The Wonder of Christmas
By
Susan Klein
“…
stop and consider God’s wonders.”
Job
37:14 (NIV)
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 married to Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible
studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council. Susan is part of the
Peacemaking Team at Oakwood.
