Ponder This

Dear Sowers, I want to welcome you to Advent and introduce our Wake-Up Call guest host for the next twenty-five days—meet Mark Sorensen. Mark is the senior pastor of The Woodlands Methodist Church in The Woodlands, Texas. He is a trusted friend and a gifted preacher and teacher of the gospel. We commissioned him to write this year’s Advent study—The Wonder of It All. He will also be joining us for tomorrow night’s (Monday) Advent social where you will meet him face-to-face—another reason to join us. See P.S. for Zoom link. Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. CONSIDER THIS I wish I could tell you that at an early age, I was awestruck by the Christmas story. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t absent from our family tradition. In fact, from as far back as I can remember, the very first decoration that officially kicked off the holiday decor in the Sorensen family living room was our porcelain nativity set, prominently placed on top of the family piano the day after Thanksgiving. It was tradition in our house. However, it wasn’t that nativity set and story that brought out my wonder; it was something completely different: the Sears Wish Book. Now, I realize I may be dating myself, but back in the archaic pre-nearly-instant-delivery days of the early eighties, this little catalog was like the Holy Grail to me. As soon as it arrived in the mailbox, it never hit my parents’ hands. I would carry it back to my room, sit on my bed, and slowly, page by page, take in every toy, every detail, and make meticulous notations on what I wanted to see under the tree. I was so obsessed with that catalog that one year, I ripped out pages and hand-delivered them to Santa at the mall. “Hey, Santa, made it easy for you this year. Here you go! Circled, highlighted, and prioritized. Merry Christmas!” Then came the waiting. I absolutely loved the anticipation of what might be sitting under that Christmas tree on December 25. However, as I got older, the anticipation of what was under that tree on Christmas morning grew fainter and fainter. The toys lost their interest in my life, and before long, the Star Wars action figures, Legos, and Tinkertoys turned into much less exciting gifts like socks and underwear. Necessary, but no instructions needed. And then, one year, married with my own children, we were visiting my parents, and my mom pointed to a gift that was waiting for me to open under the tree. Taking the box and ripping off the paper, I was shocked to find what was waiting inside: it was the family nativity set that, as a child, we would put out together on the piano every year. What followed became our own tradition of putting out the nativity set with our own children. I’ve learned to truly treasure this Advent story. How about you? On the other side of shepherds watching over their flock by night and angels declaring “good news of great joy . . . for all the people,” Luke records that Mary “treasured up all these things” (Luke 2:8, 10, 19 ESV). On the other side of angelic announcements, shepherds, and supposedly that cute little drummer boy who just knew the best gift to offer her was a drum solo after her delivery, Mary “pondered them in her heart.” To treasure is to store up and hold onto something of priceless value. That’s the story we’re stepping into together in the weeks ahead. So, before the wondering, perhaps a fitting place to begin our Advent journey is to ponder the treasures found for us all in this nativity story of good news! THE PRAYER  Father, we thank you for the treasure found for us all within the Christmas story. Today, open our eyes to see your presence and our ears to hear your voice at work within our own lives and stories. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray, amen. THE QUESTIONS Take a look at your own nativity set that you may have, or look at many of the nativity scenes you can find online or around your community. Look at each character found in the nativity scene. Who holds one of your favorite stories and why?