Waiting in line can be annoying. Bus lines. Coffee lines. Grocery lines.
Pregnant-with-a-baby-absolutely-no-one-expected lines. Wait a minute! Lots of women are pregnant when they have
least expected to be so. Some, because
of horrible rape - perpetrated by evil.
Others, because they have tried for so long to get pregnant; adoption is the option and “Voila,” an ultrasound brings tears of joy.
And then there was Mary.
An unsuspecting virgin teenager, betrothed to Joseph, an even more
unsuspecting carpenter-turned-stepfather.
This is the stuff of fiction and wild imaginations. But, truth be told, it is the work of
God. No one was really expecting the
Messiah, except maybe Mary. She was
afraid, but not unwilling, when Gabriel the angel spoke to her about becoming pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. God had not spoken to His people for four
hundred years- why would He speak now?
Little did people know that the Word of God would soon be made flesh, (John
1:14). Jesus, the God-man, knew from the
beginning of time that He would come, as a child growing in the womb of a young
mother.
Nine months is a very long time to wait- just ask any mom;
for that matter, ask my own mom who birthed eight children. But this unexpected, yet well-announced baby
had been coming for millennia. And the
world was caught in unexpected and ever-so-normal routines. People going about their daily lives: in the
market, at the temple, in Herod’s castle, in Bethlehem’s wee little town square
where women met to draw water. No one
there had really expected a young woman to show up with her son; the son whom
those shepherds had gossiped about a few days ago. The Son who lived with His parents in
Bethlehem for two years after He was born.
You see, those wise men from the East took two long, expectant years to
get from their kingdom to visit the King of Kings- following a bright and
shining star.
Now, there’s a story of patiently waiting! Two years.
One star. Travelling at night.
Riches in their bosom – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They didn’t know
that Jesus and Mary and Joseph would use up most of those gifts when
they had to flee to Egypt, seeing as Herod the “bought-my-throne-by-murder”
king tried to trick them into showing him exactly where this born King was
staying.
But God knew. All
along, God knew. All along, Jesus
knew. All along the ages, this
Unexpected One was prophesied about.
Answering every question, if someone dared to read the Scriptures. Where He would be born and When and Why and
How and Who and What on earth is it all about?
It is all about the salvation of humanity. Not to be found in a palace; not to be found
within your self. Rather, the unexpected
One - laid in a manger, sought out by shepherd-strangers, this greatest gift to
humanity. Mary had waited for nine long months for this miraculous baby to be born.
Maybe this Christmas, you have come to realize that this
long-awaited baby came for you. Yes, for
you; unexpected as that may seem. Are
you tired of waiting for something great to happen? It has already taken place, and you don’t
need to miss the blessing of it! Are you
weary of the wait for answers to your deepest questions? Jesus is your
answer. Are you fatigued by profound
regrets and unmitigated sorrow over your sin?
Jesus is your solace, your comfort, your joy. When you acknowledge your sin, He will save.
“She will give birth to a son, and you shall give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold! The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
(Matthew 1:21,22,23)
Amen! Christ is born! Glorify Him!
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