Luke 2:34-35 "Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

What did Simeon mean when he said this to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as she was presenting the baby Jesus to God at the temple? And what can these verses tell us about beauty?

Simeon seems to be speaking prophecy and foreshadowing the intense suffering that Mary would experience as she eventually saw her child tortured, beaten, and nailed to a cross. As followers of Christ, we often ponder the suffering that Jesus endured, but what of the suffering that Mary endured as a mother? Is there a purpose in such suffering? In the verse above, Simeon seems to be saying that revealing the "thoughts of the heart" is the equivalent of having one's soul pierced by a sword. For those who follow Jesus, this equivalence rings true. There are times along the path when, whether caused by external events (as for Mary) or by turning inward, you will experience the full force of your "heart's thoughts" being revealed before God. This can be extremely painful and may also cause much suffering for those around you who are struggling to understand what is happening to you. However, these experiences seem unavoidable in awakening to the Kingdom of God as always already present and available to you in the here and now. Therefore, it is best to accept the "piercing of the soul" with a willing heart and mind. As the ugliness of the "thoughts of the heart" are revealed in full consciousness before God, the ugliness and pain will liberate into the loving, open awareness of God's mind if you open fully to this process. You can then, and maybe only then, perceive true beauty as if through the eyes of God, as beauty seems to suddenly leap into existence in every activity, person, and thing arising around and within you.

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"Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11: 25-26)

This month we are exploring the Christmas story, John has referred to it as The Beautiful People, and how we become the beautiful people God wants us to be. I can think of no better way to describe a beautiful person than to write about Micheal Hendrickson. I did not know him personally, but I understand and appreciate that many in the church did. For those of you like me, let me take this chance to help you get to know this incredible young man. Micheal was a twenty three year old man who attended the University of Georgia where he was majoring in parks and leisure studies. He hoped to study wildlife at Plant Vogtle or become a game warden. He was an avid hunter and golfer--the kind of guy who just loved to be outdoors, so much so that he wanted his career to involve the outdoors. Where most of us work in an office or a comfortable building somewhere, he wanted his office to be the natural world that God has put is into. He is described as a polite young man with an addictive and magnetic personality. Micheal was very active in several youth ministries, some in North Carolina and especially the River of Life nearby in Lincolnton, Georgia. He was a member of Marvin United Methodist Church and was involved in ministries at UGA. Micheal loved the Lord, and was a devout follower of Jesus Christ, and the Lord called him home on Saturday, December 1, 2007.

I have spoken to some members of this church and learned as much as I could about this angel among us. I spoke to them about the grieving process. It is alright to grieve. It is alright to be saddened about the loss of someone so dear in our lives. But we as good Christians must remember to pray, and as we pray we ask God to help us every day to grieve less and celebrate his life more. This young man accomplished much more in his short twenty three years than I have in my thirty five. Here, what some people might still consider a child, I can actually call a role model. Micheal spent and devoted much of his life spreading the word of God, to anyone who would listen, and worked especially hard on those who would not listen.

In times like these we sometimes question God "why" he would call someone home who is so young with so much ahead of him. But we must remember that it is never our place to question the Lords motives. Now Micheal is a part of all of our lives, he was a true believer, and as we believe then we must realize that he is with Jesus. We must celebrate the time we had to spend with him, and if you didn't get a chance to know him, you celebrate the fact that there was such a good person in this world. He was the type of person that I would like to be, and especially the type of person that I would like my children to turn out to be.

And "For Micheal", I never got the chance to get to know him, but now, I don't think I can ever forget him. You have done well young man, we will see you when we get there.

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Luke 2:16-19 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

So historians put Mary's age somewhere between the age of 12 and 20; in any case, she was a young woman. So much has happened to her in the last nine months or so, and now she finds herself very pregnant and riding a donkey for 2 or 3 days to Bethlehem. No nice little overnight bag filled with a focal point, a back massager, shampoo, and clean clothes. Just her and Joseph, plodding along on the back of a donkey, carrying the Son of God in her womb. When it becomes clear that she's about to give birth, her man can't find anywhere to stay. No cushy labor room with a recliner and climate control. No epidural or Demerol or Lamaze coaching. Just the corner of a stable, with maybe some straw and rags. In the world we live in now, that was an ugly birthing experience.
As a mother, I remember my child's birth well, and I can't imagine it as Mary experienced it. Was she afraid? Or was her faith so great that she found serenity in the experience? I wonder about the immense joy and pride she must have felt at being the one chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus; what a beautiful sight it must have been after Jesus was born--the simplicity of the location combined with the enormity of the occasion. It would have been so quiet there. No traffic or TV's or phones ringing. No continual buzz of electricity like we have now. Just the sounds of life. Life like there never was before. A tiny little heartbeat, changing the world forever.

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
~Robert Louis Stevenson

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