The old prophet Isaiah captured these profound words from God: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." If ever there was a time in history that proved the depth of truth in that statement, it was when Jesus came to the earth. If He was anything, He was unexpected. Maybe it was the centuries of silence from God before Jesus came that had everyone off balance. When He came, He was unexpected. Or possibly it was the seemingly unrealized Messianic promises from prophets like Isaiah that caused the people to grow weary of waiting. They sure didn't expect Him when He came. 

Let's be real though, it could have been the stable, the gentile wise men, the price put on His head by a jealous king, or the three decades after His birth before anyone really heard about Him, that made Him so unexpected. Whatever the case, Jesus took them all by surprise. He still does. There is so much unexpected about our Savior that each encounter with Him reminds us that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways our ways. I am so glad it's this way. After 50+ years of knowing Him, I have come to yearn for the unexpected, I've quit trying to anticipate the surprises, opting instead to simply enjoy the wonder. This Christmas season we will be looking at our Unexpected Savior, it is my prayer that whether you meet Him for the first time or the five hundredth time, you will see the unexpected.   Phil Alspaw