Luke 1:26-35 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Several years ago, we went to a Gaither Christmas Concert on the coast. I bought the concert tickets as a gift for my daddy and in-laws. The night of the concert, we loaded up in the car and drove to Biloxi. The drive usually takes about an hour, but that night it took at least an hour and a half. A terrible thunderstorm blew in that afternoon. My husband drove through torrential sheets of pouring rain. The wind was blowing. We could hardly see the road. By the time we arrived, we were wondering if it was even worth the trip. The drive south was pretty awful! However, once we were inside the comfort of the coliseum, we were mesmerized by the wonderful concert. It was so uplifting, and we all enjoyed the show. They sang Christmas songs, joked with one another, and had us laughing out loud. At one point in the show, Bill Gaither was teasing Mark Lowry. Mark was talking about the song he had written as they were making the introduction to the next song. Bill said, “You have only written one song.” Mark came back with, “When you write the perfect song, you only need to write ONE song.” I have to agree. Mark Lowry is best know for co-writing the beautiful song “Mary Did You Know.” I heard this song on my drive in to work yesterday morning, and I have to say, it is definitely on the top of my list of favorite Christmas songs. I bet you have heard it, and even sang along, but just in case you haven’t, let me share the lyrics.
“Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water? Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your Baby Boy has come to make you new? This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you. Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand? Did you know that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God? Mary did you know. The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The dead will live again. The lame will leap. The dumb will speak the praises of The Lamb. Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation? Mary, did you know that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations? Did you know that your Baby Boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb? The sleeping Child you’re holding is the Great, I Am.”
Wow! Isn’t that awesome? You know, we recognize Mary as the mother of Jesus, and she is an important part of the Christmas story of the birth of our Savior, but we focus our attention on the Christ child as we should. But have you ever considered how Mary must have felt? Did Mary have an inkling of who this Christ child would be? Did she have any idea that the child leaping within her womb would actually be able to walk on water one day? Did she even faintly comprehend that this child would be the Salvation for the world or that the One she delivered would be our Deliverer? Did she comprehend that this child would give sight to the blind, calm storms, or walk where angels trod? And my favorite part, did she have a clue that when she kissed that precious baby boy, she was kissing the very face of God! The thought of it gives me chills! What an awesome blessing to be chosen to carry the Son of God! I can’t help but wonder, “Did Mary Know?” One fine day, I’m going to sit down and ask her. I can’t wait to hear all of the exciting stories that I am sure she will share.
But what about you? Do you know this baby boy that we are celebrating, the One you’ve heard about in song and scripture? Do you know that He came to deliver us? He came to be our salvation. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and raised the dead. He caused the lame to leap and the dumb to speak. That little baby Jesus did not stay in that manger. He grew up, and He walked on the earth just like you and I. But there is a grave difference between Jesus and us. He walked with pure perfection, unblemished, and without sin, and He was born to die. Yes, He was born to die on the cross for our sins so that we may have an everlasting relationship with the Father. When I try to ponder all of these things in my heart, I don’t know whether to cry or sing! I bet Mary knew! The question is, do you?
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 