I had the honor of speaking at our Christmas meetings for MOPS and shared about how the Christmas story has changed for me since becoming a mother. This is not the exact speech...I wrote out my thoughts and used them as guidelines for that day however, it is the heart of my heart on this matter. I hope you too see the Christmas story a little bit differently and perhaps find some strength for whatever challenge you face today through the faith and courage that Mary had.
I love Christmas.
I love the lights, I love the hustle and bustle, the smell
of cinnamon pine cones (side note, my husband might have staged an intervention on the
number of cinnamon pine cones I buy) and I love the peace, joy and hope that
seems to come out of most everyone during the “holiday” season.
My family has always been big on the traditions that come
with Christmas. My parents, mostly my mother, worked very hard to establish
these traditions as I grew up. The timed
delivery of Christmas ornaments, special Christmas pajamas, certain foods made
and on Christmas eve my sisters and I would all sleep in the same bed. There
are only 3 of us so most of the time there was plenty of space in the bed
however, as we grew older, this tradition didn’t die. We would return home from
college, bake cookies for santa, put on our ridiculous joe boxer ice skating
pig with a santa hat on pajamas and then pile into bed…always fighting over who
had to sleep in the middle. But after the covers settled one thing has always
stayed the same; my mom would get out her family bible and read to us Luke
chapter 2.
Luke 2 King James Version (KJV)
2 And it came to pass in those
days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world
should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor
of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;
(because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with
child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were
accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them
in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory
of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men.
At the completion of these verses she would kiss each of us
on the forehead and wish us sweet dreams.
I heard bits and pieces of the rest of the story over the years
from church and group discussions but to me, for the majority of my life, the
Christmas story was just that. Luke 2:1-14.
I guess you could summarize my thoughts on Christmas as
such:
As my relationship with Christ has grown and changed over
the years, my love for Christmas has deepened.
But it wasn’t until I became a mother that I
would dive into a new understanding and appreciation for “the Christmas story.”
I can’t speak for all of you, but I know that motherhood has
been a lot different for me than I expected.
My husband and I “planned” our first child with great care and we prayed
for our child and when that little stick was finally a plus, man, talk about
emotions. But as ready as I thought I
was, I was surprised at the fear that crept in. The oh my goodness, this is
really going to happen. The worries that you try and push out of your mind
while waiting on a baby. The thrill and love I had for my husband during that
first pregnancy. It seemed moment to moment I went from sheer joy to sheer
terror that there was going to be this human being wholly dependent upon me.
Could I really handle this?
That first Christmas with our son, God touched me through a
friend. She has been a constant I could count on during some of the roughest
and most challenging times of my life and she and I both had 8 months old that
Christmas. She sent a simple email to her other “mother” friends wishing us a
blessed advent and encouraging us to listen to the song, “labor of love.”
If you have not heard this song, get some
tissues and listen to it.
You see, what I could now understand was to some
degree what Mary went through that night.
I don’t believe Jesus just appeared in that manger. I believe Mary,
young, without her mother, without a bed, without a nurse, gave birth on a
dirty barn floor with her husband faithfully by her side.
Just think about that for a second. When most
of us prepared for a baby to come into our lives, we made, to most nurses
amusement, a birth plan. Our husbands, if they were smart and heeded our
urging, had a plan and back up plan to the hospital avoiding as many congested
areas and definitely roads with pot holes.
We packed our bag…or the entire back seat of the car, with items we
would need for the hospital and our new, precious child would need for the
first days of their lives. No matter how prepared we all were, there was still
great fear. How is "this" going to get out of "that"? But what I learned that first Christmas as a
mother was that Mary, young, and without her birth plan, had the strength and
courage to bring into this broken world a Savior to redeem each of us.
How
remarkable.
