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. She is a member of the Peace
Team at Oakwood and also co-leads an on-site small group.
