Saturday, December 23, 2006

The God of Miracles

12/23/2006 – LANGHORNE, Penn. We believe in the God of miracles. On Monday we will celebrate the birth of the Greatest of those miracles. When we arise on Christmas morning there will be excitement and expectation in the air. The angels in the heavens will be wondering what the sheep of His pasture will actually do this 25th day of December, 2006.

The children know what to do. They open their presents and feel and touch and play with whatever is inside. They also give thanks and hugs to the person from whom each gift came. They are also reminded in some way of the real meaning of Christmas and how wonderful Jesus really is.

The grownups know what to do also. They may not be as excited as the children but the joy and the fun of it all is still there. Sometimes there is also sorrow that creeps in amidst all the fun and laughter. Memories from our past sometimes haunt us. Circumstances in our present lives that just don’t seem right cloud over part of the sunshine that envelops this special day. These memories and circumstances may be personal or they may include a wider group of people like our nation or even the world. Thinking of the future can become an exercise full of doubt and anxiety.

But we believe in the God of miracles. So on this very special day the angels see the sheep of His pasture doing something else as well. They see us not only giving thanks for the miracles of the past and of the present, but they also see us giving thanks for the miracles yet to come. Amidst those future miracles the memories that haunt us will be no more. The circumstances in our present lives that just don’t seem right will change. These miracles may happen this year or the next but we know this truth. They will happen according to God’s will, according to God’s plan, and no one knows the how and the when and the who better than our Father in heaven. Like the title of an old TV show, Father Knows Best. Also, and most importantly, Father loves us very, very much.

We believe in the God of miracles. On Monday we will celebrate the birth of the Greatest of those miracles, the greatest fact of God’s love for His children. And so with great expectation and hope we will still sing as do the angels:

For unto us a child is given, unto us a son is born, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

So every day of this year and the next, and the next, keep praying for miracles, for God always answers prayer.

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year :-)
Allan, Young, Ruth, and AJ Winger - Chalet Eagle