Gtcotr/ss121524
Without regard as to what a person believes, everyone realizes that there is a definite spirit of the Christmas season.
Beyond the pressures and the commercialization of Christmas, beyond the stress and the disappointments people have faced that fill Christmas with sad memories, beyond the loss of loved ones and the empty feelings we share with family and friends, there is a joy that fills the air and it is available to everyone who will embrace it.
I noticed it here in our Church Friday night as hundreds of families gathered for our annual Christmas Fest. More than the free food, games, toys and candy, it was the smiles on the faces of the children and the joy in the hearts of the parents. You could feel that feeling of being in the Christmas spirit. It was wonderful.
Something powerful, something magnificent, something splendid awaits us on Christmas. It’s like standing on your tiptoes to see out of the window, hoping to catch the first glimpse of snow, safe and warm yet feeling the cold wind just on the other side of the frost-covered glass.
Christmas is exciting … well - Christmas is as exciting as you will allow it to be. It’s meant to be exciting. God sent His son – Christmas – the Birth of Jesus. In fact, nothing is more exciting than the Christmas Miracle. Are you expecting a Christmas miracle this year? Perhaps you should be.
As I said earlier: Without regard to what a person believes, everyone realizes that there is a definite spirit of the Christmas season. This Christmas spirit stirs in the hearts and minds of men and women, boys and girls, believers and non-believers alike. Christmas is for everyone, but not everyone enjoys it as God intends.
Faith cannot be separated from expectancy. Faith is simply expecting a miracle. What qualifies as a miracle? A miracle is anything God does. The Christmas miracle is God doing something for you. Once again: Are you expecting a Christmas miracle this year?
The Bible account of the first Christmas begins with an angel of God visiting a young girl named Mary who lived in the town of Nazareth. The angel’s name was Gabriel. It was about this time of year when Mary was surprised to find out that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus.
However, before she could receive the blessings God had planned for her, Mary had to come into agreement with God and with His plan for her life. Even though she did not know how, she nonetheless believed the angel Gabriel when he told her:
Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Mary voiced her agreement with God in the next verse:
Luke 1:38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
The passage I want us to focus on today comes a few verses down, from what Mary said some days later in the story. Let’s turn in our Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verses 46 thru 49. (I encourage you to read the entire first chapter of Luke to confirm all the details.)
Luke 1 NKJV
46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.”
Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. Right up until the angel’s message, Mary never expected herself to be special. After she came into agreement with God and with His plan for her life, she never expected anything less, nor should we. Mary believed in her Christmas miracle, and her faith gave a Christmas miracle to us all.
Listen to her exclamation:
Luke 1:49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me.
Can you believe it? God almighty, who can do anything, has created a magnificent, splendid, wonderful miracle, for me – Moi!
Mary took it personal that she had been included in the plan of God. Just as miraculous is the fact that God’s plan also includes you.
Three Take-Aways from The Christmas Miracle
