𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣

• Think about something you started or made from scratch. Why did you do it? What makes it memorable?

• Name one person you enjoy being with. What makes them approachable?

• How do you show your love for someone? To what extreme will you go for them?

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, “𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩, 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙨.” 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵: “𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘭” (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴, 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴). 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟭:𝟮𝟬-𝟮𝟯

(Read also 𝗟𝗨𝗞𝗘 𝟭:𝟯𝟰–𝟯𝟴.)

Christmas is indeed a celebration, for God’s promised Messiah has come. The Jews were eagerly expecting the Messiah to become their King and save them from oppression. Since He would come from the line of David, their greatest king, people thought that He would arrive in a grand manner. However, the actual birth of the Savior happened in the most unlikely of circumstances. Regardless, God had a plan that turned the ordinary into something beautiful. Today, let’s look at this Christmas miracle, how God worked through impossibilities and changed perspectives during the birth of Jesus.

𝟭. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, “𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩, 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟭:𝟮𝟬

When Mary was told by the angel that she would bear a son, it seemed impossible to her. She was still a virgin and had not been intimate with Joseph or another man (Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:34). God revealed that the Holy Spirit would do a miracle in and through Mary and 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 (Luke 1:35), something that was outside the ordinary means of conception. It was God’s way of showing that Jesus would be born sinless and holy, different from every child born after Adam who fell from sin. How does this truth shape the way you view God’s plan of redemption?

𝟮. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀—𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆.

“𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘭” (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴, 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙪𝙨). 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟭:𝟮𝟯

In the days of the prophet Isaiah, God promised to send a man whose name means 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴 (Isaiah 7:14). Hundreds of years later, this prophecy was fulfilled exactly how God said it would happen. The coming of Jesus was God’s way of saying that He is with us in the most relatable way—by being born as a man to be like us and to be with us. Today, God still chooses to be with us, regardless of our circumstance. How has God shown you that He is with you at a seemingly ordinary place or time?

𝟯. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘀.

“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙨.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟭:𝟮𝟭

The conception and birth of Jesus in itself was truly a miracle. As He grew in age, wisdom, and stature, Jesus performed many signs and wonders. But He came to do the greatest miracle of all—saving𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴. The animal sacrifices and offerings man made to God were nowhere near perfect to completely free us from sin. But because God loves His people, He chose to give His Son to become the ultimate sacrifice. How has your life changed since you started believing in the finished work of Jesus on the cross?

Through Jesus, God worked through every impossibility in sin and the world. He is the God of impossibilities. Just as Mary trusted and submitted to God’s will, we too can do the same, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘎𝘰𝘥 (Luke 1:37–38). As we trust God for miracles, may we be a channel of His miracles to others and make Him known.

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

• Is God calling you to birth or start something that seems impossible? How may you respond in light of today’s word?

• Do you believe that God is with you today? What are some areas in your life where you need to be aware of His presence?

• Are there friends or family members you are praying for to receive Jesus’ gift of salvation? How may you become a testimony of His miraculous grace to them this week?

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥

• Praise God that nothing is too hard for Him and He is faithful to fulfill His word. Thank God for the grace to become more than conquerors through Jesus.

• Pray that you would be more aware of God’s presence that is with you anytime, anywhere. Ask God to align your thoughts and ways to His.

• Pray for someone you know who needs to hear about Jesus, God’s greatest gift to humanity. Pray that God would give you the boldness and compassion to preach the gospel to them this season.