Background – Mette’s Christmas Miracle is the story of a small flock of sparrows that faced starvation during a Christmas blizzard. One of the birds, Mette, proves that God will always honor the faith of those that trust Him.
Summary – A small flock of sparrows lives near a small farming village in Norway. It was right before Christmas when a brutal storm covered the countryside and made it impossible for the birds to leave the safety of their tree to search for food. One of the younger sparrows named Mette challenges the other birds on their faith in God. He had always provided for them, why would this time be any different?
Most of the flock admires her childlike faith, but they do not believe God will do anything for them. Mette ignores their unbelief and prays a simple prayer, knowing that God always answers.
Christmas Eve arrives and conditions are worse than ever. The flock is hopeless, even going so far as to claim that God has more important things to do than care for sparrows. Only Mette holds tightly to her faith, trusting God completely and thanking her Creator for providing for the flock.
On Christmas morning, the birds wake up to clear skies and a bounty of food miraculously provided by the villagers. But this was no accident. This was God honoring the faith of one little sparrow.
Did You Know? – Mette (MEHT teh), the main character, was named for a Norwegian client of mine. In researching the etymology and meaning, the name is related to Margaret and means pearl. Pearls are formed as a reaction to irritants that enter an oyster’s shell. The oyster protects itself by covering this irritant with a substance called nacre. As more and more irritants are successfully covered, a beautiful and precious pearl is formed.
In a similar fashion, faith comes by hearing God’s Word, and your confidence grows by using it successfully. In time, you will truly see that just as God’s Word proclaims, nothing is impossible if you believe! Faith is precious and if it is valued and practiced, you can move mountains if you believe in your heart, and speak it boldly with your mouth. (Matthew 17:20, Mark 11:22-25, Luke 1:37, Romans 10:17, Hebrews 11:1, 2 Peter 1)
My Mother made every Christmas an adventure at the Woodard home. Her innovative decorating and love of God led her to study how Christmas was celebrated throughout the world. As an adult, I came across a book on Christmas customs in her collection. It was there I read about a Norwegian practice of placing food out for the birds at Christmas by decorating barns and fences with sheaves of oats. This had spread throughout the Scandinavian nations and continued into the present day. This started me thinking. How did the tradition start? And there you have the seed of this story.
As I was working on this story, I was reminded of the teaching of Jesus who said, “…not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” (Matthew 10:29) We have a loving Creator that you ignore at your own peril. He is more concerned with your needs than even you are. And He wants to be involved in even your most basic needs. Start building that relationship today and enjoy all of His GOOD promises!
Biblical Theme – I usually go to God’s Word for inspiration for each story. Here is the verse selected for Mette’s Christmas Miracle.
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.— Philippians 4:19 <NLT>
There are no shortage of excellent verses on faith, or the value of strong faith. I found this verse to be more relevant to the theme of the story which is more about trusting God to supply everything you need.
Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love?
We are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Updated on August 22, 2013
Mette’s Christmas Miracle
by harrison
The Story Behind Mette’s Christmas Miracle
“God will provide everything we need.” — Mette
Background – Mette’s Christmas Miracle is the story of a small flock of sparrows that faced starvation during a Christmas blizzard. One of the birds, Mette, proves that God will always honor the faith of those that trust Him.
Summary – A small flock of sparrows lives near a small farming village in Norway. It was right before Christmas when a brutal storm covered the countryside and made it impossible for the birds to leave the safety of their tree to search for food. One of the younger sparrows named Mette challenges the other birds on their faith in God. He had always provided for them, why would this time be any different?
Most of the flock admires her childlike faith, but they do not believe God will do anything for them. Mette ignores their unbelief and prays a simple prayer, knowing that God always answers.
Christmas Eve arrives and conditions are worse than ever. The flock is hopeless, even going so far as to claim that God has more important things to do than care for sparrows. Only Mette holds tightly to her faith, trusting God completely and thanking her Creator for providing for the flock.
On Christmas morning, the birds wake up to clear skies and a bounty of food miraculously provided by the villagers. But this was no accident. This was God honoring the faith of one little sparrow.
Did You Know? – Mette (MEHT teh), the main character, was named for a Norwegian client of mine. In researching the etymology and meaning, the name is related to Margaret and means pearl. Pearls are formed as a reaction to irritants that enter an oyster’s shell. The oyster protects itself by covering this irritant with a substance called nacre. As more and more irritants are successfully covered, a beautiful and precious pearl is formed.
In a similar fashion, faith comes by hearing God’s Word, and your confidence grows by using it successfully. In time, you will truly see that just as God’s Word proclaims, nothing is impossible if you believe! Faith is precious and if it is valued and practiced, you can move mountains if you believe in your heart, and speak it boldly with your mouth. (Matthew 17:20, Mark 11:22-25, Luke 1:37, Romans 10:17, Hebrews 11:1, 2 Peter 1)
My Mother made every Christmas an adventure at the Woodard home. Her innovative decorating and love of God led her to study how Christmas was celebrated throughout the world. As an adult, I came across a book on Christmas customs in her collection. It was there I read about a Norwegian practice of placing food out for the birds at Christmas by decorating barns and fences with sheaves of oats. This had spread throughout the Scandinavian nations and continued into the present day. This started me thinking. How did the tradition start? And there you have the seed of this story.
As I was working on this story, I was reminded of the teaching of Jesus who said, “…not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” (Matthew 10:29) We have a loving Creator that you ignore at your own peril. He is more concerned with your needs than even you are. And He wants to be involved in even your most basic needs. Start building that relationship today and enjoy all of His GOOD promises!
Biblical Theme – I usually go to God’s Word for inspiration for each story. Here is the verse selected for Mette’s Christmas Miracle.
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:19 <NLT>
There are no shortage of excellent verses on faith, or the value of strong faith. I found this verse to be more relevant to the theme of the story which is more about trusting God to supply everything you need.
Hope You Enjoy the story. Merry Christmas!
Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Category: Author Commentary, Christianity, Christmas Tags: author, children's stories, Christian, Christmas, commentary, harrison woodard, Norway, Norwegian, sparrows
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Romans 8:35-39
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