I remember walking back and forth, back and forth rocking my
sweet little fella that Christmas eve because he, like most nights, refused
sleep no matter how tired he was. As I
walked with him cradled in my arms I sang to him “Oh Holy Night.” I thought,
probably for the first time, about the fact that Jesus was 100% God, and 100%
human. He, just like my sweet little boy, depended on Mary for life.
Now, I am
sure there are scholars somewhere who will argue that God would not have
allowed Jesus to die in infancy, but I choose to believe that God chooses each
of us to be the mother of the child he gives us because of the unique skills he
has given us. Mary was no exception. I
have to remind myself of that often, God has a plan and will hold my hand
through the crazy. And I was certain that first Christmas eve with my son that
Mary sang songs to her sweet savior and cradled him and rocked him when he had
no way of telling her what hurt and why. She alone could provide for the child
that saves us all.
Now, I still have a hard time fully grasping some of what I
have talked about…Jesus as a baby dependent on his mother like my child is
dependent upon me but it would be 2 years after that first Christmas that God
would show me again how brave Mary was.
I had the privilege of working as an administrative
assistant to the staff of my church in Ohio. There was one day that our leader,
Andy, handed me a gift I can never repay him for or really even explain to him,
but I am going to try. Andy walked
back in from his lunch break, saw me sitting at my desk with my 6 month
pregnant belly and said, "Kari, I want you to come and sit in this chair. Staff,
I feel we need to pray for Kari."
I thought he was joking at first…he and I have
a sarcastic relationship, but he was very serious. So I walked over and
thankfully, my friend Kristi had the Kleenex handy.
As they laid hands on me, my flood gates
opened and the walls I had been working so hard to build to protect myself came
crashing down. You see, I had taken the
position at the church as well as as many hours as I could get at a JCrew
because, when I was unexpectedly 8 weeks pregnant, my husband was unexpectedly
laid off from work.
We had planned so
well for our first child and our second snuck up on us when we least expected
it or were least prepared for it. As the staff took turns praying for me the words
were sinking into my soul, “Lord, we pray for Kari. That you would give her
courage and help her to be brave as she and Isaac face the unknown. Lord, we
pray that just as you gave Mary the strength to face the challenges before her,
you would strengthen Kari…” On and On they went and my mind started spinning…I
could catch yet another small understanding of the fears and troubles and
worries that plagued Mary and Joseph.
They were unwed, what would people think? It was crazy to say she was
carrying God’s baby…who would believe that? They were not of royalty or noble
blood, they were commoners, why would God choose them and how could they ever
provide for this child. Now, I in no means am trying to say that what I went
through was the same as Mary but I will say this: No matter how a child comes into our lives,
planned, not planned, adopted, unplanned guardianship, we can all look to Mary
and see that nothing could be more unexpected than an Angel showing up and
saying to you that you were going to have God’s child. And sweet Mary, young
and I’m sure overwhelmed just said, “I am the Lord’s servant.” (Luke 1:38)
So wherever you are this Christmas, a first time mom, or a
seasoned mom I hope that you will listen to the words to “Labor of Love,”
because we as mom’s can understand the courage that it took for Mary to get on
that Donkey and go to Bethlehem.
Children are a miracle, no matter how they enter our lives. Some days it's a miracle they are still alive, I know I have those days... But the miracle that God did through the actual birth of Christ is no more a miracle than that sweet child you kiss every night. Mary understood the magnitude of her roll as mother and this Christmas, I pray we all realize the miracles God is doing in our lives.
So, when life gets crazy adn you are faced with a mountain listen--God gave us Mary as a motherly role-model She says, "You are not alone. I see you. I know how you feel. You are scared. You didn't plan THIS. You didn't want THIS. How will THIS work? But listen, God is bigger than the tantrum, bigger than the to-do list, bigger than the sickness. He is faithful and OH so good. He planned it. and He will give you all that you need and more."
I hope you each have had a wonderful Christmas and are creating some traditions of your own. I hope you will celebrate the reality of Christ's birth and the miracles God is performing in each of our own families.
Merry Christmas.
