Awe and Wonder

A friend recently shared a book with me titled "Atlas of the Heart." The author is Brene Brown. In this book Brown writes about awe and wonder and how we use them interchangeably, but she states that there are important differences.

As I read Brown's views about awe and wonder, I thought about two of the characters in the birth of Jesus and how they may have experienced awe and wonder. Luke 1:26-38 records the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary informing her that she was chosen by God to be the mother of Christ who would be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Though Mary did not completely understand how these things could be, she responded by saying, "...Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word..." (Luke 1:38).

Joseph had a similar experience with an angel recorded in Matthew 1:18-25. In Joseph's case, the angel appeared to him in a dream. Joseph was already aware of Mary's pregnancy. He knew he was not the biological father. He thought of how he could discreetly end his betrothal to her without publicly embarrassing her. This is when the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to inform him that the child Mary was carrying was conceived through the Holy Spirit and that Jesus would save His people from their sins. He should not break the engagement. He was to take Mary as his wife.

Think of the awe and wonder that Mary and Joseph must have experienced as they responded in faith and obedience. Things such as a virgin birth and the Savior of the world are high and lofty matters full of mystery and profundity. Neither Mary or Joseph had any human status or qualifications that merited the honor God bestowed on them. Surely, they experienced awe and wonder.

What about our celebration of the birth of Christ? Will we experience awe and wonder as we contemplate the birth of Christ, and all the events connect to it. There is an actual danger that we may experience more awe and wonder over things connected to Christmas such as lights displays and presents given and received than we experience responding to the birth of Christ. May God forbid that that should be the case!

There is a certain amount of awe and wonder involved in receiving Christ as our Savior. Think of the incredible love that God showed in sending His only begotten Son as a little baby. Think of the marvel of this grace that reaches down to the lowest sinner. I think we can spend the rest of our lives in awe and wonder over the birth of Christ and what that means to lost sinners such as you and me.