December 23
Advent 2011   

Luke 2

Mary Ponders It All

¹⁵When the angels had left the shepherds and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told.  

Returning to this passage regarding the angels and shepherds, we find tucked toward the end the poignant words, But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her hear. Obviously, Mary treasured that she had been chosen as the mother of the Son of God; she treasured that God had entrusted this extraordinary privilege with her. And she pondered, I believe, the impact her son Jesus might have on the world.

It would serve us well, I believe, if we did some pondering ourselves about the impact Jesus Christ has had upon the world. Dr. James Kennedy was for many years the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Prior to his death in 2007, he wrote an intriguing book titled What If Jesus Had Never Been Born. In this book he gives numerous examples of the very positive impact Christianity has had on history and on human life. Among the examples he lists are:  

• Christianity's immediate effects were to bring an end to infant exposure (where unwanted children were left out in the elements to free or die of thirst), gladiator contests, and cannibalism  
• Christianity was considered radically pro-woman at the time of its founding. Women in Greek days could hardly leave their homes. When her husband had guests over, she was not allowed to sit in the same room. Their status was extremely low among the Romans, where the father of the family had the power of life and death, even over his wife  
• The first public hospitals were started by Christians in the 4^th century  
• Romans, Greeks, and other ancients usually did not take care of their loved ones in times of plague, but Christians did, and often died themselves as a result.

Isn't that amazing? The astonishing difference the religion of Jesus of Nazareth has made upon history and human existence!

Well, there's something else to ponder as well. What about the difference Christ has personally made in your life and in mine? In Christ we've discovered the extraordinary grace and love of God. In Christ we've discerned our reason for being and our call for daily living. In Christ we've been given moral and spiritual direction for our journey on planet earth. In Christ we've learned the depth of hope we can have amidst life's toughest times.

Every single one of us as we look toward Christmas Day this Sunday should be giving profound thanks for the great blessing of the person of Jesus Christ in our lives and in our history!