Page 12 2024 Worship Guide LINCOLN DAILY NEWS December 2024 By Ron Otto, Lincoln Christian Church To fully appreciate Christmas; you have to believe in miracles. Every year, automotive enthusiasts celebrate a long list of rare barn finds that shock the auction world. Old corvettes, mustangs, muscle cars of all kinds are discovered, restored, and become the talk of car shows. One of my favorite stories was a very rare 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona, discovered in a dusty old barn owned by an unsuspecting Donna O’Hara. It was one of seven cars that competed in the Le Mans, lapped Ferrari, and set several speed records. The car is valued at a staggering $4,000,000. Imagine finding a rare treasure just lying around some old barn? Christmas is about revisiting another rare barn discovery that happened 2000 years ago; the birth of Jesus Christ. Every year, nearly the entire world will stop what’s it’s doing and celebrate Christmas. It is amazing to me that an event that happened nearly 2000 years ago could still cause traffic jams today. For many in this world, they’d love to see Jesus just forgotten. Many experts have said this “Jesus thing” should have gone away years ago…but it didn’t. They just can’t seem to explain it, but this story isn’t going away, it’s actually picking up ground. The birth of Jesus is the centerpiece of our history. Even our calendar is dated from the reference point of Jesus Christ. God split history with the event of Christmas. BTW, Jesus’ birth was not the miracle. He was born just like every other baby. The miracle was his conception; “Born of a virgin” (Isaiah 7:14). A virgin becoming pregnant is pretty miraculous in its own way. Add to that this was foretold 700 years before it happened? Wow! How do you explain that? When Buddy the Elf hears Santa is coming to his store, his excitement explodes, and he starts screaming and celebrating. Then he says most excitedly, “I know him!” I love that scene. It brings us to the most important question for your Christmas…do you know Jesus? To fully appreciate Christmas; you have to believe in miracles. The rarest of barn finds
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