Impossible Christmases

Read: Luke 1:26-38

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”(Luke 1:38)

I think I’m pretty safe in assuming that none of you reading this blog have been faced with the kind of extreme, nature-defying impossibility that Mary faced when she was told that she, a young virgin, would become pregnant and give birth to the Son of God. But I think it’s more than likely that most, if not all of us, have, from time to time, found ourselves in situations which, from our own human perspective, seemed virtually as physically and/or emotionally impossible as the situation in which Mary suddenly found herself when the angel appeared to her.

So, let me tell you about an “impossible Christmas” I've lived through–the Christmas of 1999. At that time, I was still living at home with my parents, who were my primary caregivers, and getting ready to begin writing my PhD thesis, a rather daunting project which would take me the next four years to complete. My maternal grandmother (Oma) had been very ill for the past year, and was living in a nursing home. It had thus become my Mom’s daily routine to get me up and feed me in the morning, then Mom would make some “Gritze” (oatmeal) for Oma, and head for the nursing home. While Mom was gone, I would work on my research. She’d usually come home between two and three o’clock, feed me lunch, and then Dad and I would go visit Oma and Mom would catch a little rest before starting in on housework and supper. Gradually, this routine became, if not comfortable, at least comforting. And things were becoming stable enough so that, by the beginning of December, I was actually starting the outline for the first chapter of my thesis.

But this routine came to an abrupt end on December 6, 1999. About two o’clock that afternoon, Dad and I had heard the ambulance pass by our house and stop at the major intersection at the end of our block. There had been an accident of some kind. Mom was a little late coming home. But she did say that she wanted go to the bank after visiting Oma. So, Dad went off to get groceries, and I tried to settle down to work, despite a growing sense of uneasiness. Half an hour later, the hospital phoned: Mom was in Emergency with a broken femur and a fractured skull. She had been hit by a truck while crossing the intersection to come home. She wasn't expected to survive.

The next three weeks were, by far, the darkest of my life to that point. Had it not been for God’s sustaining faithfulness and the love and prayers of His people, I am convinced that Mom would not have survived her injuries, and I would not have been able to bear up under the emotional strain and uncertainty. Although, thankfully, Mom always recognized me when I went to visit her in the hospital, she had no notion of where “home” was, or what was going on there. Equally disturbing was the fact that she never asked about Oma. I don’t know how many times I prayed that Mom would ask about Oma. That was one year that I just wanted to fast-forward through Christmas. The thought of even trying to do any of the "normal" Christmas stuff seemed simply impossible, and I really just couldn't wait for Boxing Day, because it would mean that this impossible Christmas would finally be over. But, when Boxing Day finally came, I woke up with an extremely anxious feeling. As soon as the homecare worker finished helping me with my morning routine, I called the hospital to check on Mom. But the nurse said that there was not much change, and that Mom was doing relatively OK. Still, as I hung up the phone, the anxiety inside me was growing stronger and stronger. So I called the nursing home to check on Oma. Sure enough, the nurse there said that they were just about to call us because Oma had taken a turn for the worse. We got to the nursing home in time to spend a couple of hours with Oma, and to, literally see, the awesome peace and joy she had as God took her home to be with Him.

When I went to visit Mom a few hours later, the first thing she said when she saw me was, “How is Oma?” God had answered my prayers; Mom was finally coming around. And, while I must confess that I had a few questions about His sense of timing, I knew in my heart that he had carried me through my impossible Christmas, and He would continue to carry me through the impossible weeks and months ahead.

Let’s look again at the last few verses of our Scripture reading from Luke:

“For nothing will be impossible with God."
Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Did you catch Mary’s reaction to her impossible situation here? “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”  Mary knew what I’m spending a lifetime learning and relearning: The only way to deal with an impossible situation is to put your total trust in the God of the impossible.

So, if you’re facing an impossible Christmas or an impossible year, I really want to encourage you to give those impossibilities over to God, and watch to see the possibilities that He will create out of those impossibilities. And, if you feel like even coming to God with the impossibilities of your life is an impossibility, let me remind you that, in Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus was born as a human being, died on a cross, and rose again so that sinners like me and you could come into a relationship with a holy God. If we’re talking about impossibilities becoming possible, that’s got to be the ultimate.

Gracious and Loving Lord Jesus, when I find myself confronted and overwhelmed by what seem to me to be impossible situations, please help me to always look to you to see me through. Thank you that, with you, nothing is impossible. In Jesus’ name. Amen.