by Audrey Frank @AudreyCFrank
For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37
I have been on a steep unlearning curve since I moved to Italy. I had to unlearn American driving rules to pass the Italian driving exam. I am unlearning English syntax and grammar as I begin writing in Italian. The arrangement of lines on a road and commas on a page are annoyingly essential to getting where I want to go and conveying the meaning I intend.
In Luke 1:37 the Greek phrase πᾶν ῥῆμα (pan rhēma) is combined with a negation and translated as “nothing.” This syntax gives the phrase an emphatic position, making it the primary lesson in the entire discussion. This particular arrangement of words is a call for faith.
Embedded here in The Christmas Discussion is a shining invitation.
You are delightfully invited to believe that nothing is impossible with God.
Sometimes, like Mary, we don’t know what impossible thing is lying dormant in our hearts longing to become possible. Before the angel appeared to her, she was completely unaware of the immeasurable, unimaginable glory her faith would bring to God.
The possibility our Creator God imagines for you and me is impossible. His great mind is inscrutable. After all, He designed the chameleon with his five-digit feet, eyes that move in all directions independently, and skin that changes colors to match its environment! God made the seeds of the earth that carry the miracle of life out of decay. He thought up a little fat worm with a voracious appetite, destined to become a delicate butterfly with powdered, jewel-toned wings. What might that Creator be dreaming up about us? Whatever it is, He will make it possible.
For Mary, He dreamed of a girl who would bear a Messiah who would take away the sins of the world.
Grammar and syntax matter. Indeed, they are critical to our understanding of the primary lesson of the entire Christmas discussion.
Will you have faith in the impossible this Christmas? Let’s believe together.
Lord, I accept Your invitation to believe the impossible this Christmas. Amen.
TWEETABLE
Audrey Frank is an author, speaker, and storyteller. The stories she shares are brave and true. They give voice to those whose words are silenced by shame, the hard things in life that don’t make sense, and the losses that leave us wondering if we will survive. Audrey and her family have spent over twenty years living and working among different cultures and world views, and she has found that God’s story of redemption spans every geography and culture. He is the God of Instead, giving honor instead of shame, gladness instead of mourning, hope instead of despair. Although she has three different degrees in communication and intercultural studies, Audrey’s greatest credential is that she is known and loved by the One who made her.
Audrey is the author of Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World (Harvest House Publishers), an outpouring of Audrey’s heart to introduce others to the God of Instead. Shame is not unique to the developing world, the plight of the women behind veils, young girls trafficked across borders; shame is lurking in hearts everywhere. Through powerful stories from women around the world, Covered Glory illuminates the power of the Gospel to remove shame, giving honor instead. Available at favorite booksellers: BARNES & NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION, AMAZON.
How lovely on this first day of Advent to be reminded of the greatest gift we already have- the love of the creator of this wonderful world!
ReplyDeleteThank you for these encouraging words!
ReplyDeleteAudrey, what an inspiring post! I was intrigued by your parsing of the Greek and by the fact that you now live in Italy. My mother was an Italian immigrant, and I lived in Firenze for a while. My native tongue is Italian, and my educational background is in Romance languages.
ReplyDeleteI love the expression "God of Instead." May He bless you in seemingly impossible ways as you minister to the wonderful Italian people and to all those whom our Lord brings across your path..
MaryAnn
"You are delightfully invited to believe that nothing is impossible with God."
ReplyDeleteInvitation accepted.
Audrey, I loved this so much, esp. as we await our Lord. He is the God of the impossible. That I am here is witness--I was an atheist for 30 yrs. We were received into the Catholic church at St. Jude parish 15 yrs ago (he's the patron of impossible causes :)
ReplyDelete