For this Christmas Week, I read the story of Jesus' arrival in Luke 1 and 2, and was struck by how the miracle of the Advent happened through a series of ordinary, everyday circumstances. Joseph needed to do what we all dread: be counted in order to pay the taxman. As Benjamin Franklin famously opined, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. 

We slog through our receipts and records in order to meet that April 15 tax deadline, and we complain about filling out that census form every 10 years. But imagine having to travel to the place of your birth in order to fulfill those requirements! For Joseph and Mary, it was inconvenient and probably painful. To add insult to injury, he couldn't find a hotel room!

 My husband travels for work and often has to book hotels on the fly; his greatest concern is that he'll have to sleep in his car, because a proper hotel may be fully booked. This happens even in Podunk USA, so it's a thing. I can only imagine how Joseph felt, especially with his betrothed heavy with the Christ child and on the cusp of giving birth. 

However, Joseph did what was necessary to live in his nation under Roman rule, not realizing that the power of his ordinary act would be used by God to provide extraordinary encounters: The visitation by the shepherds, and the encounter with Simeon and Anna in the Temple, all occurred in the course of Joseph doing what he needed to do. This was about the salvation of the world, but sometimes ordinary acts are about the salvation of one's family.

Which leads us into our subject for this Christmas Week "Feel-Good Friday."

A daughter in Mississippi brought her father to tears after surprising him with the prized football card he sold three decades earlier to provide for his young family.

In a heartwarming video shared on TikTok, Lindsey Moore told her dedicated dad she had dreamed of returning the rookie Dan Marino card since watching him swap it for cash when she was just 7 years old.

Seven years old?! This daughter has an exceptional heart for her obviously exceptional dad. Lindsey Moore is now an adult who has the means to purchase memorabilia, which ain't cheap by any standard. According to the article, similar sports card like the Marino rookie card that Moore's father sold back in the day go for an average of $5,000 today. That's not a drop in the bucket.

Moore’s mother read aloud her daughter’s holiday card detailing her life mission as he [sic] father slowly grew more emotional.

“Money was tight, so you were selling your most prized possession – at least what I viewed it as. I felt your sacrifice and it taught me that I would do whatever necessary to ensure my future family never needed for anything. It was a lesson that has stuck with me since that moment and taught me the value of the greater good,” Moore wrote in the card.

@lindseyswagmom

Im not crying, you’re crying

♬ original sound - Lindsey Moore

We never know the power of a moment. It may be just one of your everyday, ordinary acts; these may seem miniscule, but they plant the seeds that render extraordinary fruit. Seven-year-old Lindsey Moore remembered her father's sacrifice. She felt it deeply, and it stuck with her all the way through childhood into adulthood, so that she could create this moment for her dad. 

Moore determined at such a tender age that not only would she do the same for her future children, but she would return to her father something that he held dear, but gave up for the sake of his family. That's Love, and it is symbolic of the love God has for us in giving the ultimate gift: His son Jesus. I would surmise that this daddy received more than the restoration of that Dan Marino sports card. He received the knowledge that his sacrificial act imparted to his daughter a weightier lesson than money could ever buy. No doubt, that is the greatest gift.

What ordinary acts will you participate in this weekend? How will you prepare the ground so that extraordinary fruit can be borne out of them?

I am sure you have heard it a million times over these past few weeks, but it is always worth saying: A very, Merry Christmas to you and yours! I pray you are surrounded by loved ones and embracing community. But even more, I pray that in your ordinary moments, you make room for the Christ child to enter into them.

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is one of my favorite carols, and Judy Garland's singing is simply magical.