A Child is Born

I'll bet you have an idea where this is going. Well, you are half right.

I just received a phone call from Anne. She is at the hospital and preparing to have a baby.

As Christians, we dwell on the amazing birth of Jesus during this holiday season.

You may remember that I wrote about death being the last of many miracles that make up a life. Well, birth is one of the first. I don't know what all of your experiences have been concerning births, but I am sure that each of you have experienced the process first hand - or maybe first foot. I cannot imagine, after having witnessed the process, that anyone could not believe that a birth is a miracle.

This miracle is about to take place in Idaho with Anne and Mark having Cody. Around the country and world, similar miracles are happening while I am writing this. But, right now, I want to concentrate on the reason for the season.

The birth of Jesus was a miracle. In fact, it was a miracle several times over again. As with any birth, it was the miracle of a new life coming into the world. That in itself is an unbelievable event. Second, it was a miracle due to the virgin birth. That in itself is a must-be-believed event. Third, it was a miracle because this baby Jesus was God in the flesh coming to dwell among the people. That in itself changed the course of history for the unbelievers and believers alike.

Setting aside the miracles of a birth, a virgin birth, the appearance of God in the flesh; what was the importance of the birth of Jesus? Why is this such a big deal? I believe the answer is tied to the miracle at the other end of the life. The birth of Jesus became a history changing event due to the life and death that followed.

If the plan of God had not been what it was, then this birth, over 2,000 years ago, would not be noticed today. Even if that birth was still a virgin birth, I do not believe we would take notice. The world takes notice, each year, of the Christmas holiday. They do not all believe that Jesus is or was who He claimed. They do not all believe the Bible, but they almost all do take notice of this day whether it is to celebrate it or deny the reason for the celebration.

The birth was the beginning of the unique life of the God-man. Jesus was all God and all man at the same time. What would we remember and celebrate about the birth of Jesus if the birth and the unique life was all that happened? These two parts, together, may be enough for us to still remember and talk about. Maybe even enough for us who love God to have set aside a holiday in remembrance of that special thing that happened a long time ago.

The celebration of the miracle of the birth of Jesus is directly tied to the miracle of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the ending events that make the beginning events so special. The plan of God not only included a virgin birth for the Son of God, but culminated in the three days that changed everything since then. It is the death of the Son of God and what that means for us that is so special. Without Jesus dying in our place we would be without hope.

It is because of the miracle of the death of Jesus that I celebrate the miracle of the birth of Jesus.