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Expecting the Unexpected: Surprise!

12.10.2019 by Jennifer Howe //

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!

Expecting the Unexpected (Jennifer Howe)

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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Signature: Jennifer Howe

 

 

 

 

 

* Click the signature above to find Jennifer’s writing.

¹ “O Come, O Come, Immanuel.” 12th C.
² Chapman, Scott. Hope. 2019.

Categories // Expecting the Unexpected, Jennifer Howe's Perspective Tags // Expecting the unexpected, Isaiah 9:6-7, Jennifer J Howe, Luke 2:10-14, Luke 2:16-19, O Come Immanuel

The Christmas Story: a Child is Born

12.11.2018 by Jennifer Howe //

Hello, friend! ‘Tis the season, and I (Jennifer) wish you a precious Advent time this year. The Facets settled on taking a look at the Christmas Story, but with a fresh look. When we searched for the Father, Son, and Spirit in Christmas, we found wonderful gems to share. Tracy shared about the Spirit’s role in the story last week. Be sure to come back next week to read Kim’s post on the Father. This week, it’s all about JESUS!
The Story of Christmas: Jesus (J. Howe)

Around this time, Emperor Augustus issued an order for a census to be taken throughout the Empire. Luke 2:1 CJB

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.*

Oh, sleepy town of David—Bethlehem, the House of Bread—overwhelmed with visitors. Caesar decreed, so “Everyone went to be registered, each to his own town” (Luke 2:3). People with family or means fill every home or rented every room. The rest find shelter where they can. Shepherds rest in the open fields under a clear sky, captivated by the stars. They listen through the usual nighttime noises rippling through the flock, alert for sounds of a threat. The descendants of David, all of them, sleep through the quiet night. The visitors won’t stay long. They will rest from their travel, visit with relatives, and wait to register until they leave for home.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Luke 2:4-5 ESV

In all the crazy-busy of the masses arriving in town and settling their families and the herds they were forced to bring with them, an unknown teenager and her husband slip through the crowds. Their travel took longer than it would; it was slow going with her need to rest and drink and eat so often. The healthy boy kicked and rolled inside Mary’s belly. “He’ll be here soon. Jesus will be born in Bethlehem. Tonight?” she wondered.

Joseph was a good man. Even so, he’d been pushed so far. Mary was beautiful and kind and precious to him; he loved her. Tonight he would care for her and the child. It was the right thing, the honorable thing. The baby would be born in Bethlehem. He would help. They would figure it out together.

The young couple’s larger family group traveled separately and more quickly for the census. By now they were settled, and no one expected the couple to join them. Joseph would have to find a quiet place of their own for their stay.

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 ESV

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.*

And there He was. Larger than all of the universe and smaller than a bread box. Lord of all and Servant of all. God slipped into the creation He made with a word—and He was the Word.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. John 1:10 NLT

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT

God is a loving and generous Gift-giver, so He offered a few the opportunity of a lifetime.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
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!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. Luke 2:8-18 ESV

The shepherds heard the news and they went to see Him! And do you see what I see? “And all who heard it wondered.” Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and who else? It doesn’t say, but news of a beautiful baby travels fast in almost any culture. Add an angelic birth announcement, and people have something to talk about.

Two thousand years later, people are still talking. Some are interested in religious things or decorated things or sales increase things. ‘Tis the season. But there’s nothing in that. No “God with us.” No help for this life or relief from sin and suffering. If you want the real truth, love, and power of Jesus at Christmas listen closely.

No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.*

It’s all about Jesus. He’s the reason for the season, and I desperately need Him. We desperately need Him.

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today.*

When I think of the coming Savior King at Christmas, I am amazed. Jesus was God and man. That He stepped down from heaven to earth is incredible. That He became one of us is mind-blowing. That His mission was to reconcile sinful humankind to Holy God is pure love.

I want my heart to be the place Jesus casts out sin, enters, and lives. I want a new heart, mind, and life because of the love of Jesus. You?

I also want to remember that, while He came to us as a baby, the rest of the story is amazing! Jesus grew up and now reigns as King of all from heaven. Now that’s a story worth reading. Do you know how it goes?

Signature, Jennifer Howe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


* Lyrics from O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Phillips Brooks and Lewis Redner.

 

Categories // Faith, Jennifer Howe's Perspective, The Story of Christmas Tags // Christmas, Isaiah 9:6-7, Jennifer J Howe, Jesus, John 1, Luke 2, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Trinity

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