Mary

12 Gifts of Christmas / 10th gift – Humility

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
What can I give Him,    Poor as I am? 
If I were a shepherd    I would bring a lamb, 
If I were a Wise Man    I would do my part,— 
Yet what I can I give Him,    Give my heart.   
Christina Rosetti   A Christmas Carol

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20

I love Christina Rosetti and this poem of hers in particular, but in all actuality the shepherds did not bring a lamb. None of us would have even picked shepherds to invite to the outdoor maternity room. God had chosen Mary for her purity, Joseph reflected obedience and the wise men revealed the royalty of Christ. So what else could be added to that first Christmas? What the shepherds gave was a gift of humility. That gift of their humble praise echoed in the heart of Mary long after the sound of their footsteps vanished back into the night. Their joyful shouts even woke up the villagers and soon the good news of great joy spread throughout Bethlehem. Their very humility lent an authenticity to their message that no strangers bearing costly gifts could bring.

In fact throughout the earthly life of Jesus, that same humility tells the story of God’s love. We see it in a sinful woman’s tears washing Jesus’ feet at the home of a self righteous rich man. And there it is again in the humility of a Samaritan leper’s praise rather than his nine friends who never returned to give thanks. At the end of John’s gospel, Mary Magdalene waits outside the tomb weeping and asking someone she thinks to be the gardener if he knows where Jesus has gone. But when she hears that gardener call her name, she immediately knows that it is Jesus, and she falls in humility at His feet.

And what can we offer Him this Christmas? Costly gifts only reflect our lack of understanding of what matters most to God. He waits for simple shepherds, forgiven sinners, cleansed lepers and the broken hearted of every race, tribe and tongue to come. But if, as Christina Rosetti tells us, we give Him our heart, we will find Him delighted to welcome us for He is at most home with those who most reflect the humble heart of Jesus Christ.

Silent Night – Mary’s Treasure

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Luke 2:19-20 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Of all the songs that I relate to Christmas I find that Silent Night is the one that brings me closest to that scene with Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds gathering in amazement and awe around the child sent from God, lying in a manger. In that hush (Though I am skeptical about the line “No crying He makes) there is the true worship that God intended when He sent the Good News of great joy. I pray you will have a wonderful Christmas season sharing that joy with neighbors, friends and family. We now have the job the angels have so today consider going out and looking for some shepherds who are out in the fields and invite them to come and worship Christ the new born king! I hope you will like my rendering of this song written 200 years ago in German by Joseph Mohr with music from Franz Gruber. Its simple beauty still stirs my heart every time I sing. Have a blessed week-end everybody!

Mary’s Treasure

/ pastorpete51 / 8 Comments

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  Luke 2:19 NIV

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I fumed in frustration as we sat on the tarmac awaiting clearance for take-off. I could see from my window two mechanics working on the jet engine hanging from the wing on my side of the plane. It wasn’t just the forty-five minutes of waiting that bothered me but also the worry of missing our connecting flight and the feeling of things being out of control in my life.

As Mary pulled the blankets up around her hoping to get some sleep while Jesus dozed in the manger on that first Christmas night, we would certainly have understood if she had felt that way too. After all, she had just traveled 90 miles by donkey while being nine months pregnant. Then, after they arrived in Bethlehem no one had any room for them to stay, so she was forced to give birth in a stable. Finally, just as her newborn baby had settled down and to sleep, a crowd of shepherds stampeded in and began singing and shouting something about angels. Wow what a night! Maybe some of us would have just simply broken down in tears at that point. But the Bible tells us that instead, Mary took time to think about all those things which, were entirely beyond her control. Then instead of complaining, she treasured them in her heart. Mary remembered that everything that had happened that night was because God had promised her a miracle child and on that day she had said, “May it be according to your word.” She knew that even though she wasn’t in control: God was. She knew that regardless of what things looked like from the outside; God was working everything for good. By the way, we had a safe flight; our plane still landed right on time and God taught me that every day is a treasure when we trust in His control.

Mary’s Treasure by Peter Caligiuri 2020 All rights reserved