One of the most popular, newer Christmas songs is the one in this title, and it’s not Christmas in most churches until someone sings it.  And in spite of an FB post the other day that said yes, she DID know (and referenced the angel’s appearance to her) it still is a song that captures the wonder and beauty of Christ coming to the Earth as a baby at Christmas.

This song theoretically asks questions of Mary about the power that Jesus would have in His ministry, including the ultimate power to give up His life and rise again to save all mankind from sin and hell.  It also asks if Mary knew that Jesus was God and He would “one day rule the nations”.   In other words, did Mary really understand…not just intellectually know..AND believe that all prophecy about the Messiah was being fulfilled through her son? And did she accept that she too would need the salvation that He offered?

Listening to this song again the other day, the Lord spoke to my heart and showed me another way to interpret this song, and I could not believe that I had missed it before.  What if, instead of “Mary”, we inserted other names in that song?  And changed the lyrics just slightly?  After all, we are carrying the same Jesus she did – just in our hearts, and not physically!  So what if it said, “Christian, did you know, that Christmas was about Jesus, and not Santa?” Or “Christian, did you know, that Christmas means one day I WILL rule the nations, so why do you fret over evil?”  Or, “Christian, did you know, that I am the way to salvation, so why aren’t you using Christmas to tell others about me?”  After all, the heart of our Gospel BEGINS at Christmas!  Without Jesus coming as a baby, His life, death, and resurrection would NOT have happened…and where would we be?

I believe that sometimes we spend Easter focusing on salvation, and how it cost SO much to save us.  And because of that, we tend to “fluff over” the deeper meaning of Christmas….that Jesus was born specifically to DIE for us, and that Christmas was the way He chose to begin that process.

So, maybe we need to ask ourselves…do we really KNOW?  And if we do, then what are we doing about it?  Are we spending another Christmas season immersed in culture, with a nod to our heritage…or are we truly celebrating what we KNOW and sharing it with others?  May God help us to understand that and work for His glory!