Expecting the Unexpected

Synopsis: The magi left, and an angel told Joseph to flee to Egypt. Egypt. You know, the place where the Israelites were enslaved for hundreds of years and out of which God miraculously led them. You know, the place full of Gentiles, pagan worship, and uncleanness. And God said stay there until I tell you to leave.

Application: Joseph and Mary were just hanging out in Egypt. They had no idea how long they’d be there. They knew they were leaving, but they also had to make Egypt home. Our world is not as God had intended, and while we’re here, we can separate ourselves from our community and live a safe and secluded life – not allowing the “unholiness” of the world to invade. However, even though this place is not what God intended, it is our current residence, and we have been told to make a difference in it. Mary and Joseph made a home in Egypt, which during that time required both giving to and receiving from a community. How can we engage, connect, and bring unexpected kingdom life to our world?

Synopsis: The Magi were respected religious leaders in their homeland. They were also Gentiles. And yet, despite being shunned by the religious system of the Israelites, these Magi came because they recognized the significance of what was happening and who was coming. They came to worship an Israelite king. The Israelites knew nothing of it and treated the Magi as hostiles—except, of course, for Herod and his thinly veiled attempt to find where this usurper of his authority was residing. Herod asked them to return once they found him, but after the Magi gave their gifts, God told them to go another direction.

Application: The Magi had been traveling for some time to find Jesus. Once they found him, they showered him with gifts and worshipped in obscurity. But now their trip was complete, and instead of taking the same way back, they had to take a detour. Sometimes we believe we understand the best way from Point A to Point B. We’ve done the research, we’ve discussed with friends, we’re clearly on the right road. And then a detour is placed on our path. Herod was pretty sure he knew the best way to find success in his life – remove the blockade: Jesus. Maybe we’ve been traveling the road for so long that we’ve forgotten where we’re heading. It’s pretty easy to do when we’re making good time. Like the Magi sensitive to the urgings of the Spirit, might we want to take the detour and spend more time with the one who started us on our journey in the first place?

Synopsis: The angels appear to shepherds who were out watching their flocks, possibly at a time of year when lambs would be born (they were literally waiting and watching for new life). In their culture, shepherds were dishonest, and they were unclean. They were outcasts and social pariahs. The typical OT birth announcement starts: an angel appears, person responds with fear, affirmation is given, then the message. Usually what happens after this is an objection and request for a sign, and then the giving of the sign. It’s what happened with Zechariah. But the shepherds don’t ask for a sign. Instead they listened to the angel reveal the news that this was the long-awaited Messiah, and they went to see this amazing thing that had been thousands of years in the making.

Application: The shepherds were outcasts. They were unclean in their religious culture and branded as dishonest by the culture at large. Some of these shepherds had inherited the family business, but it’s very possible that others had chosen this life to avoid people who hurt them, people who made fun of them, people who told them they didn’t belong. What if God gives you a purpose for which others have told you that you don’t qualify? “Build my kingdom on earth” is a pretty big responsibility. The shepherds were given the task of announcing the beginning of this new kingdom, and now it’s up to us to begin establishing it in our world. Will we listen to the voices telling us we don’t qualify for that job? Or, like the shepherds, will we believe we are exactly the one God is calling?

Synopsis: A census was being taken, which meant that Joseph had to go to Bethlehem. A census didn’t mean showing up and saying, “Here!” It meant they had to pay money. Joseph’s got a not-pregnant-by-him fiancée close to giving birth, and now he has to pay for a trip to Bethlehem and then pay a tax once they get there. As we all know, Mary has the baby while they’re there . . . in a barn.

Application: Everyone has had one of those times when it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year. Jesus’ birth was the most inconvenient of times for his family. And yet, in the midst of that, the long-awaited Messiah made his entrance. There are times when good things come out of unexpected circumstances, things we never could have planned. Change is never easy, rarely anticipated, and often life-altering. A barn was not Joseph’s and Mary’s first choice of where to meet their son, but holding the son of God in their arms made their surroundings insignificant. How can we choose a life of abundance instead of scarcity – trusting God will provide unexpected gifts even in the midst of life’s most difficult challenges?

Synopsis: Zechariah and Elizabeth were devout followers of God: one a priest and the other a descendant of Aaron. Despite their adherence, they were never blessed with children (commonly viewed as being favored by God in their culture). Zechariah is given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve in the Holy Place of the temple. While there, he is visited by an angel, which according the Scriptures, is something that hadn’t happened in 400 years. The angel Gabriel tells him he will have a son, but Zechariah balks and asks for proof. Gabriel, annoyed at the unbelief, informs Zechariah he will not be able to speak until the child is born. Zechariah spent more time in the Holy Place than was ordinary, and those outside become concerned. The Tamid states that priests coming out of the holy place would pronounce a blessing. But as Zechariah exits with the incredible news of having been visited by an angel, being promised the birth of a son, and the soon coming of the long-awaited Messiah, he is quite literally dumbfounded, speechless.

Application: Elizabeth and Zechariah wanted a child, and when they discovered they would receive just that, Zechariah couldn’t speak to share the exciting news, and Elizabeth was going to deal with all the challenges of pregnancy in her 80’s! How many times in our life have we been waiting for something and, when things finally fall into place, we’re just not ready – or it happens in a way we didn’t expect? This is what we wanted but, WOW, we didn’t think it would be like this! Is it God’s sense of humor at our expense, or God’s perfect timing? Zechariah and Elizabeth found joy and celebrated God’s providence in this unexpected addition. How do we trust God’s wisdom in times when things don’t happen like we thought they would?