The Wonder of
Christmas
By
Susan Klein
“…
stop and consider God’s wonders.”
Job
37:14
One of my favorite
holiday movies is The Nativity. I particularly love the scene where Mary and
Joseph are journeying back to Bethlehem for the census, and they stop for the
night, lighting a fire for their dinner. They don’t yet know each other very
well, so the atmosphere between them is a bit awkward. But Mary is filled with
awe and wonder, and she voices her thoughts aloud to Joseph. “Do you ever wonder when we’ll know?” she
asks, referring to that point when it would become evident that Jesus is not
just an ordinary child. Her personal question invokes a very personal response
from Joseph. “I wonder if I’ll ever be able to teach him anything.” They share
a smile that speaks a thousand words. They’ve both had much on their minds.
Traveling nearly one
hundred miles by donkey gives a person much time to wonder about things. I
imagine they each wondered why, out of all the people in the world, they were
chosen to bear this great responsibility. I imagine they wondered if their
child would look or act differently than other children, and how people would
respond to him. He would be God’s own Son after all, so would there be
noticeable differences? Would he play and do all the silly things other
children do? Would he cry, or get hurt? And how would the people in their own
village respond to him? They knew he wasn’t Joseph’s son, so would he be
treated as an outcast? Yes, there was much to wonder about.
When my children
were younger, I enjoyed sitting by the lit Christmas tree at night and reading
the Christmas story to them or listening to Christmas music together. I loved
to watch their eyes grow bigger as they listened and wondered about all the
things they were hearing. I still love to sit by the lit tree at night and
ponder all these things in my heart, much the way I imagine Mary pondered
things in hers (Luke 2:19). There is something special and tender about just
sitting quietly and wondering about all the details of that magnificent event
that happened over two thousand years ago. It brings peace to my soul and gives
me a sense of closeness to my magnificent heavenly
Father. It shows me not only His greatness in thinking through every last
detail, but also how personal He is in caring for His own in such intimate
ways.
Treat yourself this
Christmas with a little time to just sit and wonder!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Which aspect of
your own spiritual journey has caused you to wonder at His magnificence?
FURTHER READING:
Susan is a We Women Bible Study
Coordinator and one of its teachers. She and her husband Mark enjoy tutoring
and working with inner-city youth.
