What new can we learn from the Christmas story?  It’s a story we’ve known all our lives.  We read it every year and often during the year.  We’ve heard it preached, watched pageants, heard choirs, and children’s renditions, … what’s new?

More than ever this year it came to me forcefully … He came as a Baby so that I could hold Him close … and now He holds me close!  There are times when I just want to hold Him as close to me as I can and other times when I cry out “Jesus, HOLD ME!”

One of the “newer” (not so new anymore) Christmas songs that I love is, “Mary Did You Know?” by Mark Lowry.  I’ve learned that he wrote it as a poem 10 years before it was set to music.  One theologian suggested it was “the most sexist Christmas song ever written … it treats her like a clueless child …” but I think that is FAR from truth.

I’ve had a word from God before and I accepted it as from God but I had NO clue as to what that word would accomplish or be in my life.  I believe the same is true of Mary.

Mary had a word from God … did she fully understand it?  I don’t believe so.  Did she know the ridicule she would endure?  Probably.  Did she wonder if Joseph would believe her story? It would be natural to wonder! Did she fully understand what His life would be?  Did she really know and understand that He would open blind eyes and ears, touch lepers, and not get diseased? That He would walk on water, that He would turn water into wine for a wedding? That He would raise the dead?  Did she even have a clue that watching Him on the cross, His blood dripping down to the ground the pain that would grab and twist her heart?  No, I doubt that she grasped all that at her initial acceptance of the angel’s announcement.

If she knew, would she have said “Yes”?  The Bible says that Mary “pondered these things in her heart”.  I get that!  I’ve “pondered” lots of things! Things we wonder and pray about and don’t share with anyone but God.

None of us (at least me!) would choose to suffer and Mary suffered!  But she also had a great love in her heart for her newborn.  Have you ever held a newborn baby close to your heart and just fell in love immediately?  Can you imagine anything different from Mary?  I could see her kissing His cheeks (and knowing she was kissing the face of God … WOW!), changing diapers (do I dare say that???) nursing Him and all the while knowing that He was the Savior of the world?  Unbelievable!

This is a “sidebar” but I’ve often wondered that as a toddler when he realized Who He was? That’s a question (unless we know all the answers when we get to heaven!) I want an answer too! (smile) I’ve also wondered if growing up His younger brothers were jealous (because we know they did not at first believe He was who He was!) because He never got in trouble!  Do you think Mary ever shook her finger at her other children and said, “Why can’t you be as obedient as your older brother?”  Ok … that’s enough of that!

As for me, I’m glad Mary said “Yes, be it unto me according to Your word.”  I’m glad she was willing to be vulnerable and she knew Him at His death and resurrection, no longer as the One she gave birth to, but as her Savior!

And He is our Savior too.  He came as a Baby to die for me … and for you. He came to take our punishment because the wages of sin is death … but He took our sins and they were nailed on the cross with Him.  But He rose again that we might have eternal life with Him.  But there is a catch … we need to ACCEPT what He did for us and that means confessing that we are born sinners (no matter how cute our babies are!), none of us are righteous in ourselves so we repent and ask Him, Jesus, to come into our hearts … and then a new life begins as we grow in Him.

If you’ve never accepted His free gift of salvation … pray this right now … “Jesus, thank You for coming into this world for me.  Thank You for Your willingness to leave the perfection of heaven so that I could enter heaven! Thank You for living a sinless life here on earth and then taking my sins with You on the cross and dying in my place.  Forgive my sin. I ask You to come into my heart and make me a new creation and I will follow You and Your word for the rest of my life.  I love You, Jesus.  Amen”

Hold Him close and never let Him go!