Expect the Unexpected

Part 1: “Expect the Unexpected”

(Series: What Do You Expect this Christmas?)
Sunday, November 28, 2010 – First Sunday of Advent
Matthew 24:36-44 (Isaiah 2:1-5)

Vs. 44: “Therefore you also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

This Advent season I want us to seriously think about what we expect this Christmas.

I’m not talking about your letters to Santa or what you hope to find under the tree on Christmas morning…

I’m talking about what you expect from your relationship with God.

Let us pray:
Lord, I ask that you guide us in our meditation on your Word this morning.
Lead us into Scripture to discover the truth you have for us today.
In Jesus’ Name…Amen

Advent: The arrival of something long-awaited; in church language – the time before the arrival/birth of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah.

We talk about it in terms of being a time to prepare ourselves to greet Jesus;

We talk about it being a time of anticipation, of hope, and of introspection;

This year I want us to focus on the word “expectation”

Matthew’s gospel makes it clear that not even Jesus knows the timing for his return…

He tells us to be ready for the unexpected…

What this really means is that the timing of it isn’t important;
what’s important is the certainty of it

Isn’t that what expectation is? Certainty of what will happen?

If we truly expect something to happen, we must have some degree of certainty.

So, this Advent I want us to really think about what we expect…

Do we expect God to do unexpected things?

Do we expect to be challenged in our walk of faith?

Do we expect miracles to happen?

Do we expect God to be present with us?

Do our expectations lead us to certainty about our relationship with God?

This morning’s reading from Isaiah talks about a time when God’s perfect will is realized…

Swords are beaten into plowshares; spears turned into pruning hooks…
in other words, our weapons are re-purposed for something good

Nation shall not fight against nation and we won’t learn about war anymore

The prophet was certain that this time would one day come…he expected it and
he wanted the people to expect it also.

Our gospel is certain of what Christ will do, even though the timing is uncertain…

Matthew tells us to be ready and expect the unexpected…

He tells us to live faithfully and appropriately, with certainty of our salvation

Isaiah was writing nearly three thousand years ago; Matthew wrote two thousand years ago…

For all their certainty, their expectations have yet to be fulfilled…

We still hold on to our weapons; we still have war all over the world; and
Christ still hasn’t come back.

What’s a good Christian to do?

Give up? Be less certain? Change our expectations? Stop watching and waiting?
Stop living faithfully and appropriately?

That’s exactly what I want us to think about this Advent…
What do we really expect?

If we listen to Isaiah, I wonder if we really expect that the day will ever come when his prophecy will come true…

Can we even visualize a world where there are no weapons and no war?

If we can’t even dream of such a place, how can we expect it to evolve?

What if we visualize Isaiah’s “weapons” as a metaphor for the things that we use/abuse…?

What weapons in your life might be re-purposed into something good for God’s glory?

Words are often used as weapons that might better be turned into tools for healing.

Turning away from someone might be a weapon that could be changed into
an offer of hope.

Maybe Isaiah was expecting humanity to change so that
God’s perfect plan might be realized.

Something to think about…

Maybe Matthew is telling us that we need to be ready for the unexpected because God isn’t going to bother sending Jesus again until we’re living the life we’re expected to live.

Maybe the “unexpected time” is when God’s people can stop bickering long enough to really live the way Jesus called us to live…wouldn’t that be “UNEXPECTED”!

Maybe the gospel is warning us that we need to be doing some unexpected things to prepare for Jesus’ unexpected return.

So I wonder…What do we really expect this Christmas?

Do we expect God to do all the work?

Jesus showed us an unexpected way of living…

He turned conventional wisdom upside down…

He did things that his own people never expected the Messiah to do.

I wonder if we can follow his example.

I also wonder if we can accept the possibility that God can still act in unexpected ways…

Or, have we become too cynical to think that God can still transform lives…

Is it outside the realm of possibility for people to get along with one another…?

Is it too much to expect for nations to stop bombing other nations…

Is there simply no way for people to solve their differences
short of blowing something up?

As faithful Christians, I believe that we must be willing to expect the unexpected…

That means expecting great things from God…

It means giving God the chance to act in amazing ways by being open to him…

It means believing God’s promises in spite of the world’s realities.

I believe it is a great comfort to expect God to do what God says he will do…

That expectation gives me the certainty to trust God for everything.

It takes the pressure off and helps me to be the person God wants me to be.

I expect people to treat each other well. I expect the economy to improve.

I expect terrorists to see the light and change.

I choose to expect the unexpected.

Amen!