Still waters, we are told, run deep. They also have another quality: the ability to reflect. Both those qualities, though in somewhat different sense, are found in the example of Mary at the birth of Jesus, and we too, would do well to ponder them. It must have been an exciting night for her, that night Jesus was born. For a start, there was the natural euphoria of giving birth and holding her child close for the first time, but, alongside that, there was more. There was the memory of the angel Gabriel, telling her this child was the Son of God, and then, as if to confirm it, there came shepherds, no doubt telling their story of angels in the skies praising God and directing them to where the Savior had been born. She could easily have been swept along by the tide of events, carried by it all in such a way that she scarcely gave a thought to what was happening, but she didn’t. She stored all these things in her heart, pondering what they might mean. In other words, she looked deeper, beneath the surface, and she reflected on what God had done in her life. She made time to consider and to understand.
Do we do that today? Christmas is an exciting time for us too, though for very different reasons. It’s an occasion for partying and celebrations, for family reunions and get-togethers, for giving and receiving, laughing and making merry. And why not? – those all bring welcome happiness in the bleakness of winter. Yet, how many of us pause to reflect on what it is ultimately about, on what we are celebrating and why, on the thing God has done for us that gives the season its name. Make time for fun and celebration, but, above all, make time to think and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, for then you will truly find something worth getting excited about.
Do you make time to think about your faith? When was the last time you paused to reflect quietly on what God might be saying to you, or calling you to do?
