God’s surprise gift
by Pastor Mark Lieschke
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‘On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus’ (Luke 2:21).
For centuries, Hebrew parents had brought their children to be circumcised and named on the eighth day of life. So, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple as the law required.
The name Jesus means ‘Saviour’ or ‘the Lord saves’! The angel of the Lord had announced what his name would be because he would ‘save his people from their sins’. God’s people were expecting someone to come with impressive power; instead, God came in weakness, in a baby, laid in a manger. What a surprise!
Surprises can come when we least expect them. When things look their worst, when we think that life has dealt us a bad hand, God can come through with a big surprise. In fact, the whole nature of the gospel is a big surprise. We normally expect that nothing is free and everything must be earned and worked for. And that is true of all, except this: God’s free gift of eternal life in Jesus.
Think about all the surprises in the Bible. Noah’s neighbours realised that it was beginning to rain. When up in years, Sarah told her husband Abraham that she was going to have a baby. Moses saw a burning bush and the voice of God coming out of it. The walls of Jericho came tumbling down. The angel came to Mary, and then to Joseph, to tell them they would have a baby, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus grew up to be nailed to a cross and the one in whom his disciples had believed lay stone-cold dead in a grave.
But soon followed that great and grand surprise when Mary saw him again in the resurrection. He was alive!
And there is the surprise of our guilty lives when we hear the Lord Jesus tell us again and again, ‘Your sins are forgiven. You did not earn it, you cannot earn it, but I give it to you. You are free. Go in peace!’
There will be one more surprise that comes to us who confess Jesus to be our Saviour and live under his blessing. This will be a big one. He’s coming back!
That will be the greatest surprise of all. And for those of us who know Jesus, it will be the greatest occasion to celebrate.
Lord Jesus, thank you that you have come to us and for us. We don’t deserve your grace; we deserve the exact opposite. But you have come, and you still come to us daily with your gifts and promises. Enable us to live in this grace every day of this new year. In your name, we pray. Amen.
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