In One Little Sentence of Mary

In One Little Sentence of Mary

I stood at my ironing board  - it is just the right height - and practiced my 15 minute talk so many times that I started loosing my voice. Therefore, the day before the Christmas Tea I kept quiet. 

This is a gorgeous American patriotic painting of Christmas 1795.

I enjoyed the Tea. It was lovely to have some lady's chatter (a contented hum could be heard) and meet blog readers in person on December 1st. 

Here I share a little of my talk.  

Christmastime is a time of togetherness. Big suppers. Open-house parties. Recitals, etc. And yet, it is also time for solitary reflection. Especially when we are shuffling around regular chores to fit in the Christmas-y ones, we shuffle some more to keep Christ in Christmas.     

I found the best way to commune with Jesus is to open the pages of the Gospels. As simple as this is, it may take some doing if you are surrounded by young children and their ongoing urgent needs. But it is exactly because we are surrounded by people and chores needing our attention, that we also seek to make a little time for ourselves. To be alone with God. 

I went bananas over this gingerbread cookie pineapple a friend made me.

I like having a Bible on my kindle. In the early hours, in the dark hours of a winter's morning, the gentle light of my kindle brings me the Word. I can read while the Man-of-the-House is occupied in the next room. He starts his day earlier than I. 

Eloise examining an acorn in the cardigan Grandma knit.

A girl can glean much in 2 minutes of reading the Gospels while also sharing her deepest longings and cares. And in 5 to 8 minutes a whole chapter of the Gospels can be absorbed. The number of minutes is not of the essence. I bring up minutes here only because I am always amazed at how many of them I had just spent scrolling down my Facebook posts. On Facebook, 20 minutes disappears in thin air. I am trying to remedy this - such as having some Facebook-free days. 

Some girls are not morning-people. If not, then another space of time can be had. You may not feel optimistic. Perhaps you feel that nothing short of turning your day's set-of-hours upside down will enable you fit in time for yourself. May I console you? Less drastic measures will more-than-likely meet your needs. 

I remember something shared by an older woman-in-the-Lord. I was a young mother then. The writer mentioned that she kept a Bible open on her oak sideboard. This piece of furniture was next to the staircase in the center of her house - just where my sideboard was, coincidentally. Like me, she walked passed it often. She would pass her sideboard to carry clean wash upstairs, to set the table,  reach for a jar in her pantry, get to the broom closet. In the midst of her chores and energetic children, she would pause to read her Bible, where it rested on the sideboard, where she had left the satin ribbon between its pages. This gave her something to ponder privately during December's busy days. She could be mindful even if her mindfulness was centered upon a single verse or two.    

Baptist Meeting House built 1806 in Vermont. This is a color photograph. See the wreaths on the door?

If we draw near to God, He draws near to us - in a quiet corner - in a quiet way. If Facebook draws you, momentarily put your cellphone in the garage if you have to - where the Amish keep their phones - where you can't hear it ring. Why the Gospels? It is in the Gospels where we find an intimate theology. 

In the first chapters of Luke, Mary and Joseph are in the middle of an intimate theology. When the shepherds find Mary, Joseph and the baby lying in a manger, they report what wonderful, exciting things they had learned (seen and heard) from the angels.

How did Mary respond to this intimate theology? “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” Here we have a threefold exercise. It is part of the exercise of the spiritual life, really. All, in this one little sentence, “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” - - - we have: 

Memory,  Affections,  Intellect.

Of Memory? – Mary kept what she saw and heard. She reflected. She remembered, and remembered again. Mothers hold onto memories. Mary's memories were extra special ones. 

Of Affections? Some translations say Mary treasured all these things. She approached them with tenderness, reverence and praise. And her treasuring goes along with her Intellect. For, we see that Mary pondered them in her heart. She increased her understanding by lingering and meditating for a while. She wasn’t drawn away or distracted by Facebook or Pinterest's email announcements of new pins, as I can sometimes be.    

It is only as we take quiet moments to read the gospels, God’s perfect storybook of Christ, that by degrees Jesus becomes more and more dear to us. He becomes dear to us - not by emotional appeals –not by any loud orchestra - or beautiful Christmas choir. Although these uplifting experiences are appreciated as they add merriment to the season. Moreover, it is the impressions left by an accurate knowledge of Jesus that He becomes dear to us.  

Eloise straightening the cotton blanket Grandma knit her.

A girl who loves Jesus, does so, because God’s Word dwells in her heart richly.  

She is mindful of Him. 

She can love Jesus and serve others with a servant’s heart, because she’s read and pondered how much He first loved her.  

Charles Spurgeon talks about Mary's three-fold exercise this way. I underlined it in my devotional. “Let your memory treasure up everything about Christ which you have either felt, or known, or believed, and let your fond affections hold Him fast for evermore.”

There are many names for Christ our Lord. Here’s a few.

Prince of Peace

Morning Star

Lamb of God

Good Shepherd

Light of the World

What is the name most precious to me? 

It is the name the angles told the Virgin Mary to give her child. Jesus translated means Saviour. 

The Son of God was coming into the world in human form (incarnate deity) to save his people from their sins. To forgive Karen of her sins. For this, I will be forever grateful.  







Post Script
You know I like making doll quilts. I pre-ordered Kathleen Tracey's newest doll quilt book, Small and Scrappy at Amazon, and I look forward to it coming. 

A doll quilt I made for a special friend. This Raggedy Ann  was hand-sewn in Pennsylvania by a Sunday School teacher

I concocted another smoothie. We've been using our Vita Mix Blender for years. Many are the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. The raw smoothies and cream soups you've seen on this blog, have all been made with this powerful machine (that is easy and safe to clean). Its worth every penny. 

Beet-Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie - Yum 

Winter Purple Smoothie 
Place these raw ingredients in Vita Mix in this order and whirl.

a whole orange (peeled, pitted)
tsp of lime (a squeeze)
a good handful of (washed, drained spinach, 3/4 C. loosely packed)
a small red beet peeled and cubed (or half a medium beet)
half C. frozen blueberries
Add a little water or juice from orange (1/4 C if needed.)
opt: I tsp. coconut oil 

Tip:
To keep fingers from staining I peel a red beet over a strainer in the sink, under slow running water.

A Joyful Christmas Be Yours,

Karen Andreola