A Message of Christmas

When God entered humanity, He came through a single teenage mother’s unplanned pregnancy. His cousin jumped for joy six months in the womb just being near Him! At birth, He was placed in a feeding trough for animals. He would be raised by a stepfather with younger stepbrothers. He would be tempted in every way that we are but did not sin.

The heavenly hosts celebrated with lowly unsuspecting shepherds minding their business of watching sheep. Wise men who understood the signs in the skies traveled a great distance to worship Him. A widow who fasted and prayed prophesied over Him, as did an old man who God had promised would get to see Him within His lifetime.

The political authority of His day wanted to kill Him at birth. The religious leaders in His time wanted to kill Him as a man. But to those who believed that He was who He claimed to be, He turned water into wine, walked on water, used a few fish and loaves of bread to feed thousands of families, and made blind men see.

Then He would willingly spill His own innocent life blood so that whoever believes could have eternal life through Him. Because there was no other way to come to the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus would also say, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)

God entered humanity miraculously as fully human and divinely God bridging that gap between our finite existence and an infinite reality. When we accept Jesus into our life as the Lord that He is, He combines His living Holy Spirit with our dead spirit and we become alive in Him!

If Mary’s dead seed had not combined with that of the living Holy Spirit, it would have sluffed off without life. But because her dead seed combined with God’s living being, she conceived.

Every time a child is conceived, fireworks of light announce a new life beginning. The DNA God knits together in a single cell has never lived before and will never be again. That single cell contains all that the child will ever be genetically – sex, hair, face, eyes, personality – and that single cell doubles on the second day and reproduces into every cell of a body. Fully human, fully alive, and growing, a child is a living human being and needs nothing added, only time, protection, and nutrition, like all of us.

This is how our Savior came to us. Like one of us. Dependent on a mother. Needing a family. A part of a community. Feeling the cold of the night. Feeling the joy of a mother’s heartbeat safely tucked within her womb.  

This is the mystery of humanity. Violated by the myth that we control our lives, that we control our universe, and the pride of presumed self-sufficiency, our sin pollutes our destiny were it not for the only cleanser that can clean that stain of sin on our soul - the blood of Jesus.

When we invite Christ to come into our life, God’s living Holy Spirit combines with our dead spirit, and we become alive in Christ! Christ comes into our life and we become new creations! The old is gone! (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

Like a teenager in an unplanned pregnancy, we too can choose life. We can respond in faith to Christ in our lives, submitting to whatever He would like to do in and through us to bring His message of hope and salvation to a world that would be dark without Him.

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)