We often hear, or speak about this thing called “a Christmas miracle”. We know and say that Christmas is the time for miracles, a time for hope and belief. And after this year, I bet we all could do with a double dose of that. This year has definitely taken it’s toll on all of us, some more than others, but all of us, none the less. After a year like this, after all the darkness and evil we have seen, after all the hurt we have dealt with, some of us could be tempted to give up hope. Tempted to stop believing in miracles. It would be easier, right?
This year, in 2020, the year of horror…amidst all the chaos, battles, anger, heartbreak and loss, we saw something happen that has not happened for over 2,000 years: the Christmas Star.
It looked different to all. For some it was dimmed by surroundings or the overpowering city lights. For others it was obstructed by clouds. Yet still for some others it shone brightly. Whatever it looked like to you, dim, obstructed, bright, or just underwhelming, not what you thought or wished it would be…non of us can deny that it was there. It still stood in the sky, shining its light down on us. A symbol of hope. God is still there. He still sees, and He is still in control and working, whether we see it the way we desire or not.
It was a type of Christmas miracle. Perhaps not as glorious or eye popping as we wanted, but a miracle, non the less. Imagine it: the Christmas Star, having not appeared for 2,000 years, shone in the sky in the year 2020…a year many of us have hated and wished would come to an end! Christmas IS a time for miracles. But why is that? Why is Christmas always seen as a time for the impossible, for things out of the ordinary, happy endings or for hope? Perhaps it’s because of the first Christmas miracle to ever take place years ago…
Over 2,000 years ago, in a year much like this one, full of fear, unrest, loss and hopelessness…another Christmas Star shone down on the earth. Down on a sleepy little town in the darkness. Down on a group of outcast shepherds, gathered around a feed trough. Down on livestock, huddled together in a cold stable. Down on a young mother, holding her newborn son. Every baby is a miracle…but there was something even more special about THIS baby. This baby was born as the savior of the world: Jesus Christ. The very first Christmas miracle.
That is why Christmas is called a time for hope, love and miracles. Not because it is really magical. Not because it holds more power than any other holiday. Not because the rest of the year is not important or can’t embody these things. But because during this time we celebrate a miracle. A God who came down to earth in the most unexpected way, in the form of a helpless baby, to live among men, to give up all and die for them. The greatest of kings, born in the most humble of places.
This Christmas, as we look at an uncertain future, as we tighten our belts or look at less presents under the tree or less family gathered around us…remember that first Christmas night over 2,000 years ago. Jesus came to earth as a baby, born of virgin, in a town that had no room for Him and a world that didn’t want Him. He came to bring light to a darkened world, hope to a hopeless time, life to a dying people.
Because of that first Christmas Star, that first Christmas miracle, we can have hope today. We can believe in miracles. Even in the darkest of times, even in the worst years, even if it seems obstructed…hope still shines. Because our hope lies not the things or people around us, not in our circumstances, but in our Savior. The One who was born this day, and died so that we could have life forever with Him. So that we could have hope…hope in a dark world full of trouble.
But do not fear…for HE has overcome the world!