The message of Christmas is loaded with practical advice and inspiration. It is the greatest story ever told, containing truth from thousands of years ago that still applies today. Isn’t that incredible? Three things I want to share with you about the Christmas story.
#1 God uses ordinary people
It’s important for us to see that Mary was an average, ordinary person. She wasn’t a person of power or prestige. Mary was like you and me. In Luke 1:26-38 the angel comes to Mary with a message of hope, not because of something she does, but what God does. God comes to ordinary people like you and me with a message of hope, and it’s not because of what you or I do, it’s what God does.
#2 God sees what can be instead of what is
So often you and I focus on what we have lost, but God sees what is possible in our lives. God knew it was going to be difficult for Mary, but He also knew that He was sending His Son to create a new kingdom to reign forever. God comes to encourage us to look beyond our current circumstances, to remember that He is the ultimate Creator. So often when we think of God as Creator, we think of the creation story in Genesis, but creation is not limited to this story in Genesis. God continues to create in our lives. Whether you are just being born or you are one hundred years old, God is still creating in our lives. When we can lift our eyes to see beyond our loss to see what is possible, that is where we find hope.
#3 God is with us
I don’t think there’s anything worse than feeling alone when you’re going through something difficult in life. When the angel came to Mary, he said “The Lord is with you.” I love this. It is another reminder for us that we are not alone; the Lord is with you. God loved us enough to come as a baby, in the form of a child, so that we would know we are never alone.
