Waiting for the Impossible
Text: Luke 1:26–38
Many things that are considered miracles can be explained by natural processes. Things such as the recovery from a fatal disease may be miraculous but not so much a miracle since a medical treatment based on natural processes is applied that works. With medical procedures there is a still risk, a probability for failure, that it may not work, and the patient dies so we still deem it miraculous since we cannot entirely explain why some survive and others do not. There are very few real miracles recorded where the natural order of things is actually super ceded or supernatural. Where one could never hope to explain a phenomenon based upon naturally occurring processes, an event that is not probable but rather impossible.
Where these miracles are recorded in the scriptures they happen to very few people over a very long period of time. And they all have one purpose to preserve God’s people so that the Savior of the World may be born. The flood was a miracle that preserved eight people and rescued them from an utterly wicked world. Some have tried to explain how this miracle could have occurred naturally without success while others have relegated to myth since it cannot be explained. The burning bush was a miracle. God’s presence, a fire that does not consume or destroy the bush was the means by which God’s will was communicated to Moses and sets the precedent for his presence in, with and under created things. The parting of the Red Sea also an impossible miracle that many times is relegated to myth enabled the children of Israel to escape and inhabit the land promised to them where the Savior in the future would be born.God’s miracles do not serve our purposes but they serve God’s for us. It was impossible for barren women to give birth 2000 years ago but with today’s technology depending on the cause of the women being barren, it may be possible. And today with the possibility of surrogate pregnancies, a virgin could give birth. But for there to be conception without the seed of a man, well even today that is impossible. The pregnancies of both Elizabeth and Mary were miracles. They were supernatural . They occurred not through the natural order of things but through God’s intentional intervention. Creation has been waiting since the fall into sin and death for this miracle to occur. The promise of Genesis 3:15, that the seed of a woman would crush the head of the
serpent, that liar and betrayer, was itself a miracle and therefore pointed to an impossible event, a child being born without the help of man, a child being born to a virgin. The child as we heard in the Gospel narrative and we confess in our creed is born of the Virgin Mary. Many liberal scholars translate parthenos as young maiden but clearly the meaning is that Mary would conceive without the help of man. Rather the child would be conceived of the Holy Spirit and therefore sinless. Jesus or Joshua would save His people from their sins because he was sinless.
We are all sons of Adam and so we inherit the curse of his disobedience. We are conceived in sin and born dead in our trespasses and sins. Therefore our default setting is that we sin, we transgress God’s will in our thoughts, words and deeds. But Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The Angel confirms this saying, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” Jesus is conceived and born without the curse. Without the virgin birth we do not have a Savior. If Mary was not a virgin and Jesus was not conceived by the Holy Spirit, then sadly we would still be in our sins waiting for our Savior, we would still be waiting for the impossible.
But thanks be to God, that He has accomplished that which is impossible for us. God caused a barren woman to conceive and He Himself conceived a child in the womb of a virgin. The conception in Mary’s womb is the answer to the psalm we prayed in the introit, “Shower. O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit.” The Holy Spirit has come down like rain to the earth, that is Mary a daughter of Adam, has been opened to receive Him, bearing the fruit which is the Savior. What a glorious event and joyous miracle. What a glorious miracle that God would
cause Mary to believe and therefore receive this great gift.
The angel came to Mary and shared with her the gospel that she would give birth to the Savior of the World, her Savior. He would be a King whose Kingdom would last forever. Jesus is God’s fulfillment of His promise of steadfast love to His servant David. Mary was a descendant of David and so would be Jesus on His mother’s side. Mary in hearing the Angel’s good news came to believe in it and through the Holy Spirit faith was born and a new life began within her. In her miraculous response to the Angel, Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Miracles or the impossible happen today in pretty much the same way. Today we witnessed one. Christopher Swanson before our eyes was baptized. We saw him get washed with water and we heard the Word from our Lord’s messenger, “baptized into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” What we did not see by the power of God’s Word is that Christopher also received the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sins. A new life of faith was conceived in him. Christopher who was born dead in his trespasses and sins has now been reborn from above to new life to reign with Jesus in His kingdom without end, the same promise given to King David.
For Christopher, whose name means “Christ bearer, ” he is now true to his name. Christopher along with every Christian is a bearer of Christ to the world. As time goes on and he attends Divine Service, Christopher will continue to hear the promise of eternal life made to him. As he learns the small catechism he will be able to use this gift so that he will recognize the body and blood His Lord by faith in the consecrated bread and cup. When he hears Jesus words, “This is my body and this is my blood given for the forgiveness of your sins.” He will say, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Not by his doing, but by the power of Holy Spirit.
Faith in Christ is nothing to be taken for granted. It is a gift that we have been given by grace just as Mary was graced. Later when the disciples would ask Jesus what must we do to be saved. Jesus said very clearly, “For man this is impossible but for God all things are possible.” You see we cannot save ourselves, we cannot even believe or come to him by our own reason or strength rather the Holy Spirit calls and gathers the whole church by the gospel and through the sacraments. The Holy Spirit works through visible means so that we may be certain of His working in us. This is why we do not need altar calls or special prayers to make Jesus our Lord. It is impossible for us to make Jesus our Lord. But it is possible for God to bring us into His Kingdom. He already has through your baptism transferred you into His Kingdom. He has completely finished the work of your salvation, showering down upon you His righteousness and you to will bear fruit. We no longer have to wait for the impossible or look for miracles because all of what you need has been accomplished in Christ Jesus according to His Word. Thanks be to God.
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