A Labor of Love

The first time I heard this song, it brought me to tears. Jill Phillips sings it on Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God album, and we saw them in concert on Elijah's birthday a few weeks ago. I cried again, hearing her sing it live, as I held my one year old baby boy. This is a more accurate portrayal of the difficulty Mary faced than the sweet, but unrealistic, lyrics of "Away in a Manger." They remind me that we Protestants many times minimize the awesome role Mary played in God's sovereign plan. I think we try so hard to be careful to not give her more credit than is due, but God did choose this young girl to be the mother of His Child. So, I think she was fully human, but also exceptionally brave and worthy of a lot of respect. And, as a mother myself, it makes my heart just squeeze, imagining all she faced that night on the hard floor of a cave, giving birth for the first time while surrounded by animals and manure, and probably just her new husband with her. What a life she lived, and what a willing servant she was, facing so much unknown.

Labor of Love

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Calloused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

Joy to the World

How fun is it to see children praising Jesus? It's especially endearing when they're preschoolers, dressed as angels, and singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs. Add in a precious calf, donkey, some sheep, goats, and a camel in a live nativity, and you've got yourself a couple of Kodak moments for sure. We enjoyed this event at our church Sunday night and it was so well-done and pointed us toward the celebration of Christ's birth.

Being nearly as heavy-laden as I'm sure Mary felt at the original nativity scene, I think I was extra sensitive that night. I kept pondering the whole giving-birth-in-a-stable-as-a-virgin-teenage-girl-with-your
-brand-new-husband-without-even-a-doula-or-nurse-or
-running-water-or-a-bed-or-option-of-pain-relief scenario.

Can you imagine? I mean--try to. It's unbelievably hard to even go there. Not only were there none of those comforts, (or necessities, as we'd think of them) there were additional factors thrown in, like lots of darkness in a cave-like structure, animal sounds, animal smells, who knows what kind of weather and elements involved...I am so awed that God chose that way to bring his baby boy into the world, and it was o.k. with Him. He wasn't shocked, or trying to punish Mary. He loved her and chose her to be His Son's mother, but still allowed her to begin motherhood in a really difficult way, even in that time and region of the world. Yes, she got a birth announcement like no other mom, as angels sang about her baby's entrance to the world, and sure, men traveled for months from across the world for a really awesome baby shower, but still... I am sure the journey to Bethlehem had already exhausted her, and I'm sure she hurt through that labor and delivery, but can you imagine the emotions and thoughts going through her mind as she birthed God's Son? What joy and awe she had to have felt! And, what kind of questions did she already have about how she'd help to raise Jesus? Did she know his life would be threatened by King Herod so soon? That she and Joseph would have to pack up and move to Egypt to escape his death threat?

The birth of one's first baby changes everything. Life isn't ever the same. For Mary, the changes were so dramatic and only foretold of the controversial life her Son would leave. His conception alone could've had her killed if Joseph hadn't been a godly, trusting man who paid attention to God's instructions. I guess I just realize in a different way how thankful I am for Mary's obedience and sacrifice. The fact that she'd want no honor or recognition just proves how God chose exactly the right person to be Jesus' mother. Just pondering these things in my heart...