The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is His name. Luke 1:49

If you’re in my generation you might remember a singer by the name of Andy Williams. He hosted a weekly T.V. show and my parents tuned in faithfully. Every Christmas he put on a beautiful production and one of his signature Christmas songs was “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year.” The other day I was watching one of those vintage shows and they opened the program with that song. The set was beautifully decorated with snow, ice skaters were dressed in elaborate costumes, and people throwing snowballs at one another were in the background. In comes Andy Williams on a horse-driven sleigh singing us into the Christmas spirit of love and good cheer. Even as a child I remember the good and happy feelings the Andy Williams Christmas special brought into our home if only for that hour.

It’s 2020 and this year has felt like a long battle of just trying to maintain hope and perspective. Of all the ups and downs we’ve been trying to navigate, we might just settle to get past this Christmas as soon as possible. It’s tempting to allow the circumstances that we find ourselves in to diminish the wonder of this season! In Luke 1:49 Mary has much to teach us.

She’s just been told she’s going to be the mother of the Messiah, the one whom Israel has been longing for since Genesis 3:15. And out of her heart, out of her mouth, comes Scripture. Isn’t that a vital principle for the living of the Christian life, to know your Bible? And not just know it so that your head is crammed full of facts, but so that your heart is taken captive by that word, so that when the joys of life or the crises of life hit and you’re in autopilot, what comes out is what you’ve treasured up in your heart and what has shaped your life — the Scripture. We also hear her humility, considering the role that she has been entrusted with by the Lord. And there’s gratitude, despite the danger that she’s in.

But there’s not a “me-centeredness” about this. Yes, there’s a personal-ness about it; she recognizes the unique blessing that God has given to her. It’s very personal. She even mentions ‘the blessing that God has given to me’ a couple of times in the song, but it’s set in the context of a bigger story of God’s dealings over the course of the generations of His people and for His people, and it’s a song that points to the covenant of grace, to God’s promises of old to Abraham. And throughout, it emphasizes God’s work of the gospel…God’s plan of the gospel, God’s carrying out of the gospel, God’s grace in the gospel through the birth of His Beloved Son!

His birth was and is the hope of humanity! God has and is continuing to do great things! In light of His redemptive heart toward humanity our current situation need not dampen the wonder of this season or depreciate our praise.

Join with me in fixing our eyes on God’s faithfulnes, mercy and love, past, present and future and bless Jesus for this most wonderful time of the year.