Ponder and Treasure

There are sweet spots in Scripture that preachers tend to visit quite often.  You cannot help but do it.   When Easter rolls around, you speak of the cross and the empty tomb.  When Christmas rolls around, you speak of the prophecy, the birth, and the surrounding characters.  I dig and dig to find a new angle but yet not miss my favorite angles. One I love to preach is the responses to Christmas:  the shepherds praised, the Wisemen gave, and Mary pondered- she took it in.  We ought to be doing all of that.

There are spots in Scripture that preachers do not venture as much.  It is pretty obvious why.  We don't know a lot about the childhood or early adulthood of Jesus.  All we know is when He was 12, He stayed at the Temple while His family left Him. Left Him?  A large group of  extended family that had several kids traveling with them, you can see how it would happen.  They did not have the luxury of counting heads in a sedan.   They were in a large procession with kids probably mingled throughout.  Plus at 12, Jesus was practically grown in that society.  He had stayed behind and was teaching in the Temple.  Then comes a verse that hung on me like it never has.  Luke 2:51- And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.  Jesus left the Temple and went home and submitted Himself to His parents.  That is all we know of His teenage years.... Oh, yeah, we know one more thing... Mary was pondering and treasuring again.  Can you imagine the things she thought?  We know what she thought at His birth.  Her song tells us that.  We know what she thought (at least somewhat) at the beginning of His ministry at the wedding at Cana.  We can only imagine what she was thinking at the cross or the wide eyed approach of an empty tomb.  I bet she spent a lifetime pondering.  I think we should too.  How much do we miss about the Work, Words, and Wonders of the Lord by rushing about our daily duties?  Take a few moments today to ponder and to treasure.  Cut the radio off in the car.  Think Godly thoughts at the short mental break during the day.  In the walk from here to there, ponder...treasure...there is so much for us to consider.   I hope it is a blessed one.