Hey friends, the Facets are expecting the unexpected. December is the perfect time to think about the unexpected surprise. Tracy shared her thoughts here. And it’s super-exciting to let you in on a secret: you’ll receive two sweet surprises over the next two weeks. We’ve got two guests! Please give a warm welcome to our friends, Megan and Maricela!
This year I (Jennifer) need to look at Christmas through the eyes of a child. My perspective has become less childlike over time. On December 10th I sit at my kitchen table wondering how I’ll manage to shoehorn all the events into my calendar. I wonder when I’ll finish decorating the tree. I wonder if I’ll try to bake or do some crafty thing or write cards or…
Anyway, there’s plenty of wonder, I tell ya! I miss the wonder of the season!
The first Christmas gift I can remember from my childhood was Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots (Marx, 1964). If you know the original game, you’re familiar with the loud, surprising gear sound when a hit to the jaw was “just right” and a robot’s “block was knocked off.” As a small child, I expected the sound, but it surprised me every time. That game was played a lot in our family since it never needed batteries. Its noise may have been responsible for my overactive startle reflexes and parental headaches. *Grin*
When I think of expecting the unexpected at this time of year, I find myself leaning into the story of Jesus. Now that’s the unexpected! And yet, some expected Him.
The beautiful thing about my God is that He is always speaking—through everyday things, people who know Him, words on a page, and in whispers when the mind is quiet. And He told the world to expect the unexpected (which truly makes me question the “unexpected” part, but here we are).
O Come, O Come, Immanuel…¹
Isaiah received the honor of announcing the coming King to God’s people hundreds of years before the advent. He would be faithful to the spoken promises (the expecting part), but the time and place would be unknown except to a few (the unexpected part).
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV
And ransom captive Israel—that mourns in lonely exile here…
The promise was made by a God who keeps His promises. And yet, the people in that day (and their descendants) would not see the child in their lifetime. Jerusalem would fall, the people would be in exile for hundreds of years, and eventually Israel would be occupied and oppressed by Roman rule—all before the promise would be fulfilled.
Until the Son of God appear…
And then—surprise!—the unexpected happened. The magi in the East expected it and made the trek to worship the new King. I love that my pastor put it this way: there’s a “math problem in the book of Daniel, and the magi worked it out. They looked for a sign in the heavens because they expected God to show them in that way.”² The magi were students of Daniel’s writings and the night sky. They knew the prophetic promise and saw the “new star” because they were watching. Being expectant and open to the unexpected made the difference.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
In contrast, just when the magi witnessed the sign, a little town overflowed with people obeying Caesar’s census decree. Everyone from the House of David was in Bethlehem. The King who would sit on “the throne of David” was right there. The people of God, the ones who knew the scriptures, overlooked the moment that would change everything! A miraculous pregnancy. They baby born in Bethlehem. They all missed it! Except—
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel
And He came with the angelic announcement to shepherds in the field at night.
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:10-14 ESV
The expected King arrived in an unexpected and miraculous way. Kings are found in palaces; a trough was an unexpected place. The entire House of David was gathered in Bethlehem, yet the King’s birth was still an unexpected time for people who were not expecting the unexpected. Angels, shepherds, and a delayed caravan of magi? Unexpected.
Do you know the second verse of O Come, O Come, Immanuel?
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel
There are fifteen (15!) days left before Christmas, and I’ll be the one thinking about expecting the unexpected. You, too?
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¹ “O Come, O Come, Immanuel.” 12th C.
² Chapman, Scott. Hope. 2019.
