It is Christmas! This is the greatest event in the history of the world! The mystery and wonder of Christmas is summed up in the words of the Gospel of John,
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 NIV)
This is an absolutely staggering statement that the Creator of the Universe, the eternal Word who is God, became a human being.
This miracle of the “incarnation” is preceded by another miracle; this is the creation of the universe itself.
This first miracle called into existence the creation, the second birthed Jesus Christ – the Word become flesh, through whom the Father has made possible the further miracle of our New Birth into the Kingdom of God and the final miracle of our resurrection to life everlasting in the New Heaven and the New Earth.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we also need to honor the Holy Spirit who is making possible these miracles. Each step in this vast plan of God the Father, centered in Jesus Christ, is made possible through the agency of the Third Person of the Trinity.
The Annunciation by El Greco
The Holy Spirit continues His birthing work by then enabling us to be born again into the Kingdom of God and then raised to new life. (John 3:5-8, Romans 8:11)
Now, why is honoring the Holy Spirit in this series of miracles so important? The reason is that the same Holy Spirit is still working now to bring us into the reality of what God, the Father, has done and is doing in the miracle of Christmas.
The Holy Spirit is the one who links us into the reality of Christmas, the one who makes this not just a wonderful moving story, but the Way of Life for us.
My prayer for all of us is that this Christmas we may welcome the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, knowing that He will bring us more and more to love and follow Jesus and be His witnesses.
In turn the Holy Spirit will more and more work through us continuing the miracle of more and more people being birthed into the Kingdom of God.
That way Christmas continues all year round and grows all over the world,
to the Glory of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Thank you for this wonderful January 8 newsletter. Thank you, Brad, for your vulnerability in sharing about your mother’s loss when you were right in the middle of it.
I had trouble HEARING the video on the “Holy Spirit and the Continuing Miracle of Christmas.” Maybe there was a way to increase the volume that I did not see?
Thanks much.
PRMI is in my prayers and close to my heart.
In Christ for His Kingdom,
Kayse Dean