D e vo t i o na lt h o u g h t s o n

My sonMy savior

P a M e l a h o l z

Cover and interior photos: John nienhuis art Director: Karen KnutsonDesigner: sarah Messnerall scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from theholy Bible, new international version®, niv®. Copyright © 1973, 1978,1984, 2011 by Biblica, inc.™ used by permission of zondervan. all rightsreserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.the “niv” and “new international version” are trademarks registered inthe united states Patent and trademark office by Biblica, inc.™all rights reserved. this publication may not be copied, photocopied,reproduced, translated, or converted to any electronic or machine-readableform in whole or in part, except for brief quotations, without prior writtenapproval from the publisher.

northwestern Publishing house1250 n. 113th st., Milwaukee, Wi 53226-3284

www.nph.net© 2015 northwestern Publishing house

Published 2015Printed in the united states of america

isBn 978-0-8100-2745-9isBn 978-0-8100-2746-6 (e-book)

Contents

1. anticipation for Christmas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. Mary’s Magnificat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3. Christ’s Coming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4. unexpected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5. Fleeing in Fear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

6. two Passovers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

7. treasuring and Pondering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

antiCiPationFor ChristMas

My daughter has a great sense of anticipation. “your birthdayis only a week away, Mama! aren’t you excited?!” somehow,greeting an increasing digit is just not as thrilling as when iwas her age. she has that same enthusiasm anticipatingChristmas. she loves getting out the decorations. she loveswhen we read luke chapter 2 as we place the nativity set intothe simple crèche. she loves to see the stockings going up. sheloves to ask when presents will start showing up under the tree.anticipation with a ten-year-old is really a joy to see.as Christmas approaches, we too have the opportunity to befilled with anticipation. once again, we think back to the daysthat led up to the arrival of the savior. We once again listen to

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the angel’s strange but amazing messages to believers whostruggled to grasp what was being promised to them. We areable to understand with the somewhat omniscient eyes ofhistorical observers, reading and rereading the accounts ofpromises made in the old testament and fulfilled in the newtestament.

yet as we pause during this most wonderfully busy time of yearto better anticipate the coming of our savior, do we ever thinkabout it from a first person perspective? Do we take a few quietmoments to absorb the enormity of what it would have beenlike to be that humble Jewish girl, greeted by gabriel as onewho was highly favored?

in order to think from the mind-set of Mary, it is helpful toknow a bit more about her. While the Bible is mostly silentwhen it comes to Mary, we do know a little. she was a descen-dant of David. she was engaged to be married to a devoutbeliever named Joseph. engagement promises at that timewere considered as binding as marriage promises, though theman and woman did not live together during the engagement.she was related to elizabeth, the elderly expectant mother ofJohn the Baptist. she was well-versed in the old testamentscriptures. she was a reflective, practical individual: “how willthis be . . . since i am a virgin?” (luke 1:34). she had an incred-ible amount of trust. Mary’s response to the angel’s words wasa simple statement of faith: “i am the lord’s servant. . . . Mayyour word to me be fulfilled” (luke 1:38).

imagine being Mary and trying to explain the situation inwhich she found herself. even with today’s increasingacceptance of all people and all situations, an unwed motherstill faces comments and criticisms. While the believers ofMary’s day knew of isaiah’s prophesy, “The virgin will be withchild . . . ,” it is highly unlikely that all of the people quicklyand kindly accepted Mary’s account of what had occurred.

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how many times did Mary have to repeat to herself the angel’sgreeting, “The lord is with me,” as she went about her day-to-day life, growing ever more obvious with child?

and imagine being Mary, filled with more apprehension thananticipation at the thought of trying to explain her unbelievableaccount to her fiancé. Joseph, upon hearing of the situation,decided to distance himself from Mary. But another strangemessage from gabriel stopped him. Joseph, a righteous manwho had planned to quietly break the bonds of the betrothal,acted in faith and instead became a source of protection forMary, taking her into his home as his wife. looking atChristmas from Mary’s perspective gives us a stark view. Therewere no decorations to put up. There were no stockings to behung. There were no last-minute gifts to buy. instead, there wasthe government decree that required a soon-to-be deliveredMary to accompany Joseph on a three-day walking journey totheir ancestral home of Bethlehem to be effectively countedand taxed.

Perhaps this stark view is not so different for us. as sinfulpeople, we struggle with contentment, perhaps most of all atChristmastime, when commercialism pulls out all the stops.if only we had a better this or a different that. ironically, theholiday season starts off with a day dedicated to being thankfuland then spends the next month showing us all of the reasonswe should be discontented and want more.

