Celebrating the freeing, supportive presence of God. So your experience of God may become your experience of life. It is wonderful what God can do!

“When God Comes Unexpectedly”

December 24, 2006

When we began Advent just six weeks ago today the Scripture and message of the morning was about remaining on guard in order to be ready for Jesus’ return. The emphasis was on the unknown time and day of his coming which pointed to our need to be watchful and prepared so as not to be caught unawares.

And so today we see in our Scriptures that the first coming of Jesus was just as unexpected and unplanned by humankind. Both Mary and Joseph were busy going about their daily lives in addition to the thoughts and preparations for marriage. They were not only living out their lives daily and individually but planning for a traditional lifestyle together.

Joseph, a carpenter by trade, was brought up to respect God and to follow the law given to the people by Moses. He was a righteous man determined to live an honorable and godly life. Mary was a young, moral woman who found strength and fulfillment in the faith of her upbringing. She, too, was looking forward to a traditional Jewish lifestyle which included raising children.

With no advance message, and without any preliminary dream, vision, or voices, Mary is confronted by a messenger of God by the name of Gabriel. He abruptly announces to her, “… you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son …”

While Gabriel continues to tell Mary of the high theological purpose in which she will be involved, Mary, a very practical woman, responds logically by asking, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” It is at this point that we imagine that Mary was hoping to hear from Gabriel, “don’t worry Mary, you will marry Joseph, have a very special child and then go on to raise a normal and uneventful family.”

Instead, Mary is told by Gabriel that she will become pregnant by way of the Holy Spirit and that her son would come to be known as the Son of God and save his people. Can you imagine Mary’s shock? Pregnant by the Holy Spirit? And God will be the father? Mary knew that pregnant young women without a husband were historically shunned and lived very destitute and difficult existences.

God often comes unexpect-edly into our lives with new messages, plans, and challenges to which we must respond. This is a significant part of the Christmas story. Sometimes God’s missions fit into our traditional understandings, but other missions to which we may be called lead to experiences which are not free from all danger.

Joseph, too, had to alter his plans more than once. First he made plans to wed Mary. Then he made plans to break off the engagement in light of her pregnancy. Then a messenger from God entered the picture through a dream and Joseph was asked to change his plans once again, to wed Mary and to become the earthly father of the Son of God.

Being ready to be used by God is a powerful message we receive from the Christmas story. God uses everyday people to accomplish his mission—everyday people to reach to those with whom God places in our path. You most likely will not be asked to be the parents of a savior, but God is looking to you and me to be both messengers of God and to be the hands and feet of God in our community and our world.

It is not all that unusual that God comes to us unexpectedly. After all, other than our regularly scheduled events, many important events in life come to us unexpectedly. Just within the past few months, there have been those of us touched unexpectedly by a loss through death. Within the past four weeks, at least two unexpected car accidents, one which touched a family in our congregation and another which has profoundly effected the lives of the 20-year-old who was the unexpected fatality.

At Christmas, God offers us and the world, the best gift of all—that of his own son who would, 33 years later, provide the world the means by which it can be saved for all eternity. In addition to that, remember that Jesus tells us that he came also that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Jesus is the means that makes our God, the God of new hope and possibilities. God is the god of the second chance which often extends to third, fourth, and fifth chances if not more.

God wants us to have a rich and fulfilling life--a life that also stretches forth in gratefulness as it extends a hand to others. We must remember that God is not our own personal privilege. Rather, God expects us to live a life of love, compassion, and generosity.

Do we need the presence of a winged angel looking us in the eye before we get the message that God wants us active in our community? Do we require a special dream from God in order to know that God wants our efforts and work to include the hungry, the homeless, and those without health insurance? Do we need Gabriel himself to tell us that the kingdom of God is one that reaches out beyond our friends and our families to include the stranger in our planning and in our giving?

Many of you have worked hard to bring about a better community by reaching out to those in need, by providing food and gifts to those who might not otherwise have had them. I have been so inspired by your work and your commitment that I have increased my own giving to those in need. I found the opportunity to serve God in my giving and felt his message of mercy and generosity deep within me. May you also be blessed with God’s mercy, generosity, and healing this Christmas.

I continue to pray for you all this Advent and Christmas season, and ask that God will grant you a special and holy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. May the spirit of joy, fulfillment, mercy and generosity be yours in these precious days given to us by God. Amen.