Christmas shadows....

Tonight as I was coming home from bringing Andy to work, I drove past the Episcopal Church, and as I turned onto Windham Center Road, I noticed the nativity scene all beautifully lit up against the dark. It was awesome, no other lights around, kind of in the middle of the country area, and I was moved. And then a thought occurred to me. Mary and Joseph must have been overwhelmed and overjoyed at the birth of Jesus. But Mary was warned by a man named Simeon who "was a righteous man and very devout. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he eagerly expected the Messiah to come and rescue Israel." (Luke 2:25). He told her "This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But He will be the greatest joy to many others. Thus, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul." (Luke 2:34-35).
I cannot imagine what Mary must have thought when she heard those words. But she had proven herself to be God's willing servant. And God, who knows all hearts, would not have chosen her if she hadn't been willing. But oh! The heartache. I mean, the poor woman had already had to deal with not being able to explain how she was pregnant and yet still a virgin. I mean, no one would have believed her. She faced a potential death sentence for being pregnant out of wedlock. Fortunately, Joseph (who had been planning on ending the engagement quietly) was let in on what was going on, and they married. Simeon's words came true, however. In John 20, at the death of Christ John records this:

The Jewish leaders didn't want the victims hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath at that, because it was the Passover), so they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was dead already, so they didn't break His legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. (John 20:31-34)

It seems to me that Simeon was literally predicting Jesus' death there. It must have been heart wrenching for Mary to see her firstborn Son killed. She knew He was her Lord and Savior, but having given birth to Him, I imagine she must have felt like she lost a child. So we see that Christmas, while a time for joy, is also a reminder that the baby Jesus had the shadow of a Cross hanging over Him. We would do well to remember that we don't celebrate Christmas because of a small baby in a manger, we celebrate Christmas because of our Crucified Lord and Risen Savior. All praise be to Him.