What Just Happened?

Sometimes things occur that are beyond our comprehension. They are unbelievable. Inconceivable. Beyond description. As I reflect on the amazing event, all I can say is, “What just happened?”

That’s what’s going through my mind in this post Christmas season. “What just happened?” We celebrate Jesus – born to a young Jewish virgin, born in an animal stable, born without a doctor or nurse on hand, announced by a host of heavenly beings filling the sky, worshiped by humble shepherds. It’s all so far-fetched I can hardly imagine it!

But that’s where faith enters the picture. The Son of God allowed Himself to be contained in a tiny human body. How can that be? When Paul described the process he said, “he, who had always been God by nature, did not cling to his prerogatives as God’s equal, but stripped himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man” (Philippians 2:6-7, J. B. Phillips).

Mary knew all of this first hand, but it must have mystified her also. One of my favorite verses about the Christmas story is “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19, NKJV). Of course she did. There was so much to process!

Have you been doing some pondering? Have you really stopped to think about what happened that first Christmas night? Have you paused long enough to appreciate the arrival of the greatest gift ever given? Even though we can never comprehend the fullness or magnitude of that gift, it’s a healthy mental exercise to stretch our minds as far as we are able. Can we not help but wonder “what just happened?”