Scripture for Today:  Luke 2:18-19  “And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

This Christmas plate stands proudly on my buffet every December.  It is a numbered limited addition but the worth for me comes from the fact that it was a gift from my parents.  The image is from “The Rest on the Flight into Egypt,” an oil painting by Gerard David in 1510.  There are plenty of santas and snowmen as part of my decor but I love having this scene and the manger scenes front and center.

The carol, “Mary Did You Know?” asks an interesting question.  Did Mary really understand who the baby Jesus was?  Of course, she did not know what specific miracles He would perform.  But she did know the Scriptures as seen by her song (Luke 1:46-55).  She may have even been familiar with the prophesies in Isaiah 35 about the healing the Messiah would do for the blind, the deaf, and the lame.  Of course she knew that this baby was miraculous having never been with a man and having been addressed by an angel.  Yet, how could she really grasp the enormity of holding in her arms the Son of God!  “And when you kiss your little baby, You’ve kissed the face of God.”

As today’s verse says, Mary pondered in her heart all that happened surrounding Christ’s birth.  She probably did not even need a baby memory book!  She kept these memories close to her heart, meditating on their meaning.  Did she know?  A more important question today is, Do I know?  Do I understand that this baby is the “Great I Am” who came to save me?

Thank you Lord, for coming down to earth for me!