It hardly seems sane to being planning for Christmas in November. Like you, I know people who announce "I am finished with all of my Christmas shopping!" before the turkey is in the oven on Thanksgiving Day! It is very easy to experience feelings of utter disbelief and disgust (with a tinge of panic). You wonder if they aren't just as guilty of commercializing Christmas as the merchants who have candy canes in their stores before Hallowe'en! I've made valiant attempts to begin my Christmas preparations early, then throw up my hands in disgust and leave most of it to the last days and weeks before the 25th of December. By the time Christmas morning rolls around, I'm tired, worn and (quite honestly) grumbling.

A bit too late, I begin to ponder whether advance preparation is such a bad idea. My Decembers are full of rehearsals, concerts, cookie exchanges, dinners, and programs. Add on the seasonal tasks of shopping for presents, wrapping and shipping them, finding a tree and decorating it, "decking our halls", sending out Christmas cards… I could use another week or two to get all the chores done so that I could sit back and have a quiet, peaceful Christmas. I'd like to look and feel as serene as the figure of Mary in our family crêche!

So I think about Mary. In the Gospel of Luke's account of Christ's birth, there is one verse that always catches at my heart: "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart…" (Luke 2:19) She must have wondered and prayed amazing things as she held the promised Messiah in her arms. No other woman in all of history has or will experience being the earthly mother of God!

In Buddy Greene's and Mark Lowry's song, "Mary, Did You Know?" the poignant questions are asked:
Mary, did you know that your baby Boy would some day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.
Mary, did you know?

Scripture clearly tells us that Mary understood she was given a special role. She knew that she would be remembered and called blessed by future generations. (Luke 2:48) Yet she also did not see herself as someone to be worshipped, but only as the "handmaiden of the Lord". (Luke 2:38) She was a real, fallible, loving mother, limited in her complete understanding of what Jesus would do for His people. She, with Joseph, an ordinary carpenter, were the ones who nursed, rocked, comforted and raised the Son of God.

Many Protestants are uncomfortable with talking about Mary, or discussing her role in the Christmas story. Advent sermons are preached on kings and shepherds, on Zechariah and Anna, on taxation and Bethlehem, on "keeping Christ in Christmas", even on John the Baptist, all the while dancing around this one character in the story of the nativity. The Virgin Birth was prophesied, and is vital to the birth of the promised Messiah! It is as though we fear we will be drawn into praying a "Hail Mary" or worshipping her. We can not ignore who she was and what she did for us, by willingly birthing the Savior.

I have to remember Mary, and the time she spent in thought and prayer, in serving and in praise of her God. I must remember that she was a student of Scripture, yet one with a teachable heart. I need to follow her example of living out the role that God ordained, of being a woman wholly devoted to loving and serving my Lord. I need to BE that woman He created me to be. Like Mary, my soul needs feeding, cleaning, nourishing and changing, and my relationship with my Savior rebuilding. I have to do this if Christmas is to be meaningful. Then Christmas, with all of its mystery, joy and beauty, will renew my heart and my love for Jesus.