Wandering and Wondering

 We-Grandma and I-won the lottery this year!  Yay!

Well, the lottery for tickets to the Christmas Concert in the Conference Center.  C? (read that last bit out loud if it didn't make you smile just a bit)  It has been 5 years since we attended this gala and we were fortunate to get 4 tickets this year and had our eldest daughter and her husband join with us.  It was great.  The guest artist this year is a Broadway actor, Michael Makialel.  He has been the lead in Aladdin on Broadway.  We went not knowing what to expect, then this young, skinny Indian fellow blew our socks off.  He was great.

One of the songs he sang was "I Wonder as I Wander".  The lyrics in the second verse read: "When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.  But high from God's heaven a star's light did fall, And the promise of ages it then did recall."

I realized as I watched a monitor at the concert with the lyrics to all the songs that I enjoy many Christmas songs without knowing all the lyrics.  Including this one!  I should probably make a point of singing them (to myself-no need to inflict that on others) so I could learn the stories better.

Christmas story from Luke catch up.  The verses today deal with the shepherds-I'm getting to like this group of folks more all the time-returning-I assume to their flocks-"glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen".  The following verse tells us that Mary "kept all these things and pondered them in her heart".

Two different responses to the coming of the Lamb from the shepherds and Mary, right?  But that doesn't make one "right" or "better".  Both are wonderful.  We should indeed glorify and praise God for all we get to see, hear, and feel, as well as all we get to endure, learn, experience and wonder about.  We also need to keep and ponder valuable things in our hearts.  The "keeps" in ancient castles were strong, safe places where the most valuable things were kept.  Our hearts are those "keeps" for each of us-where we hold that which is most precious to us.

So let us both "praise and glorify God", as well as "keep and ponder" those beliefs, confirmations, experiences, relationships, virtues and values that we treasure most.  Both take conscience effort and both make us better followers of the Lamb.

Related Christmas song-"Breath of Heaven"  sung by Amy Grant.  Read the lyrics as you listen.