Warriors Arise: December 26, 2021
Luke 2:15-20 (NKJV) So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
What a night! Mary was in labor and brought forth the Son of God. Then the shepherds show up. Not many women want visitors from strangers after they have given birth. You're puffy, sweaty, messy, exhausted and needed to tend to the baby. You have been screaming in unimaginable pain for an unknown period of time. Then the baby is born. The pain you felt minutes before seems to be drifting away like wood on the ocean, as you hold your newborn in your arms. You look and gaze upon a miracle. You feel the awe of new life. You think about how the pregnancy went and then this amazing little being is snuggled into your arms and sleeping to the beat of your heart.
Maybe the angel waited to make his announcement until Jesus was cleaned up. Maybe the angel waited until Mary looked presentable. The awkwardness of having the shepherds show up in the midst of the baby coming, Mary being presentable, the baby cleaned, and the bloody straw cleaned out. There is no mention of anyone helping them. We know the shepherd came at night. Maybe Jesus was born in the afternoon or early evening. They oddly have needed warm water for the birth and cleaning the baby and Mary. They would have needed to dispose of the bloody straw and get fresh straw. What kind of mess did the shepherds arrive to see?
Maybe when Joseph saw the shepherds coming he turned and told Mary, "I think they are coming in for the night. I do not see their sheep, but we may have to find another place." But when they get to the stable they are speechless. They look upon the scene, the baby, Mary and Joseph. What is so surreal about this is that they knew this was the baby the angel spoke of?
The shepherds are incredibly moved by their experience with the angel and the heavenly host. They go to find the baby, the Savior of the world, who is Christ the Lord. When they see Jesus, they know. They are so sure that, "they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds"
Mary listened to all the shepherds shared about the angel coming and how the heavenly host glorified God. In Mary's mind, she had to have thought, "What is happening? Angels came and told the shepherds. What are we to do? How do we tend to, take care of, and protect Jesus, the Savior of the world, with the shepherds telling everyone who He is?" She might have been hoping for some kind of instruction as she listened intently to the shepherds. She took in every word just in case there was a message from the shepherds who heard the angel sent by God. But nothing seemed to come. It just seemed like a birth announcement of a king. All the town would now know, just like a king born would be announced throughout the land.
With no directions, Mary and Joseph embraced their new responsibility as parents to this newborn baby, the Savior of the world, who is Christ the Lord. Mary and Joseph, new parents, did not know what would happen next, so they pondered all that had happened and the reality of parenting.
There are times when God calls us into something new, somewhere we have never been before, doing something we have never done before. This is where Joseph and Mary found themselves. They would parent the Savior of the world, not knowing how that would play out. Mary was in a place she had never been before, Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph had never parented before. When a baby comes, things seem to happen so fast. The next day you realize life will never be as it was. Life will never be as you imagined. When you become a parent for the first time you learn that you have entered into territory you have never been in before. Mary pondered all that the shepherds shared in her heart. Holding Jesus in her arms, she had to remember that He was here to be the Savior of the world, the Christ, the Messiah people were looking for. Even though they may want things to be normal, they would never be.
Father, I ask for You to speak to my heart. There are things You have spoken to me and I have placed them in my heart, because I do not know how to interpret them. I do not know what to do with them. They are beyond what my mind can comprehend. I do not know what to do what what has happened. I put You in charge of my heart and my thoughts. In the midst of all my to-dos, I want to remember the ah-ha moments and happiness You have brought. You are amazing and You know how to make an announcement. Generally, I don't know what to do with the announcement. I praise You and wait for You to give further instruction. As I wait, I will tend to what You have put into my hands, to my best ability. I will listen for You to speak again. I will embrace the responsibility of what You have given me in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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