Expect A Miracle
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider a time when something remarkable happened – something miraculous even – that was beyond your full comprehension. Where can you find God in that moment?
We must look to Mary’s example to know how to deal with the glorious impossibilities of God.
- Calvin Miller
The economy of heaven
Looks for fiestas and fireworks every day,
Every day.
Be realistic, says heaven:
Expect a miracle.
- U. A. Fanthorpe
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “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 holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 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.” Then the angel departed from her.
Food for Thought
Miracles don’t always come in the packages we think they might, or should, or even hope that they will.
On the one hand, I’m pretty sure I witnessed some miracles happening all around me this past week: Our church Christmas play, featuring about twenty kids, most under the age of ten, went off without a hitch; our community Christmas banquet had its highest attendance since COVID, with about fifty more attendees than we had chairs for – and though it was crowded, the food and space seemed to expand to accommodate everyone; and my own children, who have been home from school for a week now, spent more time playing together than fighting with each other – a true Christmas miracle.
And yet, on the other hand, I know a family who lost their mom and grandma just days ago after years of battling cancer; in our town, three small children were killed last week in a tragic house fire, leaving a mom and older siblings to grieve their lives; and all around the world war and conflict continue to rage.
It can be tricky to talk about miracles. We want to live out our faith with FAITH – leaving room for the mystery of God – while also trying not to say anything too simple or thoughtless about God that doesn’t hold up in the midst of incredible pain and tragedy.
We want to be able to say something about God while acknowledging that anything we say is truly inadequate and limited – and so we say nothing.
I think that sometimes we are afraid that to believe in the miraculous makes our faith seem too sentimental. Or perhaps we are afraid that hoping for a miracle appears as if we aren’t willing to face and wrestle with the real pain and suffering that is before us. But I think it’s also very possible that we do not know how to talk about miracles because we’ve stopped looking for them. We turn on the news expecting the worst – anticipating tragedy, sadness, and terror. We have let our cynicism about the world overtake our hope, and it has left no room for the miraculous.
We have stopped expecting miracles, and yet here we are, again, crowded into the stable with the sheep and the donkey – elbow to elbow with the shepherds and children – sneaking in to catch a glimpse of divine love sleeping peacefully in a manger. We come to this story year after year to remember this holy miracle – divine life birthed into the world by a young mother who could still see the possibility of God’s miraculous love at work.
Calvin Miller says, “We must look to Mary’s example to know how to deal with the glorious impossibilities of God.”
When the angel approaches Mary with this wild plan to make her the mother of God, though she cannot fully understand what this will mean for her or how it will even happen, she turns toward the angel and opens herself to the holy possibility of miraculous love.
Like Mary, we too can choose to live with an openness to the ways that God’s miraculous love is at work in the world. We can shift our expectation toward the miraculous – opening ourselves to the parts of the divine and the holy that we simply cannot fully comprehend. This way of living in faith requires us to give up our desire to put God neatly into the parameters of our understanding and our reasoning. This way of opening ourselves in faith is also our active resistance to the cynicism that threatens to take hold of our faith. When we expect miracles, it is easier for us to see the ways that our God is the Emmanuel - God with us – even in our most devastating moments.
Living with holy expectation is allowing ourselves to believe deeply in the glorious impossibilities of God. These miracles might not come in the packages we think they should or even wish they could, but isn’t this the entirety of our Christmas story? That God did not break into the world in glorious splendor – but was, instead, born into the brisk night air of an ordinary stable, hungry and crying, wrapped only in the vulnerable flesh of a newborn babe – to become light and love living among a broken and hurting world.
This is a season of gift-giving, and as we’ve said many times during this reflection, gifts don’t always come in the package we think they should. Wrap a gift for someone and be sure to put it in a package that you wouldn’t typically have chosen for this gift. Let this activity remind you of the miraculous love of God born into the world. You can also offer an explanation to the gift recipient if you choose.
This holiday season, be present with your loved ones and friends. Create a space that offers a little more grace, love, and true welcome to all who join your table. If you need a few ideas, here are Five Things to Remember When Setting a Welcome Table for the Holidays.
This printable version of today's reflection, “Expect a Miracle”, is for you to use in whatever way is helpful for you in your journey!
Blessing
O God, when we begin to lose ourselves in despair and cynicism, when we let ourselves think joy is all illusion, help us to remember that you are the God of all life – of all that is good and joyful. Allow us to see, in those moments, the places where divine love is, once again, touching Earth. Help us to know that you are always Emmanuel – God with us.
A little Table Talk for your table...
What are the things in your life that keep you from opening yourself to the glorious impossibilities of God?
What does it mean to you to call God Emmanuel - God with us?
How can you intentionally be more open to the miraculous work of God’s love this week?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Talk together about the miracles all around us in our world – creation, friendships, love, etc. Let your kiddos ask questions and allow yourself to feel comfortable saying “I don’t know” when you’re unsure of the answer.
Talk together about what it means to call God Emmanuel - God with us.
How can you pay attention to the ways God is with you both this week?
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
The Welcome Table Team - We are “The Bunce Girls!” Originally from Lexington, North Carolina, we were raised surrounded by music, justice, and faith. We spent most of our Sunday afternoons gathered around an open table with family and friends where the food was plentiful, stories and laughter connected our hearts, and where the presence of each individual was held sacred. It’s those moments that have inspired The Welcome Table.
To hear more from the TWT Team throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!
Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting Your Own Welcome Table!