heaven can give no more.

How do you think you would react if you were visited by an angel?

I think I would be completely terrified, just like the shepherds, but I would walk away with a much greater faith.

O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,

and enlarge my mind;

Let me hear good tidings of great joy, and hearing,

Believe, rejoice, praise, adore,

My conscience bathed in an ocean of repose, my

Eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;

Place me with ox, ass, camel, goat, to look with

Them upon my Redeemer’s face, and in him

Account myself delivered from sin;

Let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart,

Embrace him with undying faith,

Exulting that he is mine and I am his.

In him thou has given me so much that heaven can give no more.

-from Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, edited by Nancy Guthrie

Since we have looked at the stories of the birth of Jesus from Matthew and John, I thought we could also look at Luke today.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

-Luke 2:4-20

Today I am struck by the importance of Mary treasuring up all these things and pondering them in her heart. This detail gives us an example of applying this story to our own lives. The very fact that our God became one of us through the incarnation is enough to completely change our world without even going on to consider his death and resurrection. How could He possibly be born a human baby, fully God and fully man? And yet how wonderful that this mystery is true!

I feel like this video is obligatory.