This year, and every year, we need to be reminded of a child’seager anticipation of Christmas—and childlike faith. ourheavenly Father knows all of our needs and wants. he lovinglyprovides for us. his love recognized that our greatest need wasthat of a savior from our sins. Because of this desperate need,he set his plan of salvation into motion through these strangeand amazing events of the first Christmas.

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Heavenly Father, you know us better than we know ourselves.You know of our fears and failures, our struggles and our sins.Knowing these things, instead of condemning us to the eternalpunishment we deserve, you made the perfect plan to save us.Help us live as humble and thankful children. Help us trust youin every situation of life. Give us contentment. In Jesus’ name,we pray. Amen.

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Mary’sMagniFiCat

Do you consider yourself a singer? it seems fewer and fewerpeople today are comfortable claiming they can sing. Perhaps it is ever-present cell phones, waiting to capture ourawkward moments on camera to be posted on a social mediasite. Perhaps it is because evening family sing-alongs with thepiano have been replaced with familial vegging out on the sofa,watching tv contestants insist they can carry a note. Whateverthe case, public singing seems to be something fewer and fewerpeople want to practice.

The Bible records a variety of different songs that burst forthfrom god’s people. When god’s people miraculously escapedthe egyptian army, Moses and the israelites spontaneously

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sang together, praising god for his deliverance (exodus 15).samuel’s mother, hannah, sang what some refer to as “theMagnificat of the old testament,” recounting god’s goodnessin giving her the son of her heart’s pleading (1 samuel 2).David, known for his love of music, mightily sang of the lordas his rock and fortress (2 samuel 22). the book of Psalmsis the hymnal of the old testament. song of songs is a purelypassionate songbook of love.

While not every ancient song was recorded in the Bible,songs of faith and praise to god for his goodness were cap-tured in the pages of scripture in order for us to learn fromthem. one such song is the song Mary sang while visitingwith elizabeth. We call her song the Magnificat, because inthe latin vulgate translation the song begins, Magnificatanima mea Dominum— “My soul glorifies the lord.”

Mary burst into her song after elizabeth’s blessing on her:“Blessed is she who has believed that the lord would fulfillhis promise to her” (luke 1:45). in Mary’s song, her soulsings of god’s goodness to her. she acknowledges that she isblessed, just as elizabeth said. Whether we consider our-selves singers or not, our hearts can join Mary in the wordsof her song: “My soul glorifies the lord and my spirit rejoicesin god my savior” (luke 1:46,47). For Mary and for us, thegreatest reason to celebrate each day is that god sent Jesus—Mary’s child—to save us. that gift of love remains gloriouslysure for all time. then god also gives every day that weawaken from our sleep. each one is another day for us to livefor our god and savior. our spirits too can rejoice in thatdaily gift.

“he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant”(luke 1:48). each one of us, through the gift of the Word andthe waters of Baptism, has been made a child of god. rescued

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from the slavery of sin, we are humble servants in the courtof our heavenly King.

“his mercy extends to those who fear him, from generationto generation” (luke1:50). Think back to those before you whoknew their savior. some people can trace back their familialconnection to Christianity hundreds of years. or perhaps youare the first in your family to know your savior. Think of thegenerations to come with whom you can share this wonderful,life-changing news.

“he has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scat-tered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. he hasbrought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up thehumble” (luke 1:51,52). With every page of history, we cansee the evidence of these words. We look at our own lives,seeing our struggles with sinful pride. We penitently recallthe times we have forgotten to acknowledge god’s mightydeeds.

“he has filled the hungry with good things but has sent therich away empty” (luke 1:53). how richly blessed we are tolive in a world where for many, the next meal is as close as thecorner grocery store or neighborhood restaurant. Mary’swords act both as a reminder of the many good things withwhich we have been blessed and as a warning to be cognizantof how rich we are. it also reminds us of the times we haveforgotten to be thankful for the many blessings showered uponus from our loving heavenly Father.

Mary reminds us that god is faithful to his promises: “he hashelped his servant israel, remembering to be merciful toabraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised ourancestors” (luke 1:54,55). Mary knew of god’s promise of asavior. she knew how desperately she and the whole humanrace needed that savior.

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as people who have the blessing of all the pages of scripture,we can see how god’s promise of a savior given to the womanin the sin-stricken garden of eden was fulfilled through theson who was born of this young woman.

Sing to the Lord a new song! Heavenly Father, we praise youfor your love for us. We thank you for your goodness. Help uswhen we forget to live for you. Forgive us for our daily strugglesand sins. As we listen to the songs of Scripture, stir our heartsto sing your praises, today and every day. In Jesus’ name, wepray. Amen.

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