Luke 2:19, “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” The word ponder means to think deeply, to examine, meditate or consider carefully. I want you to ponder or consider carefully Christmas this year. First of all, let’s examine His birth by looking at Matthew 1:23, “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” His birth was a miracle in itself. The baby that was born was the God man.
Second, let us look at His clothes found in Luke 2:7, “And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Swaddling clothes were used for burials; Christ was born to die for the sins of the world. Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Third, we need to consider God made away in the manger for His perfect lamb. Which taketh away the sin of the world.
Fourth, we ponder the thought of no room for Him at the inn. As there was no room for Him at the inn, this Christmas there will be many who will celebrate Christmas without Christ, for they have no room for Him.
Fifth, consider the phenomenon of the duration of the Christmas celebration. For over 2,000 years, people have been attending Christian churches to celebrate that special time when God became the God man. He never wrote a book but thousands of volumes have been written about Him. He never composed any music, yet thousands of songs have been written and sung about Him. He never built any sanctuaries, but over one million have been constructed in which to worship Him. Never raised an army, but those who would fight for Him are numbered in the millions.
The sixth thing we need to ponder is that our time is dated from His birth. No one stops to ask for an explanation of one of the strangest facts. Not only in historical literature, but also in the living world, the fact exists that all civilized time is dated from the birth of Jesus Christ. No one knows how it came to be done, or when, or by whom. Not one educated man out of thousands can tell, off-hand, why all civilized calendars are reckoned from that far-off birth in a little Jewish village.
Every morning all the newspapers of the civilized world, even though some of them fill their columns with attacks on Jesus Christ, readjust their dates to His cradle.
May you ponder this. The babe born in the manger in Bethlehem is the Christ of the Cross of Calvary and the Christ of Calvary is the Lord of glory.
Christmas is a time to ponder!
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