Friends
Are you cleaned up from Christmas? Are you glad, or sad, or a mixture of both?
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“But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”
Luke 2:19 – KJV
OK,it’s over. Christmas is done and gone. The decorations are packed away in the attic for another year. Gone are the festive lights, the bright red bows, the fresh greenery. The mantle seems bare. Your den looks drab without the twinkling lights of your Christmas tree. It’s over.
But it wasn’t over for Mary and Joseph. It was just beginning. Yes, that starry night when Mary had given birth had come and gone. The shepherds had made their joyful visit, but they were gone too, back to the fields, back to their flocks. We don’t know when the young couple left the stable for a better roof over their heads. We know they took the baby to the Temple on the eighth day in keeping with the Jewish law. We know the wise men found them at some point, but even they came and went.and still, it wasn’t over.
Mary and Joseph may have left the manger, but they didn’t leave the miracle of it behind. They carried it with them, wrapped in swaddling clothes. They saw the miracle every morning as they cradled the baby in their arms. They saw the miracle with every feeding, every diaper change. They looked into the eyes of that tiny infant, and they remembered those moments in the manger. They recalled the angelic proclamations, the shepherds’ story, the wise mens’ gifts. The memory surely stayed with mary as she chased her toddler around the house. The memory likely floated back to Joseph as he sat with his little boy by the fire. The memory no doubt crossed the couple’s minds as their little boy turned a teenager. As Jesus grew into manhood, they watched, and waited, and they couldn’t help but wonder. Who would He become?? What would He do? How would the prophecies be fulfilled?
Of course, we don’t know the innermost thoughts of Jesus’ earthly parents, but we do know they shared their memories, because their stories were later written down by Luke and Matthew. Luke gives us a clue to Mary’s thoughts in verse 19, “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, KJV).
Christmas wasn’t over when Mary and Joseph left the manger, because they carried the gift of Christmas with them out into the world. The miracle in the manger was, and is, Jesus. God sent His Son, His One and Only Son, to be our Emmanuel, God with us, forever and always.
Jesus came out of that lowly manger and brought the world a different kind of love, a special kind of peace, a wellspring of joy, and a never-ending hope. When we embrace Jesus, when we hold Him in our hearts, we are able to receive His love, His joy, His peace, His hope, and that changes everything. Because of Jesus, today feels fresh and new. Because of Jesus, tomorrow shines bright with hope. .
Christmas isn’t over. No, far from it. It’s a new day in a new year. It’s a new beginning, and the miracle of the manger is still beckoning. While we cannot hold Jesus in our arms as Mary and Joseph did, we can hold Him in our hearts. Let us enter this new year holding Jesus close, assured of His love, buoyed by His joy, comforted by His peace, and strengthened by His hope. The turn of the calendar cannot take those gifts away. Each and every day, may we begin anew, remembering Jesus, who He is, why He came, and what He has done for us. Yes, dear friends, lets treasure those moments in the manger, holding them close, and carrying them with us all year long.
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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 – NIV
PRAYER
O Faithful Father, thank You for sending Your precious Son that we might be saved, that we might know a love like no other, a joy beyond measure, a peace beyond reason, and a hope beyond our wildest dreams. Thank You for the miracle of the manger. May we keep Jesus close all year long.
In the Miraculous Name of Jesus, we offer our thanks and praise,
Amen
New Year’s Blessings,
Anita
-APS 1/8/2024
Faith Beyond Sight 