December 06, 2019

Mary Did You Know?


Try this. Go to YouTube. Search the Pentatonix version of  Mary Did You Know? Turn up the volume. Close your eyes. Soak up the harmony and let the lyrics go deep into your soul. Listen to the end. You feel it, don’t you?

That’s the feeling of awe.

And that’s why I love Christmas and the music of Christmastime. Mary, the Palestinian Cinderella, inspires some of the best Christmas music.

Mark Lowry crafted the lyrics of the song that’s become a Christmas favourite on par with White Christmas and Silent Night. The lyrics of Mary, Did You Know? ignite imaginations with some of the deepest mysteries of Christmas. Its my favorite Christmas song.

Lowry’s mother, Bev, gave him the spark of his original idea. Mark says, “I just tried to put into words the unfathomable. I started thinking of the questions I would have for her if I were to sit down & have coffee with Mary.”

Did Mary realize the tiny hands of her infant were the same hands that scooped out oceans & formed rivers?

Did she know that “the blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again, the lame will leap, the mute will speak?”

Did she understand that “When you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God?”

 

Christmas, at its core, is a celebration of the Incarnation.

 

Mary is told:

 

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Luke 1:31


“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 2:35

If anyone knew Jesus was virgin born, it was Mary. Her silence at the cross is proof that her story was indeed true.

The song reminds that the baby to whom Mary gave birth would walk on water, heal the broken, and save us.

Mary’s baby boy is “Lord of all creation” and, in fact, “the great I AM.”

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together… and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.’ (Colossians 1:15-17, 20)

Jesus entered our reality to save us, to make us new, to heal us, and to die for us as Heaven’s perfect Savior.

Ready to dial in the Pentatonix song again? Enjoy.

What is your favorite Christmas song?

Merry Christmas!

I am a recovering perfectionist who collects Coca-Cola memorabilia and drinks iced tea. The walls of our home are adorned with our sons’ framed football jerseys, and my bookshelves, with soul food. 

My writing grows hope, inspires people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Follow my writing and book reviews at REVwords.com

9 comments:

  1. Thanks Bob-that is one of my favourite Christmas songs-especially the Pentatonix version ... thanks for the background story. I have often pondered as Mary ... there is much to ponder as we experience more Christmases. May your season be joy filled.

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    1. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you, Jocelyn!

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  2. Pentatonix does such a great job of this song, but I love it in any version.

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    1. May you enjoy many times of refreshing in the days ahead as you "ponder" things from God in your heart.

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  3. We are blessed by a beautiful tradition of Christmas songs, carols, solos, and cantatas. . . “Mary, Did You Know?” is such an excellent and more recent addition to our repertoire. (Thanks for sharing this Pentatonix rendition and the history of how it was written.) Our Christmas songs remind us of Jesus coming to earth to redeem us and teach us how to live and this song is no exception.

    May this song touch the hearts of believers in a new way and reach out to the imaginations of those who are presently ambivalent about Christianity. Merry Christmas, Pastor Bob, to you and your loved ones.

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. All the best to you in 2020.

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  4. "Mary, Did You Know?" is indeed a powerful and touching carol that reminds us that Christmas celebrates the Incarnation. May God be with you and your family this Christmas season and all throughout the coming year.

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    1. Thank you Nina. All the best to you in 2020.

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