December 24 2016
Christmas Eve Why not a Virgin Birth? Pastor Jacqueline Hines
Our world is ever
changing. Nothing stays the same, especially in our technological age. For
example, as a little child climbed onto Santa’s lap, Santa asked the usual
question, “And what would you like for Christmas?” The child stared at him open
mouthed and horrified for a minute, then gasped: [slide # 1 Santa and child] “Santa, didn’t you met my E-mail?”
Our children are most
often the beneficiaries of changes that happen in this world as well they
should be. We want them to be better off than we had it. We are eager to see
them fly high, [slide
# 2 eagle] advancing and improving on the
good things that we pass on to them.
Children and youth
amaze us with their ability to adopt new changes that others resist or find too
confusing to enjoy.
There is a commercial
about something called Galaxy that you put over your eyes. Those wearing the
Galaxy have a very dramatic and exciting experience, so much so that they jump
out of their seats, or scream, or laugh until they cry. There is no end to
devices that are new and different and were unimaginable just a few years ago.
All throughout life we
find things that are new to us, or different from what we have always known.
All throughout our lives we encounter something that we would have never imagined.
[slide # 3 man
high in air]
Even what is common and
ordinary in our lives is beyond our understanding. A baby is born and we cannot
fathom the intricacies of nature versus nurture. [slide # 4 baby]A saint breathes
a final breath and their life leaves a mere pinhole view of Paradise. [slide # 5 stairs to heaven]
Our understanding of
the moon, the stars, and the ocean are inscrutable. [slide # 6 moon, ocean, stars] Seedtime and harvest are uncontrollable. [slide # 7 farm] So much in life happens without our consent, and our
knowledge barely scratches the surface. So, there is no reason we cannot also
accept a virgin birth as Matthew tells us in his very first chapter:
[slide # 8 ] Matthew 1:18-25 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah* took
place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before
they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
There is a gospel song that says, “God
specializes in things that seem impossible.” With all the marvels happening in
front of our eyes, why not a virgin birth? The laws of nature are proven, yet
we witnesses to the fact that there are exceptions to every rule. There are things
that are strictly in God’s hands. [slide #9 in God’s hands]
A very intelligent man took a good look at the
human body and told God, “I can make that.” He bent down and picked up a hand
full of dirt, and God said, “Uh Uh…get your own dirt.”
No matter which way we turn, we cannot escape
the fact that there is more to life than we can make of it. So why not believe
in a virgin birth? Why not expect a miracle instead of your mess, even if it is
a messy miracle? Why not pray and labor in love and talk to God every day until
you get an answer? [slide # 10 praying man]
There are after all at least 4 answers to
prayer: # 1 God says yes, of course; #2 God says no – no way; # 3 God says maybe
–depending upon whether you do your part; and # 4 God says you must wait – because
someone needs more time to build strength, or courage, or forgiveness, or
repentance or understanding.
Let this be the evening that you [slide # 11 reaching toward
Heaven] reach toward Heaven and look for your biggest dreams to come
true with divine intervention. Let this be the Christmas you begin praying for
healing and hope without stopping until you hear God answer. Let this be the
year that you resolve to follow the one, born of a virgin, and discover how to
take care of yourself, your family and your neighbors as God guides you in ways
that are new, and different, and unimaginable. [slide # 12 underwater dance] Why not? Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment