Luke 2:17 And when they (the Shepherds) saw it (Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger), they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child (from the heavenly host).
18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Mary and Joseph now have a three-day old baby boy. He came into the world in quite a fuss. The Birth announcements was not cute cards with the picture of the newborn and the new family with length and weight duly noted, rather His birth announcement was the heavenly host! It started nine months earlier with the Archangel Gabriel foretelling Mary the birth of this boy (Luke 1:28-31). Guess what Mary, you are going to have a baby! Not just any baby, this baby will “be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33).
And then, when the word of the Archangel Gabriel comes to pass, the announcement gets serious. The heavenly host appear to shepherds who just have to see what is going on. And sure enough, they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. And they related to the birth party the proclamation, the birth announcement of the heavenly host.
Luke 2: 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
What is Mary pondering now on this third day? She has a newborn, life is changed. Gabriel and the heavenly host are gone. She looks at her newborn son lying in the manger. Now life begins. The promise of Gabriel and the heavenly host is now flesh.
Mary ponders the word. The word of Gabriel, the word of the Shepherds, the Word lying in the manager. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory . . “ (John 1:12) In the midst of ordinary living, Mary must now trust in the word. The word spoken to her and the Word who is before her. She is now a mother who is to care for her son, raise him for his destiny. The joy of this birth does not go away but the excitement does.
So, like Mary we live in this joy, the joy of a newborn, the promise of God that has become flesh, the hope of the future, our salvation and the salvation of the world. It is only in this child that the chaos that plagues us is defeated, it is only in this child our deepest desires are realized. Yes, the cross casts its shadow over the manger as the heavenly hosts proclaims. . .
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! (Luke 2:14)
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