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Expect the Unexpected from God
The Lord says, “My thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
There is no other more unexpected being in the
world than God. He cannot be fully understood by
us. We cannot confidently predict God’s response
to the circumstances of life. The Bible establishes
an irrefutable truth that God IS Love. The way
God thinks about love is beyond our full comprehension.
And the way God loves is beyond our
ability to fully master.
The season of Epiphany has been full of new
revelations of the unexpected love of God in Christ
Jesus. John the “Baptizer” expected a sinful Jewish
nation to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness
of sins. He didn’t expect God to identify
with sinners by having a sinless Jesus be baptized.
A young couple expected their marriage to be a
joyous occasion. They didn’t expect “water turning
into wine.” The scribes and Pharisees expected
the Messianic prophesies to be fulfilled.
They didn’t expect the Messiah to be a carpenter
with a motley band of disciples. The disciples expected
Jesus to save the Jews. They didn’t expect
Jesus to lay down his life to accomplish God’s
plan of salvation.
When are we going to start expecting the unexpected
from God every day? When are are going
to expect to be “surprised by a greater joy”
because we live with Emmauel (“God with Us”)?
When are we going to begin practicing the unexpected
forgiveness which Jesus modeled for us?
We can surprise our families with unexpected devotion
to private and corporate worship. We can surprise
our teachers and students with unexpected commitment
to study and learning. We can surprise our coworkers
with unexpected compassion and friendship.
We can surprise ourselves with an unexpected
trust and reliance on God’s grace and power.
In the Upper Room (January 3, 2010), Joanna
Ronalds of Victoria, Australia, told of an “unexpected
conversion” reminiscent of the centurion’s experience
recorded in Mark 15:39. (“When the centurion, who
stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw
how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of
God!’”) Joanna confessed: “While I know in my
head that Jesus died for all people, sometimes I am
guilty of thinking there are people beyond God’s
reach.” She shares of teaching a boy whom she subconsciously
labeled as a person very unlikely to become
a Christian. She admitted that even when praying
for this young man, “I don’t think I really believed
that God would answer my prayers.” Joanna
didn’t expect the unexpected from God. The student
heard the good news of Jesus Christ from her teachings
AND he believed what he heard!
Lent, forty days of spiritual reflection and preparation
for Easter, begins February 17th with Ash
Wednesday. What are we expecting to happen this
Lenten season? Do we expect to struggle a little with
the quality of our relationship with Jesus? Are we
ready to be surprised by the unexpected lifechanging
love of God in Christ Jesus? Do we expect
God to answer our prayers for the souls of those lost
and lonely in our community? Are we ready to be
surprised by the unexpected conversions of some of
these people? Do we expect our church to grow
physically and spiritually this year? Are we ready to
be surprised by the unexpected outpouring of the
Holy Spirit? Are we ready to be surprised by the unexpected
blessings we are going to experience in this
New Year? Our God is the God of unexpected love
and action. Expect the unexpected from God!
Grace, Peace, and Joy
Pastor Joe
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