“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.‘
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.”
As I reflect on the above verse this Christmas, I have to wonder what Mary was thinking when a bunch of scraggly shepherds showed up at the stable in the dark of night to behold her baby boy.
Though I can’t know for certain, I imagine her emotions were swirling. While she was clearly a courageous woman of faith, favored by the Lord, I am sure that the devil was throwing his arrows of discouragement at her more than anyone during this time—for he knew the special role that she would play in God’s glorious plan.
Along with the joy and hope we see Mary express in the Magnificat, I imagine she battled fear, shame, discomfort, and perhaps even feeling like a failure. While an encounter with an angel of the Lord, the promise of a Savior, and a miraculous conception probably provided her with quite a bit of wonder and encouragement to fuel her faith—she also faced many trials: disgrace for what, to human eyes, looked like adultery; a long and harsh journey to Bethlehem while pregnant, out amidst the elements; the discomfort and hormones and tiredness that come with pregnancy; giving birth while far from the support of family. And on top of that, she delivered her baby—the promised Savior—in a dark, cold stable amidst the smelly barn animals and bugs.
Yet, at a moment of what could have likely resulted in deep discouragement and doubt—God showed up again. He saw Mary and cared so much that he specially called a group of his people—humble shepherds—to make a long journey just to look upon her son and remind her that the Lord was indeed, even now, working through her life. Seeing the joyous, mystified expression of the shepherds and the tears in their eyes, she knew in her heart that God saw her—and was with her. He was faithful to his promise. She was not a failure; she was not alone.
Immanuel, God with us.
Maybe, for you, this Christmas is one full of joy and warmth and the love and closeness of family. If that’s true, cherish these moments—for they are treasures from the Lord. Or maybe this year your Christmas is, in all honesty, a crappy one—and your heart can’t quite reconcile the vast disparity between the cheerful carols and lights around you and the cold, empty feeling within. Maybe it’s sickness, maybe it’s loss, maybe it’s fear or loneliness . . .
Whatever your Christmas looks like this year, I want to encourage you—God sees you. And He is so near to you. He knows your name and your specific situation. And He loves you so much that He called His Son to come to you this Christmas.
And Jesus comes not only to be with you, but to invite you to His Christmas table—a sanctuary of warmth, despite life’s circumstances, with a promise of peace, love, and hope of everlasting life with Him.
Thank you for that! This post came at a much needed time in my life when this Christmas was a crappy one. This post reminds me that I have to continue to have faith and count all my blessings.
Thank you