I Believe--Powerful Words

Grant County Journal
December 20, 2010
I Believe—Powerful Words
Written by Janet Warren
There comes a time in everyone’s life when what they believe needs to be put into words. These words may never be spoken out loud, but they are expressed by the way we live our lives. I wonder sometimes what people will say at my funeral. What if one of my children gives my eulogy? I can tell you what I hope will be said. I hope Jenni will say that I was there for her. I hope Jodie will say that I accepted her. I hope Jon will say I encouraged him. I hope James will say that I prayed for him. And I hope Jeffrey will say I did my best. I also hope Mindi and Jeff will say I was a good wife to their father and that I loved him. But most of all, I hope all of them say that they know I loved them with all of my heart. I also hope they say I believed in Jesus Christ of the New Testament and that I did not think the Bible was a “Christian myth” as one of my professors once called it.
A few months ago, I got the official population of Ephrata from Leslie Trachsler at City Hall.
At that time it was 7,110. I know Logan and Audrey Nelson had a baby since then, so it’s at least 7,111. I had to go to the internet to get information on religion. I found out that 40.66 percent of the people in Ephrata are affiliated with a religion. Using my mad math skills, I came up with 2,891 people who belong to a religion. I have to deduce that those 2,891 people are Christian because those are the only religions listed in the yellow pages. This doesn’t take into account the people who believe in Christ but are not affiliated with an organized religion. For my purposes, however, we have a lot of Christians in Ephrata, which is why I am going to talk about Mary. Can you follow my logic? That’s okay…Mike can’t either.
While I was raising my family, I tried to stay focused on why we celebrate Christmas. I admit that some years I did better than others. When James was about 4 years old we were in a craft store in Colorado Springs. There was a life-size statue of Santa Claus that James rushed up to and exclaimed loudly: “Jesus!” I was always thankful he didn’t point to pictures of Jesus at church and shout “Santa Claus!”
I explained the symbols of Christmas to my children. The candy canes we always put on the tree represented the crooks of the shepherds who were among the first to know of the birth of the Christ child. The star on top of the tree reminds us of the sign shown in the heavens that first Christmas Eve. The lights remind us that He is the Light of the World. The evergreen is the symbol of life. We give gifts to each other to remind us of the gift our Savior gave us through His atonement for our sins.
I find myself contemplating Mary’s point of view when I read the Christmas story in Luke. I should have talked to my children more about that. I don’t think she complained as she was riding on a donkey while in labor, but I believe she may have been frightened about not knowing what to expect. My daughter, Jodie, came very close to being born in the parking lot of Providence Hospital in Anchorage. Had it not been for some alert nurses, we may have had to pick gravel out of her thick head of hair. There were no nurses to rescue Mary, but I wonder if angels attended her. Even though it was not customary for the time, did Joseph wipe her brow and offer encouragement to her? Jesus was born in a manger, probably more like a cave than a wooden structure, but I don’t believe it was an accident. The conditions were dark and dirty and smelly, but there was no room at the inn because He was meant to be born in lowly surroundings. His ministry was among the poor, the sick, and the humble. He was born to heal broken hearts and to give hope to a weary world.
This Christmas I was at a program where the song Mary, Did you Know? was performed.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the Lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am. (Lyrics by Mark Lowry)
Mary was told by an angel that she would bear the Son of God, but I believe she had to learn what that meant little by little. After the birth of Christ was proclaimed to the shepherds, they told everyone they met about it. “And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2: 17-19).
This is how all of us figure out what it is we believe in, little by little, and by taking small moments of stillness to ponder. My beliefs will be added onto as I grow older, and I hope by the time my eulogy is written the main theme of it will be that I believe in Christ. I Believe. Powerful, life-affirming words.
May the power of this Christmas season heal your heart and bring you joy.