Tuesday 18 December 2012

Tuesday - the Glorious Impossible

Prayer:  Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning.  Grant that we may hear the Scriptures anew as well as  to  read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort of Your Holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of ever lasting life, which You have given us in our Saviour  Jesus Christ.  Amen.   (The Second Sunday in Advent Collect  Church of England  The Book of Common Prayer  pg 89)

During the month of December,  we have read and mediated upon the work and example of Jesus,  our teacher.  
As we come near to Bethlehem and the birth of our Saviour,  we stop and reflect this week on the birth of Jesus.    

We all know the Nativity Story.   We know that the Nativity story involves people by the name of  Mary,  Joseph,  Elizabeth,  Zachariah,  Shepherds,  and Baby Jesus.   

Madeleine L’Engle wrote a book called “the Glorious Impossible”.  This story tells of the Nativity Story as a miracle of God’s love.   Madeleine L’Engle stated that “possible things are easy to believe.  The Glorious Impossibles are those things that bring joy to our hearts,  hope to our lives, songs to our lips.”   

Meditate upon the story of the Nativity as told by Madeleine L’Engle in portions of her book,   “The Glorious Impossible”…….

Luke 1:  26 - 35

“An angel came to Mary.  A fourteen year old girl was visited by an angel, an archangel.  In Scripture,  whenever an angel appears to anyone, the angel’s  first words usually are, “FEAR NOT!” – which gives us an idea of what angels must have looked like,
So the Archangel Gabriel,  who visited Mary,  greeted her with great courtesy, and then said, “Fear Not!”
And then he told her that she was going to have a baby,  a remarkable baby who would be called the Son of the Highest.
Mary was already engaged to Joseph.  The wedding would be soon.  This was strange and startling news indeed.  Mary looked the angel in the face, asking with incredible courage, “But how can this be?”
And the angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you.  And the Holy Thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.”
What an amazing,  what an impossible message the angel brought to a young girl!  But Mary looked at the angel and said, “Be it unto me according to your word.”
And so the life of Jesus began as it would end, with the impossible.   When he was a grown man he would say to his disciples, “For human beings it is impossible.  For God nothing is impossible.”
(Madeleine L’Engle  “The Glorious Impossible”.  Crosswicks Ltd,  1990)

Prayer:   Great God,  we thank You that nothing is impossible in Your sight.  We thank You for the gift  of people who are open to Your call. May we too open our hearts and minds and ears to Your voice this very day.  Prepare our hearts and grant us peace and love in believing that Christ has come,  Christ is coming, Christ will come again.  Amen.

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