Mary would never forget the birth of the baby Jesus. Like any mother, she treasured the memories of that miracle—even the difficult memories—and would keep them with her as long as she lived.
She treasured them as she watched her son Jesus grow and teach and heal and feed the hungry. She would ponder them in her heart as she stood at the cross of our Lord and then again when she stood near the tomb where he was laid.
The birth of a baby is always a miracle, but this one was miraculous not only for Mary, and not only for Joseph, and not only for the little town of Bethlehem. The birth of this baby changed the world. Through this baby the Word became flesh and lived among us. Through this baby, light has shined on a dark and broken world, and the darkness has not overcome it.
This message is an excerpt of “Birth stories: Our treasure is in the manger” by Carrie Ballenger Smith in the December 2016 issue of Gather magazine. Today is Christmas Day. The readings are Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:[1-7] 8-20 and Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4 [5-12]; John 1:1-14.
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