Theme of the Week: Uniqueness of Christmas
Bible Verse: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”).” Matthew 1:23
Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25
When the explorers first came to Australia, they encountered an animal that defied all known laws of taxonomy. They discovered a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal, having a broad, flat tail, webbed feet and a snout resembling a duck’s bill. They named this animal the platypus.
Upon returning to their native land, they related their finding to the world. The people regarded their report as a hoax, since no such animal with the above characteristics could possibly exist. Even though there was reputable eyewitness testimony, it was rejected because of their world view.
The explorers went back a second time to Australia, and returned with the hide of a dead platypus. The people accused them of rigging a hoax again. It seems that those people took Benjamin Disraeli’s dictum seriously, “I make it a rule only to believe what I understand.” However, as Charles Caleb Colton has pointed out, “He that will believe only what he can fully comprehend must have a very long head or a very short creed.”
The former president of Stanford Research Institute said, “Through the years, I have struggled to gain a greater understanding of electricity and magnetism in order to help harness those forces for man’s use. Even so, I cannot now give a lucid definition of electricity or magnetism, except to say that they are invisible forces which have real manifestations.”
We can’t see electricity, gravity, wind or spirit. We can’t see God. But to deny their existence because they are invisible is far less than intellectual integrity.
As we approach Christmas, we recall the testimony of many who discovered something far more unique than a platypus. They encountered a baby who was prophesied to be God in flesh. Now, of course, that doesn’t make sense! Of course it is outside of our experience! Of course it forces an adjustment to our world view.
But when the evidence is gathered and examined, when the testimonies of all the eyewitnesses are collected and compared, when the whole life of this unique individual is observed, when the results of His life are calculated, then the facts emerge very clearly. Two thousand years ago the one and only God came to the earth in flesh. They called Him Jesus, which means, “God Saves.” And true to His name, that is exactly what He did.
Seeing a living platypus may stretch your biological categories. Encountering the living God in Jesus will not only stretch your soul, it will alter your eternity.
Dave Petrescue in Pastor Dave’s Reflections. ©Brenda Petrescue, 2008. davepetrescue.com Used By Permission.
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