I believe. Don’t you? I mean...you may as well. Is what we are asked to believe in scripture at Christmastime any less wonderful or incredulous as that jolly ole dude? A virgin gave birth to a baby??? Do not deny the impossibility of the enchanted story. An angel is sent by God with a message: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:30,31).
Mary is young, but not stupid or naive so, naturally, she asks, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel claims, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…” The angel doesn’t explain everything, make a case for dogma, or dissolve all mystery, but leaves room for imagination with this reminder, “For nothing shall be impossible with God” (v37). Mary’s response is key - “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” She’s not naive, but not too enlightened to believe what cannot be true.
There is meaning in mystery that only gets unpacked when you believe. You and I are not far removed from old Nazareth and that angelic visitation. In a sense, that same sublime message is for us. As the Word was impossibly made flesh in Mary, so the Spirit would form Christ in our incomplete and broken flesh. Mysterious. Impossible. But true. It must be true. It has to be. Our only hope …“this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
Like Mary you might ask, “How can this be?” Just be sure to hear Gabriel’s words, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…” And at that point, unseen celestial creatures lean in with hopeful anticipation of your response to the proposition that’s no less fantastical than Santa Claus himself. Destiny hinges on whether you take this tendered dream for true. You don’t have to be naive, but you do have to believe.
Sometimes facts alone, like a virgin girl, are incapable of delivering the truth. So with splendid disregard for the impossible, there is conception contrary to natural limits. The Word defies normal, challenges the limits of reason, dares reality not to comply with the dream, demands the “facts” acquiesce and concede another reality. The Spirit is prepared to negotiate a miracle. Are you prepared to believe? What’s at stake is everything.
My Christmas wish is for your youthful imagination to be healed, your wonder restored, your heart re-enchanted via beauty and mystery (i.e., “the hope of glory”). This Christmas eve, I hope you’ll take some little ones outside and search the starry night sky for flying reindeer. And while you are out there, teach them these words, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” And when you’re all cozy back inside, why not set out some cookies for St Nick? Not to deny it’s a fairytale, but as a simple reminder - Sometimes fairytales and dreams come true… and “nothing shall be impossible with God”. -