First Sunday of Advent: Expectancy

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

Have you ever expected a surprise gift? You know that its coming but you do not know what it looks like or when its coming; but you have the faith that the gift is on its way. The ancient prophets have always declared that a deliverer was coming to save them from their oppression. The deliverer would be conquering King liberating the poor and squashing injustice. However, the royal Son came not wrapped in royal robes but in swaddling clothes of a baby born in a manger. Yet we know that the smallest gifts in life can be the most valuable. Who has not seen a small with a diamond ring wrapped in pretty papers? This gift is insignificant in its smallness, but when you unwrap the gift, there is a precious diamond ring that outshines the big flat screen T. V.
Oh, how many times the smallest gift given by the least such as a handmade gift from a child is worth more than the diamond ring. Advent teaches us about the nature of expectancy. The Jewish people expected a powerful Warrior to be their Messiah, and yet God’s Messiah was a helpless babe born to poor parents. He would defeat the oppressive systems of this world not by violence committed but by violence taken – taken upon Himself through the cross. The seal of this defeat was His resurrection from the dead.
The Lord has a plan for your life and a future for you even though the gift of the future may not be exactly how you planned it to be. Small packages contain explosive contents. Remember expect the unexpected and you will find that the biggest pleasure in life is in the small things.