Sunday, 13 December 2009
And three for Mother Mary
Christmas is getting closer - are you as excited as I am? I love this time of year! And, funnily enough, this links in nicely with this week's Christmas shape. First, we had the star, then the cane, and now (drum roll please!)... we're going to look at the heart. I have a number of heart-shaped decorations adorning my home, and I also enjoy baking cookies in this shape during Advent (although, I prefer eating them!).
But what does the heart symbolise? This ought to be an easy one, folks - love! And, as anyone who turns on the radio or TV in December knows, love and Christmas are a perfect combination. Every year, there's a new romantic comedy in the cinema and some couple in Eastenders or Coronation Street (or both) get back together or get married! And the number of love songs released just in time for Christmas is amazing! Remember these: Last Christmas, Always, Lonely This Christmas, Christmas Wrapping and, of course, All I Want For Christmas is Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Ok, that's enough, stop that singing and let's get back to the heart of Christmas, shall we? You're a smart bunch, so I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how love links in with Christmas. But I'm going to, anyways. Jesus, the Son of God, showed His eternal Love for us by coming down to Earth as a human, being born as a baby to a young girl, in order to show us the way of His Father, and then die for our sins on the cross and rise again.
Let's look at these words from the carol by Christina Rossetti: “Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, love divine” - they sum it all up, really. God is Love. Jesus is God the Son. At Christmas, we celebrate His coming to Earth in human form to be a sacrifice for our sins, thus reconciling us to God.
But this question might be a little harder for you to answer: who else showed a great deal of love through their actions that first Christmas? It wasn't the innkeeper, though, to be fair, he simply did not have any room left inside. And it certainly wasn't King Herod!!
The person I'm thinking of is Mary, mother of Jesus. She was a young woman, some say only fourten years old. She was a virgin, and engaged to be married. And yet, when the angel Gabriel visited her and told her that she would soon become pregnant, and her child would be the Son of God, she didn't ask for time to think it over, like you or I might have. Instead, in Luke, chapter 1, verse 38, (NIV), we read: "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."
What commitment! What love for God she displayed in such obedience, and also, in her song:
My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on
all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
Luke, Chapter 1, Verses 46-49, NIV
Mary loved God the Father, and she clearly loved her son, Jesus, too. Although she did not always understand Him, she always loved Him, and was even present at His crucifixion, weeping at the foot of the cross. What heartfelt devotion, what loving obedience, what an example to us all!
Sometimes, God asks us to do something that we don't want to do, or that scares us. But, like Mary, we should always remember that if it is God's will, then He will equip us for whatever He wants us to do. Do you respond as quickly and joyfully as Mary did?
As you run about this Advent, remember this heart and think about what it signifies. Are you sharing Christ's love with those around you? Are you willing to follow where God leads?
