Wednesday, December 25, 2024
“Merry Christmas Miracles”
Merry Christmas! We’ve made it, and for some of us, that’s quite an accomplishment. We may not look like winners today, but no matter. It’s not about finishing first. It’s about the struggle, right?
Those famous words from the creator of the modern Olympic games are important to remember. St. Paul and other Biblical writers say the same sort of thing, that winning is not coming in first. Instead, winning is making it to the finish line, no matter how long it takes us.
The arrival of Christmas represents the arrival of God’s presence in the world. God saw that our greatest need was His presence among us in this difficult and challenging world. Jesus was born into a chaotic, war-torn, and impoverished world. That hasn’t changed much, has it? It’s still just as difficult and complicated, so our need for God’s presence is needed as much today as it was 2,000 years ago.
That’s one reason why Christmas is so special. It’s a gift that continues to arrive each year, and sometimes (like this year), the gift of Christmas means so much more. The challenges we’ve faced and overcome, the demons that still haunt us, and the pains that hinder us are not strong enough to keep Christmas away. In fact, nothing can trump the power of Christmas. This year proves it. God is bigger and more powerful than everything.
Give thanks to the LORD who has shown us that we can do it. With God’s strength and power, we’ve already accomplished something we previously thought to be impossible. We’ve seen for ourselves that Merry Christmas Miracles exist and that God is very much still alive and active in this world. We did it, and God-willing, we’ll do it even better next year.
“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!” (Ephesians 3:20-21, The Message)