Worship By Wondering | MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. Luke 2.18-19
The gift of Jesus is the gift that keeps giving. We are used to presents that are given in fullness, only to break and decay over time. We are used to things that present their best, and then reveal themselves to be less. The mysterious beauty of the incarnation does the opposite. In Jesus we are given a living God. In faith, we are gifted something that is not meant to stay static. Instead, what we get in Jesus is an endless treasure.
We access this treasure by wondering. We have heard the Christmas story so many times that we have lost some of our child-like sense of excitement. The truth of God coming to dwell with His people is not something that can lose luster. Instead, it is a truth that can be applied and reapplied to all of life’s situations and experiences. Our HOPE is established and unmovable the more we know Jesus’ promises. Our PEACE in a broken world is given confidence as we see Jesus power. Our LOVE becomes rooted into our identity the more we know how we have been loved by Jesus. Our JOY can be eternal rather than temporary as we get to know He who will reign over the New Heaven and the New Earth. In all of this, Christmas is not a destination as much as the guide. It is the moment that allows other moments to make sense.
Our part in this is to seek this sense; to wonder toward understanding. Pastor James Boice says this about how we should celebrate Christmas:
Begin by wondering – wondering at the fact that you have not suffered the just punishment of your sin, that God has loved you, that Jesus came and died for you, that God called you to faith in Himself when you were yet without hope of salvation, and that you are now God’s child and are secure in His love. Continue by thinking upon those things. Ponder the great doctrines of the Christian faith – doctrines of the incarnation, atonement, grace, sanctification, heaven, perseverance, and others – so that you begin to grow strong in doctrine. Glorify and praise God for what you know. Sing God’s praises. Then, when you are qualified to speak, go back and tell others.
Don’t take this gift for granted, but use it. To use it is to wonder about God’s goodness, to praise Him for it, and to tell others about it.