Wonder what it was like…
For the past week or so (and really every Christmas) I always wonder what it was like to be Mary. (Oddly enough, our Pastor preached a bit about Mary yesterday at church!)
Short and sweet…Mary was about 13 years old (and engaged to be married) when an an angel came to her and said, “you are going to give birth to a son, you will name him Jesus, and he will be great and his kingdom will never end…Oh yeah, and don’t be totally freaked out and afraid.” Uhhhh….I would be afraid…I would be really afraid. (I paraphrased a bit here… 
) So then Mary goes on to ask this angel how this is actually going to take place since she is a virgin and is not getting married for a year. So the angel responds saying all of those bases are covered and this is happening with no explanation other than God.
So, here we are, a 13 year old engaged little girl who was just told by an angel that she is miraculously pregnant with the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. No pressure, Mary, no pressure. So what does Mary do next? She SINGS. She praises God, rejoices, thanks him for allowing her to be a humble servant and sings praises about all of the things he has done. (note: I do not think this would have been my reaction here…just saying…if I were just told this was going to be my task I would be FREAKING OUT)
Moving on…because we are definitely not done yet.
So, now Mary (and Joseph – her fiance who was definitely processing a lot of really crazy information) are called to Bethlehem for a census (much more of an inconvenience than the little papers we fill out). So they get to Bethlehem and find out there are no hotel rooms left so they are left in a barn where Mary then goes into labor. (can we please remember she is 13 years old?!) So she gives birth to precious Jesus, wraps him in cloths and places him in a manger. Then so many people starting coming from near and farwith gifts and to worship this little baby who is to be the Messiah.
Wow. Talk about amazing. That’s what we are celebrating this season, the birth of the Messiah who was sent to redeem us from our sins and make things pure and new. This little baby who was born of a 13 year old virgin girl who had so much faith in such a crazy situation. As I go through this Christmas season I am trying really hard to keep my focus on this…what it’s REALLY about, and it’s been really cool. Sometimes I try to imagine myself in Mary’s place. What would it have been like to be pregnant knowing that your baby is going to be the Savior of the world? Sheesh…I really can’t even imagine.
I encourage you to read through the Christmas story (and not my silly version), but really read the truth of the birth of Jesus…and the reason we are celebrating. Imagine what it was like. Imagine the sense of awe and wonder those Magi’s had. Imagine what Mary and Joseph were thinking when He was born knowing He was not their child but belonged fully to the Lord.
Also, highly recommend checking out this amazing song, Labor of Love, by Andrew Peterson. My all time favorite Christmas song that really depicts what Mary went through the night she gave birth to precious Jesus. See the lyrics below…I just love them.
It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David’s town
And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother’s hand to hold
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David’s town
In the middle of the night
So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love
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