Believing Is Seeing

In our Children’s Church class we have been teaching a special Christmas series that I entitled “The Christmas Road Trip.”  In these adventure lessons we are traveling across Israel in the days of Jesus’ birth.  With every new day on the “road” I flash up various pictures of hot cars, old dilapidated buses, and other means of transportation on the big screen in order to keep the kids interests high.  They giggle and talk about the vehicles and then we look into the travels that Mary and Joseph and the others involved took at that time.

It is actually very interesting to see how many miles the characters in the first chapters of Luke and Matthew covered.  And not only did the individuals who made up the Christmas Story have to travel great distances, they also had to make great decisions in order to complete the plan of God for the birth of our Savior.

Zechariah, his wife Elizabeth, as well as Mary and then her fiancé Joseph all were forced to choose between following their traditions or the word of God as given to them by the angel Gabriel.  They had to make the decision to either go by sight, or to go by faith in the as yet unseen events that had been described to them.  I think that Mary’s reply to the angel’s incredible story sums up the way that each of the four characters involved in Jesus’ entrance into our lives choose.  After being told God’s plan she simply replied, “I am the Lord’s servant.  Let everything you’ve said happen to me.”  (Luke 1:38 Gods Word ©)  And with her declaration the very basis for our life of faith as Christians was established.

Yesterday I showed a video clip from the first Santa Clause movie in order to drive this point home for our young students.  In this particular seen Scott Calvin, who has just taken up the Santa Claus mantel (by putting on Santa’s Coat after the previous Santa falls off his roof…) is standing on the balcony in his room at the North Pole looking out on the city square and notices a polar bear directing traffic.  He turns back into his room and says to the little elf with him that he sees it but still doesn’t quite believe it.  She replies back to him that “Believing is seeing.”

This statement totally qualifies the Christian message of Faith in God that Jesus brought to the world.  The Apostle Paul stated this in God’s terminology when he said “Faith… convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.”  Hebrews 11:1 Gods Word ©)  Mary and Joseph had to take steps of faith that Joseph probably never saw come in to existence and Mary had to wait to see for some 30 plus years!

Wow!  That kind of gets one to think about their own commitment to their stands of faith.  Do you and I have that same level of stamina?  Do we REALLY believe what we say we are in faith for?

I would encourage each of you to consider that question as we proceed through the celebration of the birth of our Savior this year.  Let every decoration, song and event of the holidays that you participate in serve as a reminder of the faith that Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph had in those hard pressed days of Roman rule in the land of Israel.  Make this season of giving to be a time of recommitment to your faith in the love, patience and power of God in your lives. Then let the message of joy that the angel brought to the shepherds tending their sheep on that lonely hill near Bethlehem fill you with encouragement and expectation as you hear, “Fear not: For behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:10-11 King James Version)

Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What GOOD TIDINGS am I expecting today?”