We sing about joy and hope every year in the Christmas carol, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." Charles Wesley zeroed in on the centerpiece of Christmas when he wrote, "Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see; Hail the incarnate Deity." What is the centerpiece? It is the Incarnation of the Son of God. The eternal Son of God took on flesh and manifested in visible form the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15) such that in him all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form (Col 2:9). This is truly quite wonderful and glorious. God entering our time and space. We need to think about how important it is. We can’t miss this.
“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).
When the shepherds found Mary and Joseph and the baby exactly as they were told, the angelic announcement of the Messiah’s birth was confirmed. Luke then reveals Mary’s reflective moment, Mary “treasured” up everything and “pondered” them in her heart. In contrast to the shepherds' public proclamation, Mary meditated on the significance of these events. In many ways, “to treasure” means to purposefully keep near thoughts and remembrances. The second verb “ponder,” means to weigh mentally, to consider carefully, to meditate, to reflect, and to think deeply about something, usually in terms of its significance.
While Mary was like any mother who has given birth, she had so much more to consider. God revealed what he wanted us to know about the significance of the birth of our Savior. The incarnation is absolutely unique. Only once did God become a man. He remains God and man forever (Col. 2:9, Heb. 7:24). He became man once, that we might be saved from sin once for all.
Joseph named the baby Jesus, “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). It was the Father’s love (John 3:16) that sent his Son, “that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” The Son of God took on humanity so that we who deserve death can have life without limit, forever with God. He died in our place, that we might never die.
This is Christmas. It is time to reflect and consider the incarnation and its significance. It’s worth our time.
-Pastor Seboe