Luke 2.
I’m not sure there is a more frequently read passage of scripture in all of Christendom. The events surrounding the birth of the Savior are as well known to me as the face of my mother, from whom I first heard the stories in the first place. It’s delightful and a truly beautiful story.
But what often doesn’t get the attention is Mary.
Wait - you say. There are entire churches dedicated to Mary. Cathedrals and universities and roadside waystations and tortilla chips and.... Yeah. I know. Mary is revered and for very good reason. We really only get two passages or scenes in the New Testament about Mary, including the events at His birth and then again at His death. But she was so important to the world that she was prophesied of and seen in vision across the world.
All of this isn’t what grabs me about this miraculous and worthy woman. No, what grabs me is this passage from Luke 2:
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
As mentioned in a previous blog post, we live in a world of deception and questionable validity. Everything we hear and learn is subject to review, and it is difficult to know how to process what we’ve heard. Facts and falsehoods come fast and furiously in an unrelenting onslaught of information. It comes unfiltered and raw, like a tsunami, and can be just as destructive.
But Mary holds the key, I believe.
I remember a few years ago when I was the scoutmaster of the Baytown troop. We had gone on a camp out to Double Lake and went on a bit of a night hike. We paused on the dam - it was in a drought so there was no water in the lake (what exactly do you call a dried lake, anyway?) - and I asked the boys to pause and just listen for a moment. I asked them to just quietly listen for a few minutes, listening to what they could hear. At first, it was silent - there wasn’t any sound. We were very isolated even from the nearest road. But gradually there were sounds that came to the heart and ear - the sounds of crickets and other insects, the sounds of the wind in the trees and grass, and even the very far-off sounds of the road were barely audible. All of these sounds were so still and quiet that it was at first impossible to discern them.
The trick in our modern world is learning to still our hearts and minds enough to listen to the still, small voice.
I have found that this is the trick that is necessary for us to discern and KNOW truth. Stilling our minds takes effort. Finding peace and tranquility in our hearts and souls is something that requires practice and intention. In this way, we come to recognize the gentle and calm and peaceful swellings of the Spirit, which teaches us and testifies to us of truth.
I’m not sure there is a more frequently read passage of scripture in all of Christendom. The events surrounding the birth of the Savior are as well known to me as the face of my mother, from whom I first heard the stories in the first place. It’s delightful and a truly beautiful story.
But what often doesn’t get the attention is Mary.
Wait - you say. There are entire churches dedicated to Mary. Cathedrals and universities and roadside waystations and tortilla chips and.... Yeah. I know. Mary is revered and for very good reason. We really only get two passages or scenes in the New Testament about Mary, including the events at His birth and then again at His death. But she was so important to the world that she was prophesied of and seen in vision across the world.
All of this isn’t what grabs me about this miraculous and worthy woman. No, what grabs me is this passage from Luke 2:
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
As mentioned in a previous blog post, we live in a world of deception and questionable validity. Everything we hear and learn is subject to review, and it is difficult to know how to process what we’ve heard. Facts and falsehoods come fast and furiously in an unrelenting onslaught of information. It comes unfiltered and raw, like a tsunami, and can be just as destructive.
But Mary holds the key, I believe.
I remember a few years ago when I was the scoutmaster of the Baytown troop. We had gone on a camp out to Double Lake and went on a bit of a night hike. We paused on the dam - it was in a drought so there was no water in the lake (what exactly do you call a dried lake, anyway?) - and I asked the boys to pause and just listen for a moment. I asked them to just quietly listen for a few minutes, listening to what they could hear. At first, it was silent - there wasn’t any sound. We were very isolated even from the nearest road. But gradually there were sounds that came to the heart and ear - the sounds of crickets and other insects, the sounds of the wind in the trees and grass, and even the very far-off sounds of the road were barely audible. All of these sounds were so still and quiet that it was at first impossible to discern them.
The trick in our modern world is learning to still our hearts and minds enough to listen to the still, small voice.
I have found that this is the trick that is necessary for us to discern and KNOW truth. Stilling our minds takes effort. Finding peace and tranquility in our hearts and souls is something that requires practice and intention. In this way, we come to recognize the gentle and calm and peaceful swellings of the Spirit, which teaches us and testifies to us of truth.
Comments