Miracles we do immediately; impossibilities take a little longer
by Pastor Tim Castle-Schmidt
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For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
Read Luke 1:26–38
As I try to insert myself into this story of an angel appearing to a young woman and ‘announcing’ that she will become pregnant, the word ‘impossible’ jumps right out at me. That is precisely what we are asked to believe happens here: the absolute impossible. Yet, if we think about our lives, often it can feel as though when we have requested the impossible, we have not received it. Cancers have not been healed, sight has not been restored, and wars continue to spread.
And yet, when we consider what we celebrate at Christmas – God, the creator and sustainer of all things, becoming human – I think we can see that tonight, Christmas Eve, the most impossible thing has happened: God has stepped into all those impossible situations – cancers, blindness, wars – and has entered into them with us. Tonight, we sit and look up at the night sky to see that God has come to be here with us – it is as if the stars are like little pinholes in the universe through which the eternal Father peeks in to see his Son born as one of us. That’s not just impossible, but for us, it’s inconceivable (pardon the pun). Imagine you are Mary holding onto the Son of God for the first time; imagine you are Joseph trying to take in what has just happened.
And then remember you are a Mary or a Joseph, for whom God has done the impossible and entered into your life.
Lord Jesus, we cannot imagine what it was like for you to enter into this world, and yet, with the excitement of first-time parents, we thank you. Help me to believe in the impossible and revel in every glimpse of you breaking into our world. Amen.
Tim Castle-Schmidt is the pastor of Onkaparinga Lutheran Parish in the Adelaide Hills. After spending many years as a teacher in Lutheran schools, he finally listened to God’s call to the pastoral ministry. Tim is passionate about social justice and engaging the church with contemporary society. Tim shares his life with Fiona, Miranda, a Jack Russell called Otto and 11 chooks. By his own admission, Tim is a broken man. Broken in body, mind and spirit, he is learning that God is at work in and through human brokenness. For while God has not ‘fixed’ him, God continues to work through his brokenness to connect with the world.
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