Miraculous Birth

Did you ever wonder what God will make of you?

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. - Luke 1:57-66

God surely had a plan for John the Baptist.  

We know this because the angel, Gabriel, came to tell his father, Zechariah, that the miraculous birth would take place to fulfill God's purpose.

So, should we assume there is no such purpose for us, since Gabriel didn't visit our parents?

Hmm.

Who is to say that any birth isn't a miracle?  And if it is a miracle, what does that mean?  Does God have a purpose in mind for each?

There is a little babe who was born just before Thanksgiving.  Her name is Mckenna Jay, or MJ for short.

She was born with a heart valve condition that caused her her heart to expand, pressing against her lungs, and she needed to have her chest opened up to give her lungs room to breathe.

She has been surviving on prayers from all over the country, the amazing expertise of the doctors, and the unbelievable love and patience of her parents, Dan and Micelle.

MJ turned three weeks old before her parents could hold her in their arms, and yet she is not out of the woods yet.

She just underwent another operation yesterday and will have to have more.

We have no idea what God has in mind for MJ, but we can see what He is accomplishing in the lives of all who have bonded together in hope and faith, praying for her to make it.

As we all think about the coming of Jesus as a babe this week, I ask that we take a moment to welcome little MJ and send her love and prayers.  The miracle of birth is something we tend to take for granted, forgetting that life itself is precious and survival is not guaranteed.

Merry Christmas, MJ, Michelle and Dan.  May you grow in strength and love, and may your joy be multiplied as we all share in the miracle that brought you into the world.

More to come...