"And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).

"But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). …and His mother treasured all these things in her heart (2:51).

Mary never forgot. All of the words, the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, the prophets in the temple. No, she never forgot. She used the canvas of her mind but more the canvas of her heart to paint forever the scenes of this child’s birth. Mary did not merely remember those moments; she absorbed them into her soul. When a memory or a moment is etched upon your heart it can’t be erased.

Every mother remembers the birth of her child. They are able to recall all the emotions, the exhaustion, the pain, the participants, the cry, the concern, the tears, the laughter, the faces, the feeling, looking into eyes, face, arms, legs—heart all created within you. They remember. They treasure. They keep all of that moment of joy, delight, relief, fear, being overwhelmed—it’s all there in their mind and in their heart.

Because she never forgot, I wonder how she felt when the first day of His birth came and she was without him. We know she was at the cross to watch Him die. Did she go to the tomb and weep because she thought that his body was stolen? What was her response at the news that her son was resurrected, that he was alive? What did she feel when she saw him herself? Did he personally appear to her? How did she feel after he ascended into heaven? Did she miss His voice? His face? His smile? His words? His touch? Did she comfort herself with the knowledge that because of Him she would see Him again? Did she ache for that reunion? Did she suddenly not become a mother, His mother, after all the events of his death and resurrection? I don’t believe so. What did she feel that first winter’s night without him?

For many of you this is your first Christmas that is very different from your last. Why this day marks our life so much I don’t know.

• Last Christmas it was just the two of you and now there are three. It’s your baby’s first Christmas.
• Last Christmas you didn’t know if you would graduate and now you have a career.
• Last Christmas, because of the cancer, you didn’t know if you would see another one and this is your first Christmas as a survivor!
• Last Christmas you never dreamed a year could be so hard and now you are thankful for His grace, amazing grace that got your through --

• Last Christmas you were with them or there and this is your first Christmas without…or your first Christmas since…we all have them. This day marks time or life for us in ways like nothing else. All the days of joy and all the days of that are not so joyful.

Regardless of how life was for you last Christmas and how different this first Christmas will be since last Christmas or how different next Christmas will be since this Christmas, there is a Presence that is unchanging—it is Jesus. This one who came to be born as a baby would say about himself, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end" (Rev. 21:6). He is the one who stands above all the events of our days between our Christmases. There has never been a day, a moment from last Christmas to this first Christmas that He has not been present. It is because He is present—present in all the moments of joy, present in all the moments of pain—present at its beginning and will be present when it ends. It is His presence that makes all the hours between our Christmases not just endurable but victorious. Whatever it is we face does not last forever but He is everlasting. He is the beginning and the end.

For some of you the truth is you do not know this Presence. You see the difference in those who have lived through since last Christmas what they didn’t think they could endure. So the issue is not the problem people face—it’s the Presence. The presence of Christ, not on the outside of their life or their heart, but inside their life and inside their heart. They have welcomed the Presence of that one into their days—all of their days. They face the days between Christmas in confidence because He is the beginning and the end.

So the question is: Do you know, really know, this Presence in your life? He gives Himself or offers Himself freely. He said, "I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost" (Rev. 21:6). He wants to give you life, true life, that will carry you through any and all of your Christmases. All that is required of you is to recognize you don’t have it and need it and want it. That life is life that doesn’t end. No matter what your days may be or when your death may come, it’s life that doesn’t end. Oh, and it’s free. Freely offered. Freely given. Yes, it cost Him everything but it can be yours freely. All you have to do is tell him, "Jesus, I want this to be my first Christmas with you in my life. Tonight I welcome your presence into my heart. Forgive me for failing you. Tonight I choose to follow you forever. This is my beginning of life that has no end." Make this your first Christmas in His Presence!

What did she think that first time without him? Maybe she thought, "I can’t wait to see Him again."

Carols and Candlelight Service

Sunday, December 23, 2001

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org