The Unexpected

This past week I have been blessed to travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for spring break.  There were flowers blooming, the grass was green, the ocean waves were rolling, and most of the time the sun was shining.  It gets to this part of the year and even as a Northern Michigander I still start to expect spring—I expect to see flowers, wear sandals, and sit out in the sunshine.  This year I drove back from South Carolina to a slight blizzard.  This is not what I expected (even if in Michigan it really shouldn't be a huge surprise)—nor desired.  But, God—He started talking to me about the snow and reminding me of truths that in my human flesh I let slip away at times.  

The odds are that if we are close I've told you at least once about one of my favorite truths about creation—so bear with me as I nerd out for a second.  In college I remember learning about snow and that every single snowflake starts as a particle of dust, soot, or bacteria.  Water coats the particle and freezes around it; as it swirls around in the cloud more and more layers of water turn to ice crystals surrounding this dirty core.  We all know that no two snowflakes are exactly alike—but they are all beautiful and all alarmingly white as they first fall to the earth.  

I remember thinking that this was a cool fact when I first heard it in that lecture but continued on with my day and didn't give it any more thought.  It wasn't until a couple days later, after leaving a stressful school meeting about student teaching that I walked out to the most beautiful coat of fresh snow, completely untouched.  I didn't see another soul on campus and I remember God completely taking my breath away as He revealed to me in that moment just how beautiful of a picture that truly is.  David tells us in Psalm 51:1-7 after committing adultery with Bathsheba:

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.  Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; was me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

When He washes us we are made whiter than snow.  The beauty of this Psalm was lost on me until God taught me the truth of what this means.  The core of snow is literally dirt.  It's dirty—seemingly useless and without purpose.  It's not until that dirt is coated in layer upon layer of ice crystals that it's made beautiful.  

We are the dirt.  Our core is dirty.  When we come to faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are coated and washed clean.  Once for all we are made white as snow.  But one of the countless things I love about Jesus is that He doesn't leave it at that.  Even after we can rest in the assurance that we are saved and He is keeping us, He continues to coat us again and again in His love and grace.  Enveloping us over and over again in His beauty just like a snowflake is coated again and again in layers of ice crystals.  And the more we are coated—or refined, the more we start to look like The One who is covering us.  God's goodness and His salvation for us is literally written within creation.  I can't help but look at snow now and pray to God that there would be the same number of people being made white as snow as snowflakes floating to the earth.  

In God reminding me of this truth today He's been speaking to me about how He shows up—because most of the time it's how we don't expect it.  In Isaiah 9:6 we are promised:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

This promise came to fruition in Luke 2:6-7 when we are told:

"And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."

That’s unexpected.  For the Creator of the universe, the King of kings, and Lord of lords to come in the most humble means.  As a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger, to a young, pure mother.  

In Luke 19:35-38 we are told:

"And they brought it (a donkey) to Jesus and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.  And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.  As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!'"

That's unexpected.  Jesus our King came on a donkey—not a strong steed, not a magnificent caravan, but a humble donkey.  The very people praising Him as He enters Jerusalem would days later be yelling out "crucify him!"—because He came in a way that was unexpected.  

In Matthew 27:49-54 it is recorded:

"But the others said, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.'  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.  And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.  The tombs also were opened.  And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, 'Truly this was the son of God!'"

That's unexpected.  The Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace hung and died on a cross—a sinners death.  That when He yielded up His spirit the earth had a visceral reaction.  

In Luke 24:10-12 we are told about Jesus' resurrection:

"Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.  But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened."

And later in Luke 24:36-43:

"As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, 'Peace to you!'  But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.  And he said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.  Touch me, and see.  For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.'  And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.  And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?'  They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them."

That's unexpected.  Could it be true!?  That Jesus was risen.  That His body was truly before His disciples.  That He beat death.  That the grave could not keep Him.  Jesus goes on to tell them in Luke 24:44-49:

"'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.  But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.'"

Even when He had told the disciples exactly what was to happen, when it actually came to be, it was unexpected.  We are a people that not only expect God to show up how and when we expect Him to, but we also forget when He tells us very clearly what He intends to do.  

God has been speaking to me today about how He shows up.  It may look differently than we expect or even (in our human flesh) desire, but He is present and He always will be.  We may have been expecting spring weather or budding flowers to be speaking to us of new life this Easter weekend—but He sent the snow.  It preaches the same thing.  It equally reveals His beauty—but it’s different.  It’s unexpected.  

So what is it in your life that's unexpected right now?  How is God showing up in a way that you weren't necessarily prepared for?  

I feel challenged to seek God by asking Him in the coming days "What 'spring-snow' will you send today?  In what ways are you going to show up that I don't expect?"  

Because if I'm being honest with you, I don't want to be one of the people that missed out on seeing God because I expected Him to look different.  I don't want to miss out on the glorious things because I was going a million miles a minute.  I don't want to get to heaven and hear of all the times God moved and I missed it, because I was looking for something different.  I know this: He has shown up, He will show up, and He will never stop showing up.  My prayer is for eyes to see Him—in whatever way He chooses to come.  

Thank you God that you come in ways that we don't always expect, but in ways that we always need.  You are the risen Christ—the only one powerful enough to resurrect and restore.  Today we celebrate you—for all the ways you've shown up—whether unexpected or not.  In Jesus' all-powerful, all-loving, always moving name,
Amen.