After the angels' songs faded, after the shepherds returned to their fields, after the initial wonder subsided, Mary quietly "kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." The Greek word suggests she held them together, treasured them, turned them over repeatedly in her mind, seeking to understand their full meaning. She didn't broadcast her experience or try to convince skeptics. She simply held the mystery close, meditating on what God had done and what it might mean for her son, for Israel, for the world. This quiet pondering is as much a part of the Christmas story as the dramatic announcements and miraculous events.

As this Christmas week comes to a close, we are invited to do what Mary did—to ponder, to treasure, to meditate on what we have celebrated. The decorations will come down, the gifts will be opened, the meals will be eaten, but the truth of Christmas remains: God became man and dwelt among us. What does this mean for how we live the rest of the year? How should the incarnation shape our marriages, our parenting, our work, our relationships, our priorities? These questions deserve more than rushed answers. They require Mary's posture—quiet reflection, patient meditation, a willingness to let truth sink deep into our hearts. To treasure Christ in our hearts, as Mary did, is to make Him the center not just of our celebrations but of our everyday existence. It means returning regularly to the manger's lessons—humility, obedience, sacrifice, love—and asking how those lessons should shape our choices. The truest Christmas celebration isn't the loudest or longest, but the one that transforms how we live long after the season ends.

"In contemplating the incarnation of Christ in humanity, we stand baffled before an unfathomable mystery... The more we reflect upon it, the more amazing it appears." (Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, July 30, 1896)

Prayer: Father, as this Christmas week ends, help us to ponder deeply what it means that You became one of us. Let the wonder of the incarnation fill our hearts and transform our lives throughout the coming year. Amen.