The Afterglow
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! 1 Chronicles 16:11
The gifts have been given, opened, played with, argued about and perhaps even broken. Kids have finally crashed from several days of sugar highs. You long for a house that is quiet in the early morning hours and you can be alone with your coffee and some memories.
Even now as you look around, you can see evidence of good family times. You can also see the upcoming project of dismantling the tree and decorations to pack away until 2022. That can almost cause physical pain in your heart.
Let’s trade in that nostalgia for some different ponderings. Going back to Bethlehem, let’s peek in on Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. The parade of visitors has all gone away and it is just a young family of three. I can’t help but wonder if they discussed the events of that night. How did each parent explain what happened?
My curious mind wants to know what the angelic whisperings might have been the day after He was born. Was there any sense of heavenly loss or did they rejoice at the revelation of God’s unfolding plan? Did baby Jesus know who He was even as an infant? Did His parents totally understand who He was?
They took Him to Jerusalem to be consecrated and there was Simeon who prophesied that Jesus would bring salvation to the Jews and Gentiles. Anna was there as well. She came upon Simeon talking with Mary and Joseph and began praising God. What had God revealed to this prophet?
We all have questions that seem to come to the surface of our consciousness around this special season. It takes reflective, alone time to put these kinds of thoughts into words. Have you ever shared these kinds of questions with anyone? I can only think of two or three close friends who might be interested in discussing these topics and I am thankful for their presence in my life.
I feel like I have more questions after Christmas than I started with earlier this month. As I write this, it is December 25th and it is almost 5 PM. Daylight is turning to evening shadows and again my thoughts revert to Bethlehem. Jesus was one day old. What was this young family doing? Resting? Was Joseph out finding food for Mary? Was Jesus a fussy baby? These answers are not found in the Bible and perhaps they are not important. I just wonder!
Heavenly Father, the birth of Your Son is such a mystery. Help us to seek to understand more, ask more questions and dig deeper. AMEN.