Pondering…

Mary Did You Know…you have no doubt heard that song already this season. I don’t mean to make light of the message of it but the simple answer to the question is – no. No…she did not know.

The song mentions some highlights. Walking on water. Miracles. Tender moments. Events for a mom to treasure in her heart.

The fact is that Mary didn’t know and yet she said to the angel “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 2:38)

As a Jewish woman at that time, the concept of what the Messiah would accomplish was framed at least in part by a Roman occupation. When the angel reported that the Son to whom Mary would give birth would have a kingdom that would never end, Mary may have had some preconceived ideas of what that would look like for both her son and herself.

I wonder…Mary, if you had known…would you still have said yes?

Let’s consider some of the happenings in Mary’s life that didn’t make it into the song.

First – no room in the inn. A stable, a barn, a cave – whatever it was, to call that a humble beginning is an understatement. And then the first visitors – not town officials, not family, not religious leaders…just a bunch of stinky shepherds…it is after this we are told that “Mary treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke2:19)

I imagine that Mary pondered more than just that one time.

I get ‘pondering’.

When I ponder, sometimes it is with amazement at what God has done or said or shown to me.

 Sometimes when I ponder there is a sense of trying to figure out how things fit together.

Sometimes when I ponder it is with questions, doubt and uncertainty…did I really hear from God?

When I look at how Mary’s life unfolded, I wonder if she experienced all these types of ponderings too?

Mary & Joseph take the infant Jesus to the temple where they meet Simeon who rejoices at the sight of Israel’s deliverer. He blesses them and then turns to Mary and tells her that “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” I wonder how much Mary pondered that…

Years later, Jesus is ministering to the people and Mary tries to see him. When Jesus is told that he says “Who is my mother and who are my brothers? Pointing to his disciples he said “Here are my mother and my brothers…” (Matt12:48, 49)

That had to hurt just a bit…is this what blessed and highly favoured looks like…or is this again the sword piercing your soul…I would be pondering…

Then we see Mary at the foot of the cross. I can not even imagine her pain…I can not imagine the emotional agony of that scene. We read it and know the outcome…but for Mary who carried and gave birth to this one…this one now broken and bleeding on a cross… to remember that greeting from the angel more than 30 years before… I wonder if the memory of that greeting now seemed a little hollow…even mocking…

No… Mary did not know…

Mary… if you had known, would you still have said “May it be to me as you have said”?

We all have before us the opportunity to say “May it be to me as you have said.” And in that declaration, there is the challenge of continuing when we do not know…when we do not know how it all fits together…when we do not know or we doubt if we have really heard God’s voice…and even those times when we are amazed by how God is moving and wonder why and how he will use us…

We see Mary again – in the upper room with the disciples. This is after the cross, after the resurrection, after the ascension…and now Mary is with the others…waiting…

I can imagine that Mary was still pondering…and what a life to ponder!

And yet – not just pondering…also going forward.

As I type this, Christmas is almost here…and I must spend some time pondering that and what that means…

Soon after Christmas the New Year is upon us…and that too lends itself to pondering…looking back over what was and ahead to what will be…

Are you challenged by Mary’s words? I am. It means I will be willing not to know. It means I will be willing for things to unfold differently than I thought they would. It means I will be okay with things I do not understand.

“I am the Lord’s servant…may it be to me as you have said."

Ruth U.