Dec 18 - Luke 2:12

And this will be a sign for you:

you will find a babe

wrapped in swaddling cloths

and lying in a manger.

Luke 2:12

Do you remember the story of the Exodus? Israel prayed for help, and God brought them out of slavery in Egypt. Through Moses, God performed ten wonders in a row … and then he parted the Red Sea. (Wow!)

So … after eleven of the greatest wonders in history, how long did it take until the people started complaining? Three generations? No. There decades? No. Three years? No. Three days!

As I like to say, The effect of signs and wonders last three days.

Meaning? We dare not base our faith on signs. They’re temporary.

•      The parted sea will eventually close.
•      The ability to walk on water will inevitably fade ^{(see Peter sinking in Mt 14)}.
•      The donkey will ultimately quit talking ^{(see the story of Baalam’s ass in Num 22)}.
•      Five thousand people will get hungry again.
•      And every healed person will eventually die.

If we base our faith on temporary manifestations, we’ll inevitably get discouraged. And yet occasionally we’d still like a sign!

For example, if you’re a lowly shepherd and you hear that the Messiah has come, you might like a sign. 

•      The first sign was the angels. That was how God woke them up to this possibility.
•      The second sign was the confirmation. It was a prediction, a prophecy. If the first part came true (is there really a baby, a manger, and swaddling cloths?), then they could trust the second part too (the Messiah really has come!).

Yes … the Messiah really has come! The signs confirmed it. But let’s not rely just on temporary signs from hundreds of years ago. And let’s not rely on our transitory feelings that go down and up and down again. Let’s get to know Jesus personally. Let us daily – in and out of the season of Christmas – pray these powerful words from “O Little Town of Bethlehem” …

Cast out our sin

And enter in

Be born in us today.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who has less than

a three day attention span

(so I really better pray for him

to be born in me anew each day)