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The
Miracle of Christmas
Wally Odum
The Christmas story began in an unlikely town
— Nazareth.
Nathaniel spoke for a
generation of Jewish people when he asked Philip, “Nazareth! Can anything
good come from there?” (John 1:46).
God wasn’t deterred by the reputations of the
town of Nazareth or the region of Galilee.
He was willing to go to an improbable place
to find a young girl who had faith. He searched the world for the right young
woman to carry His Son.
And was Mary ever the right choice! I have
trouble believing for a miracle even though there are historical precedences
for it.
Here was a young girl who believed for a
miracle that had never been experienced before and hasn’t been experienced
since.
She would be pregnant without the involvement
of a man. A virgin would give birth to the Son of God.
The social implications of her response were
staggering. She was engaged to Joseph, but they had not yet begun to live
together.
The betrothal was for a full year and then
the marriage would have taken place.
However, unfaithfulness during the betrothal
period was as serious as adultery after marriage.
She and Joseph, and ultimately Jesus, would
live under a cloud of suspicion for the rest of their lives.
Mary’s response to the angel’s announcement
was predictable. She was “troubled.”
The Greek word means that she was thoroughly
confused and perplexed. Why shouldn’t she be? This had never happened before in
all human history.
Mary asked the only
question that made sense at the time: “‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the
angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’” (Luke 1:34).
The angel’s response showed that this would
have to be the result of the Holy Spirit’s activity.
“The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy
one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
Miracles just don’t happen without the
activity of the Holy Spirit. It was true then for this amazing event and it’s
true now.
So, here is a lesson for all of us from the
Christmas story, and it applies to us not just at Christmas, but every other
day of our lives.
We cannot live the life God wants for us, and
achieve the dreams he has for us, without the power of the Holy Spirit.
The work of the Holy Spirit was God’s side of
the miracle, but what about Mary’s responsibility?
Tucked away in the original language of her
conversation with the angel was a word that isn’t noticed from a quick reading
of the exchange with Gabriel.
The angel said to
Mary, “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
Mary responded to the
angel: “May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38).
Literally, the angel
said to Mary, “No rhema of God is powerless.”
A rhema is a Greek expression for a “word.”
When God speaks, what He says isn’t powerless
but is able to bring a miracle to pass.
She got the message. She
responded, literally, “Let it be to me according to your rhema.”
Mary was saying,
“If the rhema of God is powerful and does not fail, then let that word work for
me.” God wants that to be our response.
“Since your Word is
not powerless, let it be to me according to your Word.”
We learn from Mary to never give up on the
rhema of God.
There may seem to be obstacles to God’s
promises, but those obstacles can’t stop us if we hold fast to what God has
said.
His word is powerful. The power of the Holy
Spirit and the power of God’s Word are still available.
This would be a good time to watch what God
will do. It worked for Mary and it will work for us.
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him
and experience an amazing change in your own life. Discover how you can find
peace with God. You can also send us your prayer requests.
Pastor
Wally Odum has been in ministry for over 30 years and loves to share the
Gospel. He brings a relevant, inspirational approach to the Bible. Wally values
relevance, but he also values authenticity. His goal is to make Biblical truth
relevant to the lives of all who hear him.
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