Winter

Winter

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A Childlike Christmas Week 3



This is week, three of A Child Like Christmas.
Pom Pom has some very nice friends and I enjoy
getting to take part in this.

This is what I thought about for A Childlike Christmas today, so I remember
that Christmas isn't about what is under the tree, but about
a baby's birth.

The other day I was listening to some Christmas music. This song by Jennifer Knapp
came on my play list, called Sing Mary Sing. The words are this,

Mary Had A Baby Born In A Manger
Mary What To Do, Mary What To Do?
Before The Vow Was Made,
In Her Belly Laid The King



I have heard that song a million times, but I never really heard the words.
Why did I that day I don't know, but I kept going back and listening to it
over and over.
It had never clicked for me like this, Mary was an unwed mother. The
God who spoke the worlds and they came into being. Gave his son to a unwed mother,
I always think about the virgin part but not that she wasn't married to Joesph yet.
I started thinking about how that must have got tongues talking, how
Jesus grew up with whispers," Hey, you know who that kid is don't you? "
"Remember his Mother?"



Do you ever think about how Mary was really important? Not only did
God pick her to be the mother of Jesus. She says to Gabriel " Behold, the bond slave
of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
(Luke 1:38)
Do you know what a bond slave is? It is one who person in a state of slavery; one whose person and liberty are subjected to the authority of a master.
I love that she had that attitude. She put all that she was at the disposal of the Lord to take
every thing she was and who she was to be a home for a baby.
She pondered the things Anna and Simeon said when they took him to the temple
to be dedicated when Jesus was 8 days old. She stored them in her heart.



She was at the foot of the cross and she was at the empty tomb. Jesus gave her
into the care of John the beloved. I always thought it was interesting that John
was maybe the last disciple to die, so maybe he didn't die until after his work
taking care of Mary was done.

She always does the right thing. She travels on a donkey, 9 months pregnant.
She always waits on the Lord, like when Joesph is going to put her away quietly.
We are not shown a picture of a girl wringing her hands and crying, I see her as
waiting on God and God sends a angel to explain to Joesph just how it is.



Oh I do forget myself, she does, chide Jesus when he had been missing 3 days, but
what I love is she is a mother. She does what any Mom would do, she says, " Your
father and I were worried about you.

What I love about Mary is that God chose her from the beginning of time to be the mother
of His son, but what I love is her very humanness that we are given glimpses of in the pages
of the Bible.
My favorite Christmases were always the ones that I was with child. There was always
such a sweetness knowing that for just a while I had a baby too. It seemed to make all of the
passages about God caring for his flock speak very loudly to me.

I think that to have a Child like Christmas is to remember what child's birth we celebrate.

Thank you to Pom Pom for helping me to remember too.

~Kim~

15 comments:

Marti said...

Thank you for the reminder of the life of Mary. I can only imagine the taunts that she had to endure, we often just think of the beautiful parts of the story, but in that society she could have been stoned to death, but she willingly accepted her calling.

Debbie said...

I read a book a LONG time ago that was a fiction book about the birth of Jesus telling the story from both Mary and Josephs point of view. It was soo good. How much they had to go through just as humans enduring it all. Very overwhelming. It was called Two from Galilee. It even spoke about how it would have been to be the parents of Mary and Joseph. I never go through this season now without thinking about all of that. Yes, her faith and her willingness to be a part of it all is to be soo admired and sought after. Have a good day! HUGS

Christine said...

God's ways are so much higher than ours but Mary was amazing to accept this calling - last year I watched an adaptation of this on BBC and it struck me afresh how HARD this would have been for her and Joseph.
But I love how you explain that she was a willing slave - as the hymn goes that we sing, 'I love I love my Master, I will not go out free.'
Thanks so much for this!
Christine

Floss said...

My son is December-born, and when he was a new baby I took him to church, and even laid him in the 'manger', where he fell asleep! I felt such a connection to Mary myself, and to Jesus, though the baby I held, and that's something you've helped me to remember today. Thanks so much.

Kessie said...

Wow, I never thought about Mary being an unwed mother. When we all get to heaven, it'll be so interesting to sit and talk to her.

Sixpence None the Richer has a song called The Last Christmas Without You, about being pregnant at Christmas. I get all choked up every time I listen to it. Last year was our last Christmas without Claire, for instance. :-)

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

I sure enjoyed your thoughts here today Kim. Hop over to this blog of a poem about Mary that I posted 2 years ago. I didn't write it, but I sure like it.

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/2009/12/mary-blessed-is-she.html

xo

Kim said...

Your posts like this always make me think and see things in a new perspective. I like that.

Unknown said...

Thank you for that reminder.

NanaNor's said...

Hi Kim, I love this post, probably know the song but can't bring it up mentally. You are so gifted with photos and words and a blessing to all who come by here.
Hugs today.
Noreen

Kerin said...

Sweet post..and very thoughtful; thank you .

Pom Pom said...

I like to think about Mary, too. She was so young and so sound of heart and soul. Amazing.

Julia said...

What a thoughtful post at this time of Advent. It's hard to imagine that Mary who was looking forward to mary Joseph could even put her plans aside to say "Yes" to what God wanted of her... Mary said "yes" and because of her Yes, the human race is redeemed by her humble son Jesus. What if she would have said "no"? We too need to say "Yes" to God even when it changes our plans. Just my mini reflection today. Hugs. JB

Patrice said...

Awesome post, my sweet friend!

Gumbo Lily said...

I sometimes think of Mary as a "child" herself. I doubt she was very old, and yet she had the wisdom and faith to say "Yes," when God called her to be the mother of His Son.

Thanks for this.

Dawn said...

Wonderful post and thoughts Kim. So good to remind ourselves of what.all this Christmas jumble is for. You gave me more to think on. Thank you.