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In the time since my baptism, my pastor’s death and my ordination, I have been learning that some encounters with Jesus happen unexpectedly. Jesus himself is an unexpected Messiah, God unexpectedly coming into the world.
The Incarnation is the most beautiful, yet unexpected way for God to enter our world – not in elegance and finery, but as a poor, vulnerable baby, born in a manger. That baby will grow into a man who will preach, teach, perform miracles – and be crucified. This man, a carpenter by trade, lives and acts in defiance of what people think a messiah should be. Because of the Incarnation, the unexpected happen: The blind see, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. Jesus’ unexpected message sends the world into a topsy-turvy reality. Even his resurrection is unexpected, showing that death does not have the final say, even in wounded hands and a wounded side. The Incarnation, the in-breaking of the kingdom of heaven, is unexpected and incredible.
This message is excerpted from “Encountering Jesus” by Tuhina Verma Rasche in the January/February 2019 Gather magazine. Today is the Second Sunday after Christmas.