Reflections on Advent Part 7

 But Mary treasured up all these things, 

pondering them in her heart.  Luke 2:19

Several years ago my in-laws decided to join with their suburban Chicago church family and work to get all their Christmas shopping done by December 1st. The reasoning for such a "radical" undertaking was that if their shopping was done by the first of December they would have time to treasure Advent rather than running around like all the other crazies trying to fulfill their gift buying "obligations." (When did buying a gift become an obligation?) Though they moved and became part of a new church family they have stuck with that commitment for the most part. And from what they've communicated it has served them well. There is a little more time for contemplation.

I've heard the story, and perhaps you have too, of the preschool girl who gets sent to her room as a consequence for some indiscretion. A few minutes later when the mother goes to check on the girl she hears her daughter reciting the Lord's prayer as "Forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who have Christmased against us." We chuckle, but unfortunately in the wildly consumerist mindset that besets much of the Western world, there is a very real need for this prayer. We consume stuff and stuff consumes us. We run from one sale to the next sale trying to find the "perfect" gift. We plan and plot and pursue, rarely coming up for air, losing sleep. We try to one up others who are buying for those on mutual lists. According to Forbes magazine, total expected holiday sales are expected to top $1 trillion this year. The National Retail Federation is predicting that the average American will spend, on average, $700 on Christmas gifts alone this year according to ABC News. Those are staggering numbers, especially for someone like me who desires to place the real emphasis on the Person of Christmas rather than the commercialism of all of it.

It's so very easy to get pulled into the craziness of all that spending. It's easy to load schedules with event after event after event. I'd like to take a few minutes to slow down, breathe and ponder the wonders of the Christmas story, of the advent of a baby boy who would forever change the world at its core.

When Luke tells us that Mary treasured these things in her heart he's telling us that she thoughtfully kept things in mind in order to preserve them. So what, exactly did Mary treasure? According to Luke, Mary, along with Jesus and Joseph, had just been paid a visit by some very excited shepherds who had perhaps even shown up out of breath because of their haste. They had a remarkable story of an angel who appeared out of nowhere and told them he had some very good news to dispel, news that would bring great joy and be for all the people. To a young, country girl this must have sounded overwhelming. Her son, a baby bringing good news for all people. I can almost hear her say, "Just pinch me." Perhaps she had been confused by the circumstances of Jesus' birth, in humility and anonymity, no flashing neon lights, no one waiting to proclaim the news of the birth. But now shepherds are telling her that they had witnessed the most miraculous of all birth announcements. What could it all mean? Certainly her heart overflowed not only with love for her newborn, but also with awe, wonder at this news and even typical fears of a first time mom. She most likely would have been uneducated, as almost all women in those days were. She wouldn't have been able to journal about her experience. She had to internalize, to make these events an indelible part of her very nature. And so she treasured.

Have you ever had a moment that you wished you could capture and save for all time? A marriage proposal, birth of a baby or those first gleeful sounds of "Mama" from tender baby lips. That's what it is to treasure. Keep those moments. Don't let go. Burn them on your heart and mind. Don't let this Christmas season escape without treasuring a good, non-commercial gift from God: a warm embrace, a touch of the hand, a smile, an encouraging message. Don't run away and miss it. Pause. Hold it in your heart and mind. See if wonder doesn't ensue, followed by glorious thanksgiving and praise. Sometimes, I think, we miss the best opportunities to worship, our hearts overflowing in adoration for God, because we've been cramming our spaces with stuff and not stopping long enough to just treasure.