12 words till Christmas... unexpected...

It's 12 days till Christmas... and I'm asking Him what He wants me to write... and what I sense... is unexpected...

An Advent series...
12 days...
12 words...

I always enter these with a bit of trepidation...
wondering if it's from Him or me...
because really...?
all I have is a word for today...
unexpected...

I received an unexpected gift today...

a jar filled with cookies...
an appreciation for ministry... :)

And unexpected... is clearly a Christmas word...

Zechariah didn't expect to meet an angel during his priestly duties...
the message he received was very unexpected...

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side

of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him,

and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid,

Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard and your wife Elizabeth will

bear you a son, and you shall call him John. ..."

Luke 1:11-13 ESV

Zechariah and his wife were well along in years...

and Elizabeth's womb bore nothing their whole marriage... 

The angel tells Zechariah he will be the father of John...

who became John the Baptizer...

the one who made the way for the Lord...

Unexpected...

Mary... she didn't expect an angelic message either...

nor her role in the Messiah's coming...

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God. And behold,

you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great

and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God

will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will

reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom

there will be no end."

Luke 1:30-33 ESV

A virgin... 

engaged to be married...

pregnant...

Unexpected...

And her fiance... Joseph...

faced with an expectant bride to be...

Unexpected...

Mary and Joseph... bless their hearts...

they certainly didn't expect to lay the Babe in a feed trough...

Unexpected...

The shepherds... received a message out in the fields...

the birth announcement of the newborn King...

from a host of heavenly angels...

Unexpected...

King Herod faced unexpected competition...

Mary and Joseph received unexpected gifts from the Magi...

Even though God's people had been waiting... expecting... the arrival of the Messiah for hundreds of years... it was all very unexpected when He came...

Unexpected... a Christmas word...

Look for the unexpected this Advent season...

unexpected blessings...

unexpected company...

unexpected gifts...

unexpected callings...

Be prepared for the unexpected...

As for me... by faith... I expect another Christmas word... tomorrow...