The Reason for the Season
Many people have become desensitized to the super natural (God) awe-inspiring miracles documented in the Bible. And this one is one of the greatest. This season my prayers are for me and for my community and elsewhere to allow God to re-present the story of Christ in a way that reminds you that this story is not a fairytale, it does not equate to a Disney movie that we grew up watching.
Let’s get into this for real. His birth 👏🏾WAS 👏🏾A 👏🏾MIRACLE.
In the Luke series of EyeWitness (a phenomenal series, BTW - https://eyewitnessbible.org/luke/) there is a discussion surrounding the great doctor Luke, and how someone who actually has medical knowledge of births would believe. The exploration of this topic is so amazing because if we are to look at Jesus’ story as historical fact, then why is there no cultural or documented dispute regarding the virgin birth of Mary?! The video gives a fantastic explanation of the cultural references that explain how completely awesome this simple (but not) overlooked fact is. WATCH IT - it’s great.
Ok so... God sent an angel (one of only a few named in the Bible) to go TALK TO MARY!🤯
(Pause here) what would flip a doctor like Luke’s (well-known, brilliant, and technical, logical, science-oriented - he’s a DOCTOR) heart so much to document and discuss in detail the angel’s conversation with Mary?!
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,”
Luke 1:26-32 NIV
https://www.bible.com/111/luk.1.26-32.niv
Can you imagine the way Mary must have felt, (remember she’s not a fairy tale character....) she was REAL. She experienced a MIRACLE.
(Pausing again) Have you ever talked to someone who’s experienced a crazy faith miracle (shout out to @wearetramsformation) and talked to the person about it after? A healing, an event that happened that everyone said, science said COULD NOT HAPPEN?! The testimonies are extra-ordinary, they are healing and transformative in themselves - especially when it’s in the name of God.
Back to Mary...can you imagine?!
And this is just the BEGINNING.
Dear lord, as I reflect on this Sunday morning - I thank you for providing me with an abundance of resources. I know that this is your answers to my prayers for knowledge and truth in faith and grace. I continue to be flipped upside down by your guidance through my immersive journey in your word. I want to thank you for allowing the transformative and amazing story of Jesus to not just be a story from a book but a factual, historical moment that restored you in all creation...and in me. Lord, your spirit is REAL! Let it touch those who don’t even know you and transform their lives too!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.