Christmas: It is Quiet; It is Still
Excerpt from Rejoice: Advent Meditations with Joseph
It is quiet; it is still. In the quiet caves outside Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph are mere seconds away from the birth of the Savior. With the manger’s animals attentive in intrigue, the time comes. Mary’s labor intensifies. Joseph clutches her hand. Heaven lunges forward. With Mary’s soul singing her refrain of praise, she gasps for one last breath. Your eyes widen; your heart quickens. The baby is seconds away … and … finally … he is here … the long-awaited Messiah has been born! Imagine the scene. Joseph gently receives the newborn infant from Mary’s womb and instinctively rests Jesus on Mary’s chest. As Mary embraces this tiny child, she is captured with a gaze that only mothers can describe. Yet, with all her emotion brimming, she is stunned with inexpressible adoration, for Mary is beholding God himself. Mary is gazing at her son. Mary is gazing at God.