(Originally published in The Daily Press - Religion Section 12-13-14)
As a youth I remember eagerly saving my allowance up,
then riding my bike as fast as I could to the local record store to buy the
latest pop hit single on 45. I’d listen to the song over and over for
days on end, until I was so sick of it I never wanted to hear it again. I can
remember once taking a 45, snapping it in half, then round filing it to ensure
I’d never again be bothered by such tedious monotony.
It’s true that overexposure to something can often immunize us from the meaning or emotion that once filled our hearts.
As we attend holiday events, it’s easy to celebrate in the spirit of fun. We’ve become immune to clichés like “Jesus is the reason for the season,” indulged in over-commercialization and mused in politically correct wanderings.
Lets face it; most people would rather laugh together around the spiked eggnog than sit together in somberness meditating on the Nativity scene. But it doesn’t need to be either or.
Maybe we just need some fresh wind in our spiritual sails to find our holiday homeostasis.
I love Christmas music; but then maybe that’s because it only plays a few weeks a year. One of my season favorites is “Mary, Did You Know?” I find the title a little ironic since clearly Mary did know, as evidenced by her song of praise after learning she would miraculously give birth to the Son of God.
Mary asked how as a virgin this could be possible? The angel replied: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
Her willing response was, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as your have said” (Luke 1:35, 38).
Mary had no idea what was about to befall her. Her head knowledge was about to be converted into a lifelong transformative experience.
Authorities in the Jewish culture of her day could stone an unmarried pregnant woman to death. Joseph wanted to quietly retract their pledge to be married; that is, until the angel appeared and brought him up to speed.
Imagine the embarrassment, family pain, social stigma, ridicule and judgment Mary and Joseph endured. Then, from the time of Jesus’ birth people rejected and wanted to kill him.
As the song goes, Mary really had no understanding that the son she would deliver would one day deliver her.
Most of us are rather ordinary people just like Mary. Can you imagine your response if placed in extraordinary circumstances such as she?
I want Mary’s courage to follow God in the midst of overwhelming odds. She submitted to God’s plan for her life at the expense of others’ opinions and judgments. She didn’t wait to know the outcome before saying “yes” and followed God’s will and her tears all the way to the foot of the Cross.
As a mother I cannot begin to imagine the juxtaposition of Mary’s joy and agony over three decades.
It can be difficult to simply integrate the precious little toddlers that live in my heart with the grown men standing in front of me. There had to be great pain in the midst of her joy as she watched her son grow up and intentionally walk out his life to the Cross, turning the world upside down along the way.
If we could interview Mary, I am certain she would say the gift of Jesus in her life was greater than the pain of this passing world.
The real gift of Christmas transcends the gifts we give or receive; it comes in the person of Jesus Christ.
The song asks, “Mary, did you know?” But it is more appropriate here to ask; “Reader, do you know” the gift of Christmas?
The Rev. Heidi Summers is affiliated with Freedom in Christ Ministries, is a board certified pastoral counselor, board certified life coach and is currently completing her doctorate at Fuller Theological Seminary.
It’s true that overexposure to something can often immunize us from the meaning or emotion that once filled our hearts.
As we attend holiday events, it’s easy to celebrate in the spirit of fun. We’ve become immune to clichés like “Jesus is the reason for the season,” indulged in over-commercialization and mused in politically correct wanderings.
Lets face it; most people would rather laugh together around the spiked eggnog than sit together in somberness meditating on the Nativity scene. But it doesn’t need to be either or.
Maybe we just need some fresh wind in our spiritual sails to find our holiday homeostasis.
I love Christmas music; but then maybe that’s because it only plays a few weeks a year. One of my season favorites is “Mary, Did You Know?” I find the title a little ironic since clearly Mary did know, as evidenced by her song of praise after learning she would miraculously give birth to the Son of God.
Mary asked how as a virgin this could be possible? The angel replied: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
Her willing response was, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as your have said” (Luke 1:35, 38).
Mary had no idea what was about to befall her. Her head knowledge was about to be converted into a lifelong transformative experience.
Authorities in the Jewish culture of her day could stone an unmarried pregnant woman to death. Joseph wanted to quietly retract their pledge to be married; that is, until the angel appeared and brought him up to speed.
Imagine the embarrassment, family pain, social stigma, ridicule and judgment Mary and Joseph endured. Then, from the time of Jesus’ birth people rejected and wanted to kill him.
As the song goes, Mary really had no understanding that the son she would deliver would one day deliver her.
Most of us are rather ordinary people just like Mary. Can you imagine your response if placed in extraordinary circumstances such as she?
I want Mary’s courage to follow God in the midst of overwhelming odds. She submitted to God’s plan for her life at the expense of others’ opinions and judgments. She didn’t wait to know the outcome before saying “yes” and followed God’s will and her tears all the way to the foot of the Cross.
As a mother I cannot begin to imagine the juxtaposition of Mary’s joy and agony over three decades.
It can be difficult to simply integrate the precious little toddlers that live in my heart with the grown men standing in front of me. There had to be great pain in the midst of her joy as she watched her son grow up and intentionally walk out his life to the Cross, turning the world upside down along the way.
If we could interview Mary, I am certain she would say the gift of Jesus in her life was greater than the pain of this passing world.
The real gift of Christmas transcends the gifts we give or receive; it comes in the person of Jesus Christ.
The song asks, “Mary, did you know?” But it is more appropriate here to ask; “Reader, do you know” the gift of Christmas?
The Rev. Heidi Summers is affiliated with Freedom in Christ Ministries, is a board certified pastoral counselor, board certified life coach and is currently completing her doctorate at Fuller Theological Seminary.
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