07 Dec What Mary Pondered

After becoming a mother, I became more interested and aware of the role of Mary in the Incarnation and birth narrative of Christ. As my pastor preached about last Sunday, Mary was an incredible example of humility and surrender to the will of God. When Gabriel visited her, she rightfully asked a simple question, “How can this be?” And yet once she was given an explanation, her surrender was immediate and complete: “Let it be…” She surrendered to the will of the Father, in spite of its natural impossibility and unprecedented quality.

I am sure that this was a jaw-dropping, marvel-saturated moment for Mary. But Mary wasn’t done having marvelous moments in regards to her firstborn son. In fact, there are three more moments for Mary to ponder just in Luke 2.

The first is after the birth of Christ, as the shepherds made their way to Bethlehem to see what the angels told them was taking place. And as the shepherds told all who were there what they had seen (can’t you just see their animated expressions?! “You guys, you’ll never believe what we just saw!”), we see Luke draw the attention to Mary’s response once again:

“…they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:16-19).

The second moment comes when they bring Jesus to the temple to be dedicated. They are met there by Simeon. It had been revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t die before seeing the Lord’s Messiah. When he saw Jesus, he picked him up and declared over him, “my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”(v. 30-32) His parents response to this incredible moment: “And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him” (v.33).

The third event comes as the family made their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. After traveling for quite some time, Joseph and Mary realized that Jesus wasn’t there. Serious free-range parenting going on here, folks. When they finally found him in the temple three days later (can you imagine the parental anxiety?!), he was sitting with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And the people there were blown away by his understanding and answers. After letting them know that he was there because he had to be in his Father’s house, he (of course, as the only perfect child ever) submitted to them and went back to Nazareth. His mother’s response to this event: “And his mother treasured all these things in her heart” (v. 55).

Treasuring the Marvelous Moments

Mary was a great mom. We know this because she was a great disciple first. She submitted to God’s will with joy (regardless of how it affected her reputation and put her at incredible risk) and humbly accepted that this little boy she was raising was her Lord and Messiah.

Mary was also a great mom because she soaked in the ponder-worthy moments of parenting. Her motherly intuition told her “this is a moment I need to remember. This is a moment I want to treasure and keep in my heart forever.” Others may have had their jaws drop in these moments, but it’s possible that some of these who witnessed these miraculous events forgot them or didn’t let them alter their lives in a permanent way.

Not Mary. When others may have moved on, Mary stopped. Mary pondered. Mary marveled. Mary treasured.

I see two important points of application for us today from Mary’s example of pondering. Like Mary, we are mothers. As mothers, we walk closely with our children in a way that others don’t. We notice how they respond to different events, how they soak in different experiences, how they “take” to a certain activity and thrive, how their uniqueness becomes evident and the fingerprints of the Divine rest upon their lives.

When others may see something in our children, make a comment, and move on, we may stare long and ponder. We may treasure up that moment in our hearts, knowing we have front row seats to seeing God’s plan for our children’s lives unfold. 

Like Mary, we are disciples. In this Advent season and always, God is beckoning us to walk with him and ponder where He is at work. As a sign that is right next to our front door reads, “Aslan is on the move.” This quote from Narnia reminds each of us that God is always working – and do we notice? Do we see where He is moving? Do we pause, letting our jaws drop at the wonder of the moments, and ponder them in our hearts?

Emmanuel has come and He is still here with us through the gift of His Holy Spirit. How will you treasure this truth in your heart?