The Miracle of the Christmas Couple!

When the Christmas season arrives and the events that surround this wonderful time of the year, I cannot help but think about the possibilities of miracles. Imagine for just a moment the miracles that needed to happen to have the Christ child born in the city of Bethlehem.

Luke tells us the story in his Gospel (Lk. 1:26-38) about the angel’s visit and the news he brought to Mary. I like to call this miracle, The Mary Miracle. Mary asks how she can have a baby when she is a virgin. And the Angel reply’s, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” I love the Mary Miracle. The reason I do so is that it is not just an event that seems impossible (a virgin having a baby!). It is a concept or possibility that no one has ever thought about. What I mean is, I can imagine the blind being able to see, or the lame able to walk or even the dead coming back to life. What I cannot imagine is the miracle of a virgin having a baby.

The second miracle that comes to mind when I think about Christmas is also found in Luke’s Gospel (Lk. 2:1-7). I like to call this miracle, ‘The Joseph Miracle.’ We are told that the Christ child will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) the problem is, at present, Joseph and Mary are in Nazareth. Now watch here is the miracle. To get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem (Joseph’s hometown), God must move the entire Roman population. He does this by having Caesar Augustus issue a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Now, to take this census everyone had to return to their hometown to register. And so now, Mary who is about to have a baby is in Bethlehem! I love this miracle because it seems so ‘mind-blowing’ impossible. What I mean is, I can imagine Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem to visit relatives or going there to take care of some business. What I cannot imagine is the miracle of moving the entire Roman population to get one girl, who is about to have a baby, to Bethlehem.

Now, I told you about those two miracles so I can tell you about a third miracle. I like to call this miracle ‘The Miracle of the Christmas Couple in Your Life.’ This miracle is not in the Bible. But the picture is still the same. It is God coming to regular, ordinary people and asking them to do something they could never do on their own. Now, the Miracle is not in God’s asking. No, the miracle comes in our response. Yes, when we as regular, ordinary people respond to God as Mary did those many years ago by saying, “May it be to me as you have said.”

The miracle of the Christmas Couple is not that they were special and so God ask them to be part of His great redeeming plan. The miracle of the Christmas Couple is that as regular, ordinary people they said, ”Yes!” to God when He came to them. And now I wonder about you and me. For sure God does not need another Christmas Couple. But He may need a couple willing to Work or Serve or Labor in His Kingdom. Or someone willing to Give, or someone willing to Go, or someone willing to say, “Use me.” And the miracle is not that He would ask you or me.

Instead, the miracle is our response! And so, I am wondering, during this Christmas season are you willing to: Give, or Go, or Serve, or Work, or even say, “Here am I, use me!”