“. . . it was a month which was turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” (Esther 9:22 NAS)
We wait and plan all year long for the Big C, then when it is over what a let down. If the blues don’t overwhelm us, we begin ticking off the days on our calendar: 363 days til . . .
Wonder what the shepherds’ lives were like after they saw the baby-in-the-manger? Did they return to their normal routines? Was the sorrow in their lives transformed to joy because of him? Did they note the date and celebrate his birth every year as a holiday?
What about the wise men from the east? What did they talk about on the long journey home? Were they excited to have seen the new king? Did they set aside days of feasting and rejoicing? Did they get on with life in the normal lane or had everything changed?
We may only guess about such questions, but we know what Mary did after her baby’s birth. “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19 NAS). Not only did she perform the responsibilities of motherhood to her son, she privately discussed the events surrounding the baby’s birth with herself. She thought about them. She meditated on them. She carefully considered their significance.
Perhaps that would be the proper way to celebrate our Savior’s birth . . . carefully consider its significance and apply it to our lives everyday. It should turn our sorrow into gladness and our mourning into a holiday.
Dear Father, thank you for the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Enable us to carefully consider the significance of his coming and prepare our lives accordingly. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today in the joy of Christ,