Miracles of Christmas

At my school prayer group last week we talked about the Christmas story (well, sort of)…
Matthew 1: 18-25 (I won’t type it all out…essentially it is when Mary and Joseph each separately learn of Mary being pregnant by the Holy Spirit).
How many times have you heard the Christmas story…a gajillion, right? For me, it has become a nice story and I can tell it backwards and forwards…but how often do we REALLY stop and think about it. We focused just on this first part of the story, but it is easily carried into the rest of the story as well. Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit…Can you imagine what she thought and the fear and doubt that she felt? Can you imagine what others were saying about her?  Her response...that she was the Lord's servant and she would gladly endure for Him. (my translation!)  And Joseph…he did as the Lord commanded and stayed with her….stayed with this crazy lady that was causing a lot of grief in his life as well…They both did what they did because of their great faith and trust in God. Did they question God? Or say “why me?”…I’m sure that they did, but the fact remains that they trusted and believed during those questions.
So often we let life’s little things build up and wear us down. The craziness of the season, one more gift to buy, one more party to attend, one more card to send…STOP!!!!! Stop to remember the faith and courage of Mary and Joseph and the miracles that occurred in the story. We often think the miracle is in the birth of Jesus and it truly is…but the miracle started long before when Mary accepted this gift from the Holy Spirit and chose to continue the story….the next miracle was Joseph sticking it out in the midst of the scorn and shame…and continues in every aspect of the story. (Consider the shepherds who saw an angel and believed…and followed the star, trusting to see this baby they had heard about)…Search for the miracles this season and be encouraged that the Holy Spirit also is alive in us.

Our wonderful pastor added so much more to this story that I have been thinking so much about and having to do with the nativity scene...Maybe a new blog on that one coming soon as my heart has been stirring over it.  What an awesome God we have that He would become man like us and SAVE us.
Merry Christmas!