25th December 2024

During the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Easter people, even if they are not Christians, hear the name of Jesus Christ. Some people will think deeply about him while others will give him a passing thought. But we can see from the Bible record that Jesus’s mother Mary thought of him constantly throughout her life, from when she first heard she was going to conceive him (Luke 1:31) to when she stood and watched his agonising death on the cross (John 19:25). And of course, for many years afterwards.

Our header scripture from Luke suggests that she treated the information she learned about her son with a great deal of respect. She both treasured it (Greek suntereo – to preserve something of great value, to keep it from being lost), and pondered it (Greek symballo – to draw all the threads together and mull them over). Let’s pull together some references from the four gospels to reveal just a few of the treasures Mary stored up in her heart:

“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” (Luke 1:32). 

“…he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:33). “… a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11). 

“…a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of… Israel.” (Luke 2:32).

What wonderful treasures for Mary to reflect on and chew over! How proud she must have been as she began to realise exactly who her son was, and what he would become!

Many years later, after his death, resurrection and ascension to heaven, Jesus asked his Father to send his followers a gift – the promised Holy Spirit – who dwells in all of his followers today. The apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthian church, described this special gift as: ‘treasure in jars of clay’ (2 Corinthians 4:7).

John 15:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit in us will testify or witness about Jesus. The Easy-to -Read Version of the Bible simply says he will “tell” about Jesus.

So at this special time of year, and in fact all year, let us pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal more and more of Jesus to us. Then let us be like Mary, let us hold what we know in great esteem and ponder over all of the wonders that Jesus was, and is, and will be.

For, as Jesus himself instructs us in Matthew 6:21: “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.    

Local congregation:
Grace Communion International Central Glasgow 
Garnethill Room
Conference Suite
St Andrews West
260 Bath Street
Glasgow
G2 4JP

Meeting time:
Sunday 11:15 am

Local congregational contact:   
Peter Mill
Email: edinburgh@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church