Tuesday, December 13, 2005

At Christmas - Time For Miracles

"Today's Devotion" For December 13, 2005

Read: Luke 1:26-38; Psalm 77

AT CHRISTMAS - TIME FOR MIRACLES

"Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display Your power among the peoples. With Your mighty arm You redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph." (Ps. 77:13-15)

One of my all-time favorite Christmas movies is "Miracle On 34th Street." No doubt you're wondering how a movie about Santa Claus (Kris Kringle) can be a favorite of mine since it has absolutely no emphasis on the birth of Jesus at all (except for a few Christmas carols). I could say that the marvelous acting of an all-star cast made up of some of Hollywood's all-time heavyweights, Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood, and William Frawley makes it a movie classic all its own. Certainly I wouldn't be lying. On the other hand it's a sad commentary on both the commercialization of Christmas (already in 1947) and the loss of the sacred meaning of Christmas in Jesus.

A speech by Edmund Gwenn (Santa Claus) touches upon the loss of a sacred vision at Christmas that has stayed with me since I first saw the movie as a child. He was speaking to Mrs. Walker (Maureen O'Hara) about how important it was for him to be recognized as Santa Claus:

"You see, Mrs. Walker, this is quite an opportunity for me. For the past fifty years or so I've been getting more and more worried about Christmas. Seems we're all so busy trying to beat the other fellow in making things go faster, and look shinier and cost less that Christmas and I are sort of getting lost in the shuffle."

What always struck me about this speech is that already in 1947 it was becoming evident that the true meaning of Christmas was being lost. Not because believing in Santa Claus was obsolete, but because this monologue, in a movie about Santa Claus, was devoid of any reference to Jesus and the miracle of His birth and the salvation He brought to the world.

John Payne plays the role of an attorney defending "Kris Kringle" as Santa Claus before a New York court. He makes this impassioned speech to Mrs. Walker: "Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to. Don't you see? It's not just Kris that's on trial; it's everything he stands for. It's kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles." Natalie Wood plays the little girl who is befriended by Santa Claus but has been told by her mother, Mrs. Walker, that no such person exists. In the end, however, when Santa Claus is in trouble with the court, accused of being mentally unbalanced, the little girl's response is quite telling: "I believe. I believe. It's silly, but I believe."

As miracles go, "Miracle On 34th Street" is no "miracle." It's a sentimental movie, fun to watch, but with no real substance behind it. It's plot is "miraculous” only in the sense that it somehow manages to avoid talking about the true meaning of Christmas, centered in Jesus Christ. But Christmas is a time of miracles. The birth of the Savior of the world is a miracle of miracles. By the power of God's Holy Spirit, a young, teenaged girl, still a virgin, named Mary, became the mother of Jesus, the Christ, the promised Messiah. She, too, cried out an "I believe" in response to the angel Gabriel’s announcement, but in a different way. Her words ring out with faith and hope and trust in God. Her words reflect the miracle of God's love, grace, and mercy in her life. Her response, "I am the Lord's servant...May it be to me as you have said" (Lk. 1:38), is a powerful statement of true faith and a miracle of God's working.

A miracle is, by definition, a suspension of the normal laws of nature. Only God can perform miracles, becasue only He has that power over nature. At Christmas we see once again that miraculous power of God - the God who caused the Savior to become man and dwell among us through His birth of a virgin - a true suspension of nature's laws. At Christmas we see God's miraculous power, not only in the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit's power, but also in the suspension of human nature as God worked faith in Mary's heart to believe Gabriel's message. At Christmas we experience that same miracle of faith in our hearts and lives as we again prepare to celebrate this solemn feast and give thanks that our forgiveness of sins and salvation to eternal life has come into our hearts and is born again in our lives every day. Christmas is truly a time for miracles - miracles of God's grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness in Jesus.

Prayer: Father, help me to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas found only in Jesus, my Savior and Lord. Forgive me for too often getting caught up in the secular nature of the season and forgetting that Christmas is a miracle of cosmic proportions, since it brings salvation to Your creation. Gracious Father, point my heart, mind, and life always toward Jesus so that my life might truly experience Your miracle of faith, just as the Blessed Virgin Mary did when Gabriel announced that she would bear the Son of God and Savior of the world. Lead me to share that miracle with others who don't yet know Your love, so they, too, might know that Christmas is, as is every day lived in Christ, a time of miracles - blessings from Your hand. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright (c) 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.

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