Thankful Mary

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Older Brother drew this picture several weeks ago, near the beginning of the advent season.  (A week or so later, he drew a second, identical picture.  To me, it was like a gentle reminder from God Himself.  Have I mentioned that Older Brother’s name means “God’s messenger”?)

I found the picture so striking that I’ve kept it visible on my desk throughout this busy month of December to serve as a reminder of the true significance of Christmas, that I might imitate Mary’s response.

Tell me about your picture, I asked. That’s Baby Jesus in the manger, and that’s Mary.
What is Mary doing?  I wondered.  She’s praying, thanking God for sending Baby Jesus.

And that’s Christmas in a nutshell, isn’t it?  What God did, and how we ought to respond.

Strip away all the decorations, all the traditions, the songs, the lights, the wrappings and trappings, and there it is.  There He is.  Jesus.

God in flesh, come to earth as a tiny baby.  Immanuel: God with us.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14)

We know this.  He is the Reason for the Season.  Keep the Christ in Christmas.  Joy to the World and so on and so forth.

But have we paused to be thankful?  To (try to) wrap our brains around the staggering implications of the Messiah’s birth?  To glorify the Lord for His amazing plan to rescue us from ourselves?

As we celebrate with our families today–Christmas Eve, and tomorrow–Christmas Day, may we echo Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel, found in Luke 1:46:

My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

O come, let us adore Him!  

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