Day 8 (18 Dec): The Surprise of Christmas

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

(Luke 2:8 - 12)

Surprises often go viral. Take for example, the shy teen who then proceeds to give a performance of a lifetime in front of the judges and audience. Or the soldier, supposedly deployed overseas, who shows up at his family’s doorstep just on time for Christmas dinner.

At the heart of surprise is contrast: between how things seem and what they actually are; between expectations and reality. The first Christmas was a chain of contrasts, a series of surprises. 

Contrast: 

The shepherds keeping watch over their flocks - Humble hired hands pre-occupied with earthly concerns With the angel from heaven - bearing the royal announcement that would resound across all space and time. 

Contrast:

The darkness of night With glory of God in all its shining brilliance 

Contrast: 

The shepherd's sheer terror (literally: they feared with great fear) With the “Good news that will cause great joy for all the people" that was proclaimed to them

Contrast: 

The greatness of titles - "Saviour, Messiah, Lord!" - of He who has come With the tiny infant, wrapped against night's cold, nestled within an animal feeding trough

Christmas no longer surprises us - we greet it with a sense of seasoned familiarity. Its easy to forget its surprise, as we wear ourselves out, in the hustle and bustle of festivity, which we seek as respite from our restivity.

Yet Christmas is the beginning of the Divine Message spoken into our lives "by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, [about] things into which angels long to look." (1 Peter 1:12). And instead of being a momentary escape from our everyday mundanity, Christmas speaks of intersection between divine and our ordinary existence – God into right where we are.

Its easy to forget the surprise of Christmas, wandering down streets awashed with artificial lights, surrounded by sales and shopping sights, soothed by songs whose words we no longer hear.

Yet God's glory is not mere glitz and glamour, but infinite holiness: that quakes shepherds and kings, melts mountains, and upends all our pretensions at righteousness. And yet again – surprise of surprises – the glorious God utterly above us, is also the gracious God who is completely for us.

Its easy to forget the surprise of Christmas, when we think of it just as a prelude to the rest of God’s story of redemption. Yet that baby in the manger is not a concealment, but a revelation of God’s nature, for He is counted worthy not just by the heights of His majesty, but by the depths of His humility (Philippians 2:7 – 10).

Prayer

And so, Dear Lord Jesus, help us to be surprised by the story of Christmas once again.

Bring us back to surprise of the Gospel – to the message that marks the most mundane moments of our lives with meaning.

Bring us back to the surprise of Your Grace towards us - in the light of Your glory and greatness over us.  

Bring us back to surprise of You – Light of Light, very God of very God – stepping into our human condition. In a world, and in a season, where people clamour for size, strength, choice, and allure; you chose littleness, weakness, dependence and modesty. Bring us to back to who You are.

Rev Lionel Neo

Covenant Presbyterian Church