Luke 2:13-20
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:13-20 LISTENING FOR JESUS IN OUR HEARTS
Springford Baptist Church: December 26, 2021.
Christmas and the celebration of Jesus’ birth has passed for another year. What are we left pondering in our hearts?
We know what it is like to have a family gathering at Christmas. There are people greeted at the door and voices and laughter and the enjoyment of good food. There is the opening of gifts and the clearing up of all the wrappings. There are dishes, so many dishes to wash… When the times comes, one by one people get on their coats and there are goodbyes and best wishes for the new year ahead. There is the rearranging of furniture back to the way it was. And then there is sinking into a comfortable chair and it is quiet. We find ourselves sitting in the stillness and going over the conversations and the whirlwind of activities that have just happened in a short space of time. The pondering in our hearts is so important. Maybe we noticed that a family member seemed troubled about something or we had a conversation that confirmed this and we offer a prayer. Maybe we smile again thinking about how happy the children were. Perhaps we feel very blessed and breathe a prayer of gratitude to God. In the moments of pondering, we can be listening, listening for Jesus and what He wants us to have noticed.
Today Mary is our example of someone who took time to treasure up all that had just happened at the birth of Jesus and to ponder and listen in her heart for the stirrings of what God wanted to say to her.
We read in Luke 2:19, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
We tend to think of Christmas as a time when there can be a lot going on and sometimes it is hard to find space and time to ponder and to listen. Have you thought, as I have what it must have been like for Mary in the midst of all that went on when Jesus was born?
Here she was with Joseph in a stable when Jesus was born. She would have been trying to do the best she could with a new baby in the surroundings where she found herself. Maybe she was trying to keep things tidy. Next thing, there are shepherds arriving to see for themselves the miraculous arrival of the Son of God.
If Mary wondered how they had heard the news, I am sure the shepherds explained that angels had come to give this divine birth announcement. There was so much for Mary to take in and to wonder about.
We all need to take time to wonder and to ponder things that are happening around us.
In essence, when we ponder, we are asking, “What is God doing here”?
This is such a necessary question.
Not only do we need to ask, “What is God doing here”? We also must ask, “God what do You want me to do and to be here”?
Mary had been given some indication of the significance of the birth of Jesus when the angel Gabriel visited her to tell her that she had been chosen to be the mother of God’s own Son. Now, 9 months later, there is further evidence that God is closely involved in all that is happening. Another visitation by angels to the shepherds signals that God is here.
The role of the shepherds is to spread the news of the birth of Jesus. We are told, “and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” (Luke 2:18) People were listening and able to receive this good news that had come to the shepherds.
When we receive good news of God at work, the impact of that is meant to be more than momentary.
This is where we can witness the value of listening for Jesus in our hearts. When we are processing experiences and thoughts, we are, like Mary, treasuring what God has shown us.
If all we do is get caught up in the excitement of things that have happened, but don’t take time to listen in our hearts for what God wants to say to us about what has happened, then we miss an opportunity.
The busyness of Christmas and the busyness of life could be such that little time is taken for quiet pondering and listening for Jesus.
Many circumstances, at this time, require us intentionally drawing aside to ponder them in our hearts and to seek God and His holy Presence.
When Mary was treasuring and pondering in her heart, it is likely that she was holding Jesus in her arms. She was holding Jesus close to her heart and would have been gazing into His face.
How can we also hold Jesus close to us and allow His stirrings in our hearts to speak to us what He wants us to hear?
We can be certain that Jesus has things to say to us about all that is going on in our world.
Jesus wants to reassure us that nothing that is happening now that we find so unsettling, is unknown to Him. He came to bring peace to our world that has ignored and disregarded Him.
When we take time to treasure in our hearts that Jesus has come to be our Saviour, we can also ponder that we have been born into this time in history. God has plans for us to give faithful witness to Jesus here and now.
Rather than be overwhelmed by the whirlwind of events going on around us, we can treasure Jesus in our hearts and ponder in fresh ways what the miracle of Christmas has meant for all of humanity and what it means for us.
I am praying that we will be taking time consistently to ponder and to listen for Jesus and how He wants to speak to us in the depths of our hearts!