Contrasts in celebrating

New Year’s Eve. Traditionally, it’s a time for making a lot of noise. This is true no matter where you live. I was watching (just for a minute or two—because I really don’t make much ado myself about it) the celebrations from all over the world on the TV last night and most of the celebrations were really over the top, considering the year we've just had. But then again the old year is out, we've just celebrated the birth of Christ again, and so we are once again filled with the Hope that arrives with His coming.

I’ve heard that in Rome it is customary when the clock strikes midnight that any broken glass—mirrors, plates, and so forth—are thrown out of the windows and doors into the streets to try and “exorcise” the bad luck that supposedly accompanies these incidents and welcome the good news of a New Year. There is so much broken glass and debris that visitors are actually warned to watch where they are walking so they don’t get hurt by all the shards in the streets.

In the US—in fact in my own neighborhood last night—you hear firecrackers, shouts of “Happy New Year!” and even gunshots as the New Year is ushered in.

I heard from a reliable source that in Scotland, there is a tradition that you race from tavern to tavern to proclaim the New Year. You run because the tradition holds that the first person to set foot in a particular tavern on that early morning is entitled to a free “pint”. Sounds fun, but it seems to me that the fastest runner would very quickly become the slowest witted.

The point I’m trying to make is that in reading the Bible there are lots of times when noise is the result of hearing good news—it’s part of our human nature. Admit it—when you hear great news there is usually a lot of whooping and hollering and carrying on. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Think of the shepherds that heard of the birth of Christ from the Angel of the Lord. They went “in haste” (meaning with hearts full of great joy—remember that Mary went “in haste” to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth) to the stable. Then after seeing the Good News for themselves, they went out into the countryside probably shouting and dancing every time they met someone else on their way and relating to them what they had heard and seen.

Contrast these perfectly reasonable (well, in some cases anyway) ways most of us deal with good news to Mary at the times she is mentioned receiving good news in the gospels.

The angel Gabriel came to her and told her she was “full of grace” and that “the Lord is with you”. Can you imagine the joy that would bring to you and me? But Mary “was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be”. (Luke 1: 29) She didn’t ponder long, however, (because she was, after all, FULL of GRACE) and we know the rest of this story.

After the shepherds finally reached the stables after their visit by the angel of the Lord, they were beside themselves with joy at what they had heard and Whom they had seen. But “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart”. (Luke 2:19)

Even after finding her Son who was (she thought) lost in the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem, she didn’t go overboard (at least it’s not recorded that way) in her joy at finding Him. In fact, like any parent who is relieved to find a lost child, she gently scolded Him, by telling Jesus that she and His father were worried about him, and he shouldn’t have wandered off by himself. He, in turn, reminds her of His ultimate destiny, “and his mother kept all these things in her heart”. (Luke 2:51)

Mary really knows how to celebrate. Let me rephrase that. Mary knows that before celebrating, it is proper to thank God for everything good that happened to her. She was aware, even as a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old that there would be plenty of time for celebrations in the eternal presence of our Creator.

It's a lesson we would all benefit from learning. We can celebrate good news. We just don't have to be "noisy" about it. Plenty of time for that later.