Pondering Jesus
Scripture Reading — Luke 2:41-52
His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
Luke 2:51
My wife and I have a "baby book" for each of our three children. Those books are filled with dates, hospital mementos, and early photographs. Paging through those books triggers all kinds of special memories.
Mary didn't have a "baby book" like that to remember the birth of her son. But she spent more time thinking about the birth of her son than my wife and I spend thinking about the births of our three children. And what Mary thought about were not just memories common to motherhood but especially the scandalous happenings that were unique to her son's story.
The words of the prophets in the Old Testament helped make sense of what she had seen and heard. And making sense of these things probably took Mary a lifetime. Some things became clear when her son began his public ministry. Other events came into clarity on the terrible Friday afternoon when she watched her son die. Other events made sense only when she stood face to face with her son after his resurrection.
Pondering Jesus was Mary's task. It's our task too. Thinking long and hard about Jesus is at the heart of Christian meditation. Thinking about our own lives in the light of Christ's story brings our own purposes into focus. Take time today to ponder Jesus. You will be different for it.
Lord, help us to take Christmas with us into our tomorrows. Illumine the meaning of our own lives as we think about the Christmas grace that reconciles us to you. Amen.
About the author — Bob Heerspink
Dr. Robert Heerspink was director of Back to God Ministries International from 2006 until 2011, when he passed away. He had previously pastored several Christian Reformed churches. Bob loved to write and was a frequent contributor to the Today devotional.
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