Miracles are ordinary moments wrapped in extraordinary love.
The old man reaches out his hand of forgiveness to his prodigal son.
The sun sets in the western sky with a burst of fire and glory.
A dewdrop slightly rolls down a silky red petal in the early morning.
A baby born in a manger to save the world.
The Christmas Miracle stands in my mind and heart as the greatest gift of extraordinary love ever given. This Christmas at Connie Maxwell over 18,000 people came to celebrate this Miracle with a horse carriage ride around campus while singing “Silent Night” as their breath collided with the cold air and sent smoke signals of love and good cheer to all those that passed by.
When the carriage ride came to an end, the family jumped off the wagon and walked hand in hand toward the manger scene to catch the next presentation of a “live” nativity scene and once again glimpse a simple remembrance of that holy, blessed night.
When the reenactment begins, we are transported back in time…
The stars light up the night like glitter sprinkled across the black velvet sky…
The sound and smells of animals that rustle around the barn…
The shepherds arriving from a long journey to the place marked by the brightest star…
And there, in the midst of the ordinary….
A baby is found crying and moving around in a batch of hay where the animals usually eat…
Hundreds of people stood and stared at the baby whose presence announced the coming of God into the world. An ordinary child wrapped in extraordinary love. The Creator of the Universe is clothed in flesh. The King of Kings wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger…
The Christmas Miracle…
While the nativity scene held its audience spellbound, I slowly walked back to the church. I was told there was a family waiting patiently to meet me. I arrived and found a friendly couple with two precious children running around them in front of Connie Maxwell Baptist Church.
I extended my hand to welcome them and spent the next thirty minutes enjoying their company. Then I said,
“Why don’t you come back to campus soon and enjoy lunch with us at our home. I promise not to ask you for anything!!” The gentleman looked in my eyes and said,
“That’s ok, we came to give tonight.”
I paused in the silence and said, “Why?”
He said, “You see those two children. They are a Miracle.”
“You see, my wife and I were told that we would never be able to have children. When the doctor told us we were having two beautiful babies, I fell to my knees. I promised God when they came into the world that I would pay Him back for the Miracle that He gave us.”
He then proceeded to tell me the story of a long journey of faith that he and his wife had experienced in seeking God’s direction in finding the right way to say thank you.
One ordinary day, he overheard a lady talking about broken, abandoned children and the conversation caught his attention. He said to her,
“Who are these children you are talking about? Where do they live?”
She said, “ Connie Maxwell.”
He looked me in the eyes while tears rolled down his face and said,
“That’s when I knew that my wife and I would say thank you for our Miracle by giving to the children at Connie Maxwell.”
He turned to his wife and said, “ Write the check.”
She handed the check to me and I looked down to see that she had written it for $10,000.
That night, in front of the church with the steeple reaching towards the sky and not too far away from baby Jesus, I was moved beyond words and we both just stood there in the midst of another Christmas Miracle celebrating the gift of children in a whole new way.
Now, you may not believe in Christmas Miracles…but I do.
I believe with all my heart. I believe that it is the greatest love story ever told.
And once again, on this ordinary night, a gift was given with extraordinary love.
The Christmas Miracle…
