“All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,”-Luke 2:18 (NLT)

When was the last time you were amazed, astonished, surprised by Christmas?

Some years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article on the topic of “Aging.” The article described a case study an instructor had presented to his students when teaching a class in medical school. He described the case study patient under his care like this:

“The patient neither speaks nor comprehends the spoken word. Sometimes she babbles incoherently for hours on end.  She is disoriented about person, place, and time. She does, however, respond to her name… I have worked with her for the past six months, but she still shows complete disregard for her physical appearance and makes no effort to assist her own care. She must be fed, bathed, and clothed by others.

“Because she has no teeth, her food must be pureed. