From an editorial appearing in the September 21, 1897 edition of The (New York) Sun titled "Is There a Santa Claus?" the famous line was penned at the close "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." This statement has become an often repeated phrase this time of year. Virginia was the an 8 year old girl who questioned the existence of Santa Claus and was encouraged by her parents to write the newspaper.
The story has been republished ever since and has been featured in movies, television specials and books.
I doubt young Virginia or her parents ever thought they'd go down as part of the American Christmas cultural tradition.
Personally, I have no problem with the mythos of Santa Claus. I know some believers who do and they definitely have valid reasons. I am always reminded about the original St. Nicholas that the jolly old elf is modeled from and his story is pretty remarkable.
Nonetheless, this posting really nothing to do with Santa Claus.
In fact, this is not another rant, as we often see from believers this time of year, to "keep Christ in Christmas."
I wanted to share with you a story of what some may call a miracle. I readily admit the term "miracle" gets overused and misused often. True miracles stem from the hand of God as evidenced of Jesus' actions in the gospels. However, to say that miracles no longer happen would be a fallacy.
Just like with the old "Dragnet" show. . .the story you are about to read is true. Only the names have been changed.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine who works as an administrator in a local public school told me about a young man at his school. This young man was described as one of those boys that teachers like. He's polite. He's considerate. He does his school work and does well. You know, an all around good kid.
This young man was facing a pretty intense and difficult situation at home.
He is being raised by his mother. Apparently, dad is not in the picture. His mother has been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. She is dying. Due to her health and inability to work, a great financial strain has come upon them.
Their home is in foreclosure. It' in a very nice neighborhood, but the fact of the matter is they have not been able to pay the mortgage for a few months due to medical bills and lack of funds.
The young man has been doing everything possible to raise money. He's been mowing lawns, raking leaves, etc. He's been offering to do anything for his neighbor just to make a little money to go toward expenses. In fact, even though he's in junior high school, this young boy is stepping into authentic manhood by necessity.
Well, the story could go on and on about their circumstances. It doesn't get much better. The mother is a believer in Christ and apparently a number of churches in the community know of her circumstances and are trying to help.
Oh, by the way, there is this. I heard of one group of church ladies who went by see if they could help her. When they went into her home, seeing how nice a home it is, they said "Well, you apparently don't need our help," and left. Apparently, they equated a nice home with "everything is alright," not realizing the true nature of the circumstances.
But I digress. . .
A couple of weeks ago the air conditioning unit in their home went out. That may not be a big deal in some areas, but here in Florida it is. Even in December, we're still mowing our lawns and wearing shorts. My friend at the school was trying to find funds to cover the repair of the air conditioning unit and after praying about it, was led to call a local company (knowing no one at the company) to see if they could help.
This air conditioning company heard the story and agreed to send someone out to repair the unit. They did so without charging a penny. There's more to this story as well. It appears the technician sent to the home was having a very bad day. In other words, he wasn't very nice. The lady (you know, the one with Stage IV cancer) asked him if he was ok and if she could pray for him. He said "Yes," so she did. With tears running down his cheeks, he thanked her. Needless to say, his attitude changed.
Then, two weeks ago, during our weekly prayer meeting I briefly shared that there was a lady in our community battling Stage IV cancer. I don't know her name, nor do I know her son, but I had heard of her situation through a friend. I shared that a number of teachers at this local school were trying to raise some funds to help. All I asked our church to do was pray for the woman, her son and the situation.
Two days ago, I received this email from the friend at the local school:
It is not every day one gets to be witness to a miracle, and that term tends to be overused, but we were able to see a real one this morning. Yesterday, a stranger came to see me here at school. He said he needed to talk to me. He was very serious and closed the door behind us. He immediately asked if we were helping a mother of a student who has cancer. He had heard at church (this was during our Wednesday prayer time - DT) that she needed some help with daily living expenses. I said "Yes." He then slid an envelope across the desk and asked if I would make sure she received it. I assured him I would.
This morning I arrived at school and the mother was here. This was unusual and unplanned because she is very sick and does not leave home often. She had baked a huge basket of goodies for my family so I told her I had something for her's. I handed her the envelope and said there was some money from a stranger to help her out. She opened the envelope and it was like one of those Extreme Makeover: Home Edition moments—she absolutely started bawling! One of the ladies in the office brought in tissues. I was doing the tough guy thing trying not to cry myself, but she just kept on crying.
I knew it was a big gesture on this stranger's part but I underestimated just how big. When she finally regained her composure she told me she had received approval to have her cancer treated at St. Vincent's Hospital (here in Jacksonville - DT) which then makes her eligible to go to the Cancer Center of America in Chicago. There was only one problem. St. Vincent’s required a down payment of $2,000 to begin treatment. This lady has lost her home, lost her job, almost lost her car, and has trouble just putting food on the table. Well, can you guess how much the stranger gave me yesterday? Exactly $2,000! He thought he was helping pay for some groceries. Little does he know he may have literally saved her life or at least extended her time with her son.
God is active and involved today, just as He always has been.
Sometimes, even we Christians can miss the miracle. While Christians throughout our culture become known for what we're against as we fight and protest and sometimes even play the victim, all the while God is still at work. As some fight with little love evident to "keep Christ in Christmas" God reminds us, He's active every day of the year - not just a redeemed pagan holiday.
Yes, Virginia, there is a God. In the era of the "new atheism" and the "secularization of our society" God still reigns supremely. The gospel is still truth. Lives are still being changed. Man-defined "coincidences" still happen as God smiles and says "I don't believe in coincidences."
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