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VALLEY CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Christmas Miracles

12/24/2016

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Picture
Winn Smith

On December 20th I lost my dog, Wilson around 9:30 p.m.  He was just gone! I searched for several hours and could not understand how he disappeared so quickly.  When the morning light came, neighbours literary searched this place; no dog.  I drove around;  nothing .

About 10:00 a.m., Melba  phoned and asked if Wilson was home.  I told her I had lost him last night. She said the neighbour phoned and asked for Bruce's help as she had a little dog sleeping with her cat on back porch. Melba went over to take a picture to post, showed it to Bruce who said "I think that's  Wilson". IT WAS!!

Miracles do happen even for little beasts, and I am one happy soul.

As I heard Winn's story, I began to think about the phrase "Christmas miracles'. It's a phrase we hear often this time of year because there is something about the Christmas season that brings with it a sense of hopefulness.  The wonder of Christmas often reconnects us with the divine and we find our hearts and lives are open to the possibility of a miracle.

If you think about the storyline of Christmas as it is recorded in the Bible, it is a story full of miracles.  From the angelic announcement to Mary and Joseph and Zechariah and the shepherds to the appearance of a star in the east, there is an undeniable element of the miraculous; the hand of God's favor and blessing is seen throughout the Christmas story.  Such blessing and favor produces hopefulness because we know that God's heart is so inclined toward His people and that He is faithful.

For years God's people waited in hope for the coming of the promised Messiah and when the angel announced:  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  (Luke 2:10-11), the waiting was over, God had come through, just as He promised.  His faithful love is the basis of our hopefulness.  We long to live in the fullness of His blessing and joy.

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts.  (Romans 5:5) 

Sometimes the hard realties of living in a fallen world can cause us to lose hope; cynicism and skepticism   
can easily replace confidence and trust in the One is ever-faithful.  So we come back again and again to the story of God at work in His people to remind ourselves of His faithful love; His kindness and grace, that we might recalibrate our hearts and minds and find in Him our source of hope and joy.

The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews as he writes about the certainty of God's promises; His faithfulness to His people, reminds us that because God has so revealed Himself to us, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

May you know this confidence and hope as you continue to walk by faith and trust in God's faithful through the Christmas season and into 2017.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



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    Author

    Ken Clarke has been the Pastor at Valley since 2007. He lives in the Oliver area 
    with his wife Janice ; they have three adult children, Lisa, Scott & Tiffany (Riley) and Andrea & Jason.

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