As a kid, I heard plenty of culturally familiar Christmastime tales you might also recall. But there was one unique to my family that my grandpa who raised ponies would tell. He claimed that starting at the stroke of midnight, as Christmas officially began, he could go out to the barn and speak with those ponies for exactly 1 hour. I always wanted to know what they had to say, but somehow never got to experience this phenomenon myself.
Meanwhile, there was always some ruckus coming from the rooftop near the chimney of our other grandparents’ home on Christmas Eve, as my brother and I eagerly awaited that grandpa’s appearance following his annual private conversation with a jolly visitor.
Whatever your tradition, certainly some of the story and spectacle that so enthralled us in childhood is only right to outgrow. (Well, maybe not the talking ponies.) Still, a danger lies in outgrowing wonder altogether. I’m excited to see amazement reignited for many as we capture new photos from deep space. Yet even in this amazing tech age, such newness can fade fast as we get caught up in daily life or lost in screens—true for both adults and kids.
In thinking about wonder, I can’t help but recall a rather remarkable birth announcement no modern day gender reveal display could top. As some shepherds were out in the field, “...an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’”
This incredible display of light and sound and glory definitely rocked these guys out of a standard night of sheep herding, so much they ran off the job just to find a baby and managed to stir up wonder in everyone who heard their story. But it’s an announcement that should move us to wonder too. This is obviously no ordinary birth, and it’s just at the start of an amazing story of God loving the world so much He came to be with us. The one with the power to create those distant galaxies we’re just glimpsing showed us miracles here on Earth. He taught us what it means to love your enemies, of which we all could be counted as we turn from the wonder of knowing and trusting Him. He displayed self-sacrifice, His life for all who would trust and believe in Him, and in returning to life showed us the new life and peace that can be ours with Him. Those shepherds found an infant named Jesus, and His is a story we who know Him can ultimately never outgrow.
If this sort of wonder is something you’d like, or even something you’ve lost, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Ask God to show you His peace and presence through this good news of great joy. And in this season, I pray you do experience the true wonder of knowing Jesus.
Scripture: Luke 2:9-14, ESV • Art: unsplash.com
Love it! Wonder, daily, defines our Salvation!
ReplyDelete