Resource - Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, Mike Slaughter, Abingdon Press, 2011
The Miracle of Christmas
There is a lot of miracle talk around Christmas! Somehow, even the most cynical persons among us find reason to hope for miracles! Even serious people are willing to talk about the appearance of Santa Claus, with his time-defying ride through the skies, in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer with their kids!
Then, too, sentiment comes easily this time of year. The story, of The Miracle of 34th Street, brings a tear to our eye even though rationally we know it is pure fantasy.
I enjoy watching the old film, It’s a Wonderful Life, because it touches some part of me that wants life to be better, that hopes for some miracle that stops the suffering I see and experience. I cheer for good George Bailey, (played by James Stewart) the guy whose lost hope in a grim world run by greedy people. The miracle theme runs through the film as we meet Angel 2nd Class Clarence who is, at first, inept in his mission, but who gets it right in the end!
As much as we might want these stories to be true, as much as we might desire a Santa Claus to show up with all the goodies, toys, and joys we want; maturity forces us to recognize the truth. Our warm, fuzzy ideals about the holiday are out of our reach, unattainable, no matter how many gifts we buy, no matter how many strings of lights we hang, no matter how many of us gather for Christmas parties.
But, all is not lost!
There is a real Christmas miracle, better than Santa Claus, that gives us something far better than the latest gadget or game. The Bible says: (Romans 5:2-8, NIV)
"We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ... hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Talk about a miracle!
Caught in the grip of death, living in darkness, we who were separated from our God and from life in His love, receive a gift that changes everything, but not in the way we would think. God didn’t choose to show up like Santa Claus, with a bag full to toys, though some wish He would. He came humbly to live among us, to identify with us, and to offer Himself up as the sacrifice that reconciles you and me to our Father!
Inspired by the Spirit, the ancient prophet had promised the miracle!
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14, NIV) Immanuel (That name means “God with us”) became a figure that loomed large in the imagination of the Jews.
Hearing God’s promises they began to imagine what this Messiah would be like. Soon they had built a hope around a glorious King who would come with glory and power! He would bring freedom and prosperity. He would make their lives easier.
And, indeed, there was reason to hope for those things. The same prophet was inspired to write further of the One who was to come that he would be the "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:6-7, NIV)
Over time, their ideal of the coming Messiah, became somewhat like our idealized dreams of Santa Claus. He would be the one who filled their plates with food, who would create a paradise of life- right here, right now.
Is your Jesus like that?
Do you wish Him to be the bearer of good gifts, the idol god of our materialism, who will fulfil you by granting your wishes for more stuff?
The miracle we crave is not redemption from sin, but rather a richer experience in this present world.. We want our wishes fulfilled by a figure who makes few demands of us and yet gives us everything. If we think carefully about it, we could find many parallels in our image of the mythical Santa Claus and our re-created image of Jesus Christ.
Both live far away.
Both show up only occasionally and are not a part of everyday life.
Both threaten to hold us accountable for being naughty or nice, but we know it never really happens.
Both are perfect figures, but not really persons with whom we can identify ourselves.
From both we demand a miracle.
I do not intend to even imply that Jesus and Santa are even similar. I do not wish to give Santa that kind of glory, nor to reduce Jesus to mythical status! My point is that many tend to think of them in similar terms.
How tragic! To do so is to miss the real miracle!
Here’s how Isaiah foretold it:
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:5-6, NIV)
The Messiah would bring about change, not with a wave of wand or even an outpouring of material goods. He would enter into the world, become part of it and align himself with the poorest, the neediest, those who were marginalized, and those who truly were hungry to know God.
In this He was not at all what they expected or even wanted! John tells us that "He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him." (John 1:10-11, NLT)
The miracle He offered was not the miracle they wanted. It was an offer of a new life, an invitation to a transformation that would lead to a different kind of life. They wanted only an improvement on the lives they already were living. They wanted comfort without change. But, Jesus came with a miracle that was much, much more than mere sentiment. He would not simply give them a nice story to evoke some warm fuzzy feeling or a tear in the eye.
His gift was a Kingdom and it could only be entered by discipleship. “Come, follow me,” He said, “And I will allow you to become people who change the world and ultimately live at home in your Father’s house.”
Best of all, in His love for the lost, the low, and the least - He showed the world the heart of God! That’s a miracle!
This Christmas, I need to ask you if you’re open to His miracle?
Are you insisting He be the Savior you think you want or will you let Him be the Savior we all need?
While you might think you need to like Santa Claus to effect a real change in the world around you, the truth is that you need to be like Jesus!
Instead of just offering presents, how about offering presence?
Instead of giving stuff, how about giving yourself?
This message is not an easy one to hear. A human interest story that causes a tear to slip down your cheek and tugs at your heart strings would be more ‘Christmasy’ in our modern understanding of the season.
Or you might prefer a story like Dicken’s own ‘Christmas Carol’ with three ghosts that bring about a miraculous change in the heart of old Ebenezer Scrooge during a strange night of dreams and nightmares.
But, the real story is much more compelling.
"This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” (Matthew 1:18-23, NLT)
God with us, God becomes one of us - for what purpose?
To save us from our sins!
Now He commissions us to go and be miracle workers, too.
The same Spirit that empowered Jesus, empowers us. He was born into an ordinary family, a forgettable town, largely unremarkable, until God sent Him to proclaim the coming Kingdom. He did his greatest miraculous work at the point when he was weakest, as He hung naked on the Cross!
Perhaps you’re undistinguished, a person from ordinary circumstances, living an unremarkable life. God desires you to be His partner to do miracles.
Before you go off and try to do all kinds of grandiose things, think of a different kind of miracle; a miracle of bold, persistent love that reaches into the lonely life of another and helps them to find hope in Christ.
Think of a miracle of trust that allows you to live with such peace and purpose that your daily life is an invitation to your friends and family to know the living and loving Father who loves you!
Pastor Mike Slaughter writes about our desire for a Christmas miracle. His words grabbed my attention and held on. “Christmas is about a miracle. Miracles don’t just happen; they are born through labors of pain. The dictionary defines ‘miracle’ as a visible interruption of the laws of nature, understood by divine intervention and often accompanied by a miracle worker.
In other words a miracle is a unique event in the world that God does through people like you and me. That’s right – you are God’s miracle worker! You are God’s means to affect change in your world and God wants to birth a miracle through you.
Every miracle of God is conceived in the heart of the believer, grows in conviction and clarity, and is delivered through committed action. And every spirit-filled Christian has the potential for a God movement within them. Are you ready for God to birth a Christmas miracle through you?”
Are you ready to be a Christmas miracle?
Prayer –
