Century Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)

1301 Tamarack Road, Owensboro, KY 42301, (270) 684-0286, Pastor:  Rev. Jim Westmoreland

Still Pondering, After All These Years
Luke 2:1-20
by Jim Westmoreland

Mary, the mother of Jesus, can teach us some special things about Christmas. Imagine what all must be going on in the mind of this new, very young mother? What is behind her quiet demeanor? Luke, the author of this story, has made it clear that something unique is going on with Mary. She seems out of step with the rest of the characters, and her private, perhaps even lonely, journey through Christmas is exactly the reason we are drawn to her.

Matthew's version has the wise men seeing a star and following it to Bethlehem sometime after the birth of Jesus. In Luke's gospel, the shepherds arrived breathlessly at the manger, and they began speaking about the angels and the heavenly host that they heard praising God. They also relayed the news that the angels told them that this child would be the long-awaited "Messiah, the Lord." Sometimes, we get so caught up in the specialness of this birth that we can overlook this young mother, Mary. This was not a motherless birth!

In verses eighteen and twenty we are told that all who heard them were amazed at what the shepherds told them and that the shepherds then returned glorifying and praising God. This baby would bring justice and peace. He would champion the oppressed. He would be the long-awaited Messiah! That is heady language! Between these phrases describing amazement and praise is sandwiched verse nineteen, Mary's verse! She isn't amazed, and she isn't glorifying and praising God. We are told, "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart."

Isn't that striking? Everybody else is saying, "Glory hallelujah," but Mary is much quieter and subdued. She is the one closest to the miracle, and yet she seems more a stranger to it than the shepherds. They celebrate and worship. The best she can do is "treasure and ponder" their words about him being "the Messiah, the Lord."

Jesus still comes to us as Messiah, as One who calls us to Peace, to seek justice and be a champion for those without power and influence. And, we join Mary, still pondering what all this means, after all these years.

Christmas is about the beginnings of our hope. To receive this hope we have to take our own place among the shepherds at the nativity this year. If hope begins to stir within us about the dead and frail things within us, then we may find that the shepherds have already written our lines and that our role is to rejoice and go home glorifying and praising God.

But, if the message of Christmas seems strange to what we are feeling this year, we can adopt Mary's role. If that's our part, if pondering is what makes the most sense to us, then it is enough for now to know that we belong in the story.⁽¹⁾ It is a good thing to treasure and remember our experiences of God being with us and giving us hope and joy. And, it is okay for us to not know and to ponder what it all means. As we ask our questions and search for meaning, God comes near to us. We have our own personal encounter with Immanuel.

We are not strangers to this holy drama. The stranger is the hope that has been born into our lives. It is new! It is different! It begins to transform us and lift us up. We don't have to understand this hope, and we don't even have to feel hopeful. All we have to do is take the stranger in and let it begin to guide us and shape our lives.

John tells us that Jesus was the eternal Word, or Logos, and that he became flesh and dwelt among us. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5-11. "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

God humbled Himself for me so that I might be made whole! God became flesh; He lowered himself to dwell among us on our level. The word "Incarnation" means in the flesh. At Christmas, we celebrate that Jesus is God Incarnate (God in the flesh, in the form of a human being.)

The story is told of Daniel Webster dining with a company of literary men in Boston. Conversation turned to Christianity. Mr. Webster frankly stated his belief in Christ and his dependence on the atonement of the Savior. One said to him, "Mr. Webster, can you comprehend how Christ could be both God and Man?" Mr. Webster promptly replied, "No, sir, I cannot comprehend it. If I could comprehend Him, He would be no greater than myself."

The God of the Incarnation is not a deus ex machina, and He is not like the Wizard of Oz with thundering voice pulling levers and manipulating events and outcomes! If Jesus had been like the wizard of Oz, we'd all have run and hid.

A favorite story of mine is about a little girl who was with her family in their home one cold, winter night. It had been snowing for days. The snow was several feet deep where it had drifted. The ground was totally covered and there was no source of food for the birds left in the area. It was night, the wind was blowing and a heavy snow was falling. They had a warm fire going in the fireplace. The room was lit brightly and they were having a good time.

The little girl could see birds fly up to their family-room window, sometimes hitting it and falling down. She became very concerned and upset because these poor birds were out in the terrible cold and would surely freeze.

She went to open the door to let them inside, but, frightened, they flew away. She called to them to come, but they couldn't understand. She waved her arms inviting them in, but none came. Disappointed she closed the door and sat thoughtfully on the floor staring at the window, pondering this tragedy. Finally, she said, "Daddy, I just wish I could be a little bird, and then I could fly outside to tell the poor freezing birds out there that they can come in where it is warm, and they would hear me and wouldn't be afraid of me because I would be a bird, like them."

That's was Jesus did for us. He became like us, emptying Himself, so that He could show us what God is like in ways that we can understand. From that lowly birth God is revealed to man. This is mystery and wonder! And here we are, still pondering, after all these years.

"In the Rospigliosi Palace in Rome is Guido Reni's famous fresco, "The Aurora." It is painted on a lofty ceiling. As you stand back and look up at it, your neck stiffens, your head grows dizzy, and the figures become hazy and indistinct. And so, the owner of the palace has placed a broad mirror near the floor. In the mirror the picture can be seen, and you can sit down and study the wonderful art work in comfort.

"Jesus Christ does precisely that for us when we try to know God. He is the mirror of the Father. He is the express image of God's person. He interpret's God to our dull hearts. He becomes the little bird to show us the way and not frighten us. In Christ God becomes visible and intelligible to us. This is mystery and wonder! And here we are, still pondering, after all these years.

"We cannot by any amount of searching find God. The more we try, the more confused we get. Then Jesus Christ appears. He is God stooping down to our level, and He enables our feeble thoughts to get some real hold on God Himself. Jesus said, 'He who has seen me has see the Father.'"

There are some who still say, "God will have to move heaven and earth if he wants to get my attention!" That's exactly what he has already done when Christ was born! He has reached out for you. Jesus' coming into the world is God's affirmation that we are valuable, that we are worth it. The transcendent God, the pre-existent Logos, the creator of all that is came into the world as a person to reveal God's love to me. My head spins, my heart pounds, my eyes tear. This is wonder! This is mystery! God has revealed Himself in Jesus because He loves me! And so, in moments of quietness and reflection, we bow and we join together with Mary, still pondering, after all these years. ⁽²⁾ Amen.

Century Christian Church, December 24, 2006 - Sermon by Jim Westmoreland
www.centurychristian.org
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1. "The Christmas Stranger," a sermon by Dr. M. Craig Barnes, pastor of The Shadyside Presbyterian and the Robert Meneilly Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.