The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:30 NRSV Bible)
The Christmas miracle began with God's blessing on Mary. Mary had been chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God. But what a strange miracle. In our society today, as it was in Mary's day, many assume that those who receive a miracle or who are favored by God will enjoy the good life: good social standing, wealth, and good health. Yet Mary, God's favored one, received the miracle of having a child out of wedlock, and her child would later die on a criminal's cross.

Actually, our ideas of miracles and being in God's favor are often out of line with God's intentions. The Christmas miracle began with God's blessing on Mary, and Mary's miracle story reminds us of how God's miracles turn our norms upside down. God's miracles are about what we really need. Jesus is the most practical gift we can ever receive into our hearts and lives. Jesus is also the most practical gift we can share with others. After all, Jesus is about eternal salvation.

A concerned little girl approached her father one day and said, "Daddy, I just don't believe it's right to ignore Jesus."
The father, more than a little confused, answered, "I agree with you. We shouldn't ignore Jesus. But what made you think of that?"
"Well, it's that Christmas song we sing at church. You know, the one that says, `O come let us ignore Him'."

Dear God, you have given me the greatest miracle in Jesus. May I live for him more and more and ignore him less and less. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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