This is What Make the Christmas Story So Powerful
You don’t have to be a person of faith to understand the power of the Christmas story.
Have you ever known it was time for something new in your life? You have this deep inner knowing that a season, relationship, or situation has run its course. It’s obvious you need to move on, but you don’t know exactly how. You can’t stay where you are but you aren’t clear on what comes next.
That’s why the Christmas story can help you.
The whole thing’s impossible
In the New Testament book of Luke, there’s a girl–she’s probably thirteen or fourteen–and a messenger from God comes to her.
Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus…Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” (Luke 1:30–31,34 NLT)
The Christmas story isn’t about a manger or a star, which is what we usually focus on because it makes us feel warm and cozy. It’s about the birth of something impossible in you. To experience the real power of Christmas, you have to first understand the glaring problem with the whole story in the Bible. It’s simply impossible.
You might say the idea that a virgin could conceive and the say “God go me pregnant” is reason enough to dismiss the story. But it’s actually a powerful reason to embrace it.
Your life is impossible
Have you ever wanted something that seemed impossible? The power of the Christmas story is that even in the most unlikely situations, hope finds a way through in unexpected ways.
The story of Christ’s birth shows us that every person, no matter their circumstance, is pregnant with divine potential. The birth of a child to a virgin means not everything good and valuable in life comes the way you’d expect it.
Have you ever had a fantastic opportunity come to you out of nowhere? A friend calls you up because they heard about a job and thought of you. Maybe the doctor offers you a new trial medicine that changes your treatment. You can’t plan for instances like these, you can only accept them as they come. Most likely, some of the pivotal moments that made your life were impossible moments that happened because you said “yes’
Mary was in an impossible situation. She lived in an oppressed society, ruled by a paranoid and dangerous king named Herod. Under the boot of the Roman Empire, Mary and her people suffered from poverty and high taxes. Political tension was everywhere and society was unstable at best.
Impossible situations give birth to new possibilities.
The birth of Christ to a virgin is logically and biologically impossible. I’m not here to try to prove or disprove anything. My point is that the highest good can breakthrough in impossible situations. The birth of Christ represents hope and renewal for anyone willing to participate. But there’s a problem.
How to face the impossible
When faced with the possibility of something new, we face the same dilemma as Mary. We make the excuse: “That’s impossible, I’ve never [fill in the blank].”
Our first response is to come up with reasons why we can’t. It’s hard for us to believe God can do something incredibly good through us if we don’t have a specific experience or the right connections. It’s hard to believe things could be immeasurably better than they are right now. Most days it seems like wishful thinking.
You too are pregnant with the potential of Christ. In other words, God can deliver a greater good through your life. You may feel your life is over and that there will never be any good in your life again. But the Christmas story teaches you to willingly accept the impossible.
As the German pastor, Meister Ekhart said:
“Christ’s birth is always happening. And yet if it doesn’t happen in me, how can it help me? Everything depends on that.”
The Christmas story is about something new and impossible being born in us. One of the ancient names for Jesus is Immanuel, which in Hebrew means “God with us.” Not God above us, behind us, or even ahead of us. It means God in partnership with humans, reshaping our stories and renewing the world through us.
As we allow God to reshape and redefine our story, we experience a new birth. For centuries, Christians have called this phenomenon being “born again” or born “from above.” Though it’s often covered in religious jargon, it essentially means being transformed through Christ.
This Christmas, may you experience the birth of Divine potential in your life. Grace and peace to you.