Luke 2:15-20
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

It’s a timeless story, one that truly never gets old, though it is repeated often year after year. It is an almost incomprehensible truth—that God would send His Son into this world to be our Savior. That God would become man. That He would choose to die for us. That He would forgive our sins and give us eternal life. How new it all was that day that Jesus was born on Earth to a humble woman in a crowded little town. Those shepherds saw the angels and heard their message of hope and went with haste to see this amazing event that had taken place. They found the baby. They went out excitedly to share this good news. And what was the result of that?

The people who heard those things wondered. Mary, who experienced it all in real time, pondered those things. And the shepherds who had found their Savior glorified God for this great gift they had been given. May we be struck with the same sense of wonder. May we marvel at the reality of what this Christmas Day represents—a remembrance of God giving His son to a dark and weary world who craved His love, His grace, His mercy, His light, His hope, and the peace that only He could bring. May we take some time amidst the hustle and bustle of the season to ponder, like Mary, what all these things mean not only to the world, but to each of us personally. Jesus had come into the world, and now we can invite Him into our hearts. We can have a personal relationship with the Lord of all, and surely there is no greater gift than that. And then may we truly glorify God as we reflect on all that He has done for us, as we remember our own salvation, as we realize truly what it meant God to become flesh and dwell among us.