Dec 4 Luke 1:30 “But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you.”
It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and I headed to the church to meet George Mark,( one of our worship leaders) to practice a couple of songs. Ok, it was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it was (as we say in the south) slim pickins for special music. I had agreed to sing two songs during the service. Now on a good day and in the right key, I can muddle through. But on this Friday, neither of those applied. It had been a week of coughing and hacking and I had literally gone through both the Baptist and the Methodist Hymnals looking for a song in the “croak” range. I ended up with a Johnny Cash arrangement of an old gospel song. Seriously, a key for Johnny Cash and there were still some questionable notes for me.
The more I sang, the less confident I got, so we called it a day. Then George said, “I have a song I want to play for you. It is my favorite Christmas songs. I have been working on this new arrangement. Let me know what you think.” He began to play this beautiful rendition of “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne.” It was like the Angels popped out from behind the chairs and shouted “Surprise!” This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. It brings back precious memories of choirs and Christmases long ago. And it has that chorus that is my Christmas mantra. “O Come to my heart, Lord Jesus. There is room in my heart for thee.” When was the last time God surprised you? There is a great devotion from Sara Young’s “Jesus Calling” that says. “Before you get out of bed, Jesus has already been working to prepare the path that will get you through this day. There are hidden treasures strategically placed along the way.”
Some of the most precious surprises from God are simple and small, but they are just what we need when we need it. Let’s go into this day with our eyes wide open to the hidden treasures, the surprises God has for us today.
Grace and Peace at Advent