Christmas Morning: Son Rise on a New DaySample

Moms make scrapbooks. At least my mom did. In my parents’ house are a number of books full of pictures and newspaper articles chronicling my growing-up years, both on and off the court/field. Loving moms do this sort of thing. They treasure the moments they have with their children in their hearts.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was no different. She treasured the moments of Jesus’ life and pondered them often in her heart.

I am so thankful that she did! Not just because it shows Mary’s love for Jesus, but because her scrapbook of memories has been passed down through history to you and me today. Many of the events that we have read about over the past month in Luke 1-2 would have been lost to history unless Mary had kept pondering about them. Luke found himself in Israel for an extended season between 57-59AD while his traveling companion Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea. It is speculated that during this time in the Middle East, Luke talked to the eyewitnesses who provided the source material for his Gospel. If that is true, then when Luke talks to a 70-something-year-old Mary to find out her memories of Jesus, their conversation was 60 years removed from Jesus’ actual birth. Guided by the Holy Spirit, though, Mary shared the precise details with Luke of Gabriel’s visit, her time with Zechariah and Elizabeth, the journey to Bethlehem, and the arrival of the shepherds. She had treasured those events for six decades, and no doubt was overjoyed to open the “scrapbook” to show Luke her family pictures.

Aren’t you glad Luke wrote them down? Moved along by the Spirit, Luke records the true identity of Jesus Christ so that we might also treasure Him in our hearts today.

This Christmas, take some time to ponder what you know about Jesus. What do you treasure about Him and all that He has done for you? Spend time thanking and enjoying Him today. And, like Mary, share the things you treasure about Him with someone else. You both will be blessed if you do.