Ponder & Treasure

We’re getting into the Christmas Spirit this week and for the next couple, looking at the story of the shepherds. A while back our Christmas read for our #ReadFor30 challenge was Hidden Christmas by Timothy Keller, it’s a great book and the inspiration for this short series.

Here’s what Luke wrote about the shepherds:

Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)

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 that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, 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 heaven,
    and on earth peace to those 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.

Why Shepherds Matter

That might be new to you, it probably isn’t, even if you’ve never been around church you’ve probably heard of the main characters

• Mary and Joseph and the donkey that’s never actually mentioned but could be assumed

• The magi, although we don’t know how many there were for certain

• The star and the angels

• The shepherds

We’re accustomed to the shepherds being part of the story but have you ever questioned why shepherds? When Luke wrote about the birth of Jesus he could have included all kinds of things, he selected this one deliberately. Because the shepherds teach us something in their response as they listened to the message they were given, overcame their fears, and carried the great message to others. 

So I’ve got 4 points for you over the next few weeks that summarise the shepherds’ response: hear well, make peace, fear not and behold.

Let’s look at Hear Well this week.

Hear Well

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.”

The Shepherds hear about Jesus and then went to check out the scene for themselves. 

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.

They were amazed, but it doesn’t say they believed, or that they went to see for themselves. 

The message was the same, the messengers were different. The shepherds heard it from the angels, the people heard it from the shepherds.

When Messengers Aren't Perfect

In case you don’t know, the shepherds were not people of high social standing in Jesus’ time. They were often young and uneducated with very little power. 

In comparison to an angel standing up here and speaking to you, I feel a bit like a shepherd, but don’t get distracted by the messenger. Hear the message:

A saviour has been born. That is the good news that will cause great joy. 

I’m by no means perfect, and maybe you’ve heard this message before from someone who is also far from perfect. And you might have thought “how could that message be true if it comes through that messenger? That messenger who I’ve seen lose their temper, or lie or stumble?” 

Just because the messenger may be flawed, it doesn't mean the message is.

How Mary Responded

How then should we respond to the message of truth we hear? We should respond like Mary did:

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 

To ponder means to put in context, to connect, to think something through. 

Which would mean, when we read a verse in the Bible or listen to a message, we ask: “What does this mean? How does it fit with other things I know to be true? And how does it fit with the rest of the Bible?”

Let’s try it out with one of the most famous verses in the Bible, John 3:16 (NIV)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

We could sit with this verse for a thousand years and still keep uncovering truth from it. At first glance, it’s great. But what happens when you sit with it?

Who loved the world? God. How much? He so loved. What did he so love? The world. What did he do? Gave. Who did he give? His one and only Son. That who believes? Whoever. What must whoever do? Believe. Who must they believe in? Him. What won’t they do? Perish. What will they have? Life. How long for? Eternity.

What stands out to you there? For me it’s that they receive life. It could have been endless riches, abounding health, a whole heap of luck. But it isn’t, they’ll have the most vibrant thing - life - forever.

That's what it means to ponder. Mary pondered, but she also treasured. Treasured is emotive. She savoured it.

From Head to Heart

I was chatting with my spiritual director the other day about my walk with God and I said you know sometimes when you know it in your head but you haven’t quite fully believed it in the depth of who you are. There’s that gap. Some people call it the longest journey, from head to heart. 

And she said you know I think there’s something in between knowing and believing, and I think the best word for it is experiencing.

When a baby growing up in a healthy home knows they’re loved. Is it a cognitive knowing? Not really, they can’t really think I am loved. Do they believe they’re loved? Yes I imagine it’s partly a belief, but that requires understanding on some level. How do they actually feel the truth of it? They experience it. 

Mary treasured this in her heart. And she savours the truth of it, experiences the truth of it. It’s an attitude more than a technique.

To really treasure something, savour it, experience it is to ask: “How would my life be different if I really believed this from the bottom of my heart? How would it change my thinking and my actions? How would it change how I approach God and others?”

What It Means to Truly Believe

To truly hear well is to ponder and treasure. To connect the truth together, and to savour it, to the point where it changes our experience.

Let’s go back to John 3:16 - what it would mean to live like we really believed that were true?

It would mean to live in a way where we know we’re fully loved, we wouldn’t need to fear, we wouldn’t need to prove, we wouldn't need to grasp for things that aren’t ours because we already have the greatest reward of eternal life.

So many of us want to live a life without fear or worry or self-centredness. This verse tells us it’s not up to us to muster up our own feelings of courage or security or humility, but to more greatly acknowledge how loved we are.

Brennan Manning - an American priest - puts it like this: You will trust God to the degree you know you are loved by Him.

When we hear the message, ponder it, and treasure it, we let the truth sink deeper into our minds and hearts, and that’s where transformation happens.

Question

So here’s a verse for you to ponder and treasure this week: 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV) - And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

And here’s the question: what would it look like if you lived like you really believed this was true? 

Prayer

Let’s pray

Lord, we thank you that you're not a distant God, but one willing to leave the perfection of heaven to descend into the brokenness of earth. Help us to truly hear, to ponder, and to experience your word, promises, and love deeply. Open our hearts to truly listen, not just with our ears, but with all that we are, so that we may be changed from the inside out. In your precious name Jesus Amen.