This post is a wee bit late but since Christmas is still in the air, it's not too late yet.
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
will one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
would soon deliver you
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
will give sight to the blind men?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
will calm the storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy
has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby
you kiss the face of God?
Oh Mary, did you know?
The blind will see,
the deaf will hear,
the dead will live again
The lame will leap,
the dumb will speak,
the praises of the Lamb.
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
was Heaven's perfect Lamb?
And the sleeping child you're holding
is the great I Am.
A portion of one of the comments on The Passion of Christ:
"....In fact, the strongest moments of the film are not even through Jesus's perspective, but those seen through the eyes of Mary, Jesus's mother, intensely played by Maia Morgenstern. The actress portrays her character as a mother who simply wants help her son (a child she once protected from all harm) and not the messiah the crowd believes him to be. Three brief flashbacks are provided to see Jesus and Mary's tender relationship from infant to man, and these are the three best scenes in the film, providing an emotional touchstone to work from, and involving no blood to rile up the senses...."
All of us know that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, God's greatest sacrifice for men, the incarnation of the Almighty, the saviour of the world and the foundation of the Christian faith. We have heard the story of His birth countless times. We've heard about how Mary, though still a virgin, conceived Him in her womb, and together with Joseph, Mary's husband, raised him from infant to manhood. We've heard about how the shephards, having received a vision from heaven on the day of His birth, went to visit Jesus and praise Him. We've heard about the wise men from the east afar who followed the great, bright star, bringing frankincense, gold and myrrh to see the king whose birth was foretold by the great prophets of old. We've heard about how Mary was forced to give birth in the stable because the inn was full, about how she laid her first born son in a manger because there was no bed or cribe. Pastors and priests preached about Jesus being heaven's perfect gift to men. Due to God's love for mankind, He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to become a man to reconcile men to God. When Jesus was crucified He bore the sins of all mankind so that men may be made righteouness through the grace of God. When Jesus rose again from the dead it signifies His power over death, and whoever believes in Him, though he/she will die the mortal death, the believer will have eternal life in heaven. All these we have heard before.
This Christmas, I pondered upon the birth of Christ not only from the perspective of God (where God sacrificed His only Son), but also from the perspective of Mary.
Put yourself in Mary's shoes. Every good mother wants her children to live well. Mothers will provide and protect her children at any cost because she gave birth to them, and she loves them. Mothers want to see their children become great young men and women, and she wants them to live well, and outlive herself. Every mother wants her children to live. But Mary knew very well that her son was born to die. That is just about the greatest blow a mother could get. When Jesus was circumcised, the old priest looked into her eyes and said:" a knife will pierce your heart." I've often wondered how did Mary stomach it all. From the moment of her son's birth until the moment her son breathed His last breath on the cross, she was there and she saw her own flesh and blood fulfilling His purpose by dying for the sins of men. She's a mother, and she's helpless in helping her own child.
Pastor Ray Johnson once told the congregation of a church about his incident in an airport in America. The flight was continuously delayed and people are becoming increasingly grumpy and anxious. He sat beside a woman quietly reading his newspaper. The woman, frustrated and angry over the delay began complaning, fussing and showing her anger, much to the annoyance of the pastor, whose calling has taught him to be patient in all circumstances, including flight delays. The pastor keep on trying to calm her down, offering kind words and trying hard to hide his annoyance. The topic went on to his profession. The woman asked him what does he do for a living. And he answered, "I'm a preacher. I tell people about the word of God." The woman's anger grew and she was boiling mad, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. She angrily denied the existence of God and curse the poor pastor for spreading lies. The pastor subtly tried to coax her to tell the reason for such hatred. She told him about her son. This woman lived in a city famous for drug addicts and drug trafficking. One day, when her son was casually walking back home, there was a crossfire between the police and the drug criminals. Her son was caught between the crossfire and died. He was innocent, and in the police statistics, he's probably just another 'unwanted casualty'. The pastor answered her by saying," I know of a mother whose son was crucified to death, although her son was innocent. Her name is Mary, and her son is Jesus." The woman was stunned, and with grief in her voice said, "I never saw it that way." As a mother who lost her son, she felt the pain the Mary felt, and thus became a believer of Christ.
The price for the redemption of men is high although it is free. Salvation was given to men through God's love and sacrifice, and also through the heart wrenching grief of a mother, who gave birth to a son she couldn't protect.
Merry Christmas everybody...
