The Stillness of Christmas

This Christmas has been quiet, and thoughtful.  Our Christmas Tree was our Jesse Tree this year and we read The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp for advent each evening.
We did our shopping online, and we picked up gift cards at the kiosk at the grocery store.  We celebrated with family the weekend prior to Christmas and on Christmas Eve we rushed to leave work so we could  get to the service at our church.  We were a few minutes late so we sat on the back row, and my four year old curled up in my lap and took the sweetest nap during that service.  I sat and held him as they sang carols and read scripture, and I just sat still capturing that moment, that love.
Be Still And Know…..
And in the quiet, O Holy Night….. I hear “til He appeared and the soul felt its worth, a thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.”   Christmas Carols softly speaking to me in deep places….in the quiet stillness.
Today we stayed in our “Christmas Jammies” all day.  We played with toys and stayed inside.  It was incredibly quiet and peaceful… like the Best Christmas Ever peaceful.   And tonight, we had dinner theatre and watched the Christmas Story while we ate our ham rolls.  We turned the lights out and ate in the dark with the laptop on the table and we watched.  Again, I was still.  Just taking it in.

And in this animated story Elizabeth said to Mary, “you are blessed because you believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to you.”  I had to look it up to see if that was actual text or just part of the animation, and there it was:

And then a few verses back, the angel appeared to Mary and told her all that would take place – the angel ends in verse 37 with “For no word from God will ever fail.”
The angel told Mary something that seemed impossible, something that seemed incredible, something that seemed so beyond her.   Yet, her response in verse 38 was this:  “I am the Lord’s servant.  May your word to me be fulfilled.”
When the angel left her, she went to visit Elizabeth.  Elizabeth said to her, “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mary’s Song (Luke 1:46-48)
Mary’s said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.”

As we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus tonight and blew out the candle, I thought of Mary and the lessons she taught me this Christmas:

1. Be still and listen for God
2. Don’t doubt, don’t worry, don’t be afraid
3. I am not alone, as the Holy Spirit is my helper
4. Let my first response be, “I am the Lord’s servant”
5. Believe that the Lord will fulfill his promises to me
6. Remember that no word from God will ever fail
7. Reflect on My Song – and how I rejoice in His goodness!

What about you?  When you read this verse in Luke 1:45,
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!”
What comes to mind for you?  Has God spoken His promises to your heart?  How do you/did you overcome doubt, worry and fear?  Reflect on Your Song – what does it look like for you?
Merry Christmas to you and Happy Birthday Jesus!