More Than a Little Story

Picture this: A teenage girl will get pregnant but she is still a virgin. When it's close to time for her Baby to be born, she will travel with her future husband to a small town where she will spend the night in a stable and have a Son who will turn out to be the Savior of the world. Not long after the Baby's birth, people will spontaneously start showing up to see Him-from society's elite to social outcasts.

Now, that's more than a little story.

Take the time right now to read the Christmas Story in Luke 2: 1-20.

Mary. Joseph. The shepherds. The wise men. Even though every one of them sounds like an unlikely character to be part of Jesus' birth, they each played a crucial role in the events of the Christmas story.  These individuals faced situations that caused fear and doubt, yet each one chose to fully obey God, even when it didn't make sense, and He used them in His plan to bring salvation to the world.

Let's look at Mary since she is the only girl in the story! Mary is a typical Jewish teenage girl (yes, a teenager) who lives in a small town with her parents. She is planning to get married to a local carpenter named Joseph and lead an ordinary life. But in the midst of a regular day, a single moment will shatter the normal routine of her existence.  Through an angel, Mary will be asked to surrender her life to God's plan to save humanity. This plan includes her becoming supernaturally pregnant with the Son of God so that He can enter human history. Regardless of the risks or costs involved, Mary must be willing to do what God asks of her with no assurance anyone except Him will ever understand. After wrestling with the consequences of her decision, Mary will be eager to be used by God and will make herself fully available to Him in spite of the shame, ridicule, and loneliness she will undoubtedly face. When Mary accepts what God asks her to do, she will do so with no guarantee Joseph will believe her.

Granted, God may never make an extreme request  of you like He did Mary. Yet, you have the same choice as Mary did that first Christmas: you can choose to trust God enough to allow His Son to come alive in your witness to those who are in need of Him. The story of Jesus' birth is YOUR story, told to you and for you. God is still writing His story in this world and He is calling YOU to be a part of it. While you may not understand everything God has planned for your life, you can know God has a purpose for you and will use you to accomplish His desire to bring salvation to the world.

My prayer is like Mary, you will say yes to God's calling on your life, whatever it may be, so that you can tell others about the greatest gift and story ever told. Allow God to accomplish great things through you!

Merry Christmas!

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan