Expect The Unexpected
I woke up one morning earlier this year, and the Sun was shining in the window of my bedroom. It wasn’t quite seven o’clock, but I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. As I left home that morning, I didn’t put a coat on. It felt like Spring outside. I experienced this on a January morning. That was unexpected.
I watched football yesterday. I saw Tom Brady, having the best season of all time for a quarterback, throw three interceptions. I watched Brett Favre, a hall-of-fame quarterback, throw a game-losing interception in overtime. I watched a kicker miss two game winning kicks, and then hit a game winner that was longer than either of the other two. These were all unexpected.
I meditated this past Christmas at church on how our Messiah came to the earth. I saw how the Jews were expecting a warrior, a leader, a political savior to come to them. And what they got was a baby, in a gift of love. That was unexpected to them.
I was filled with passion for the topic of “Made For Love” as I wrote this year’s program book. Filled with passion as I presented it along with ideas to the brotherhood at Fall Gathering. And yet I’ve found myself unable to sustain that passion for the theme into regular discussionals to share with my brothers. That was unexpected, too.
And all this unexpectedness really got me thinking about the nature of God’s love. We find it exactly where we least expect it. In laughter at a funeral. In a baby’s crib, when we think we need a warrior. In the warmth of the Sun on what should be a cold blistery day. In the joy of redemption for a kicker in a football game. In the face of a smile despite losing a game for yourself. In every direction we look, we can be surprised and find the love of God.
And I think this is what Paul is talking about in Ephesians three, when he notes that he hopes we can grasp how long, high, deep, and wide the love of Christ is. And then he notes that this love is beyond understanding. And then he notes that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or even imagine.
And I try to wrap my head around this concept. I try to understand a love that I can grasp in length, width, height and depth, but never be able to truly understand.
And I’m certain we all have anecdotes to share about where we’ve encountered the unexpected love of Christ. And we all have something to share about how high, deep, tall, and wide the love of Christ is. And we all have something to share about how to understand this love more better.
So, please, come share. We want to know Christ better. And enjoy his love fuller. Even when we least expect it.
