Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19, NIV)

We know that in the midst of this romantic tale lies a real story of deprivation and glory, of simplicity and splendor. A small woman, a small baby, the rags of poverty, the riches of salvation—all of these elements are woven so tightly into a single fabric that there is no sorting the warp from the woof. The only place where all of the majesty of that first Christmas, complete with all of its earth-shattering splendor could live was within the heart of a real woman in a real stable on a real night, making possible the real story of our salvation. The heart is that small, fleshly vault that holds vast treasures none can ever take away. Thus, we return to a crude manger each Christmas to look again at a story quickly told but never forgotten. Mary's pondering was contagious. Now the whole world ponders this glorious epoch of redemption. — Calvin Miller