday season, that each bite reminds you of Mary pondering all those things in her heart. Get by yourself, contemplate it, meditate on it, and ponder the wonder of Bethlehem.
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Lord, I honor You and pausing to give honor to the woman You chose to nurture Your own Son.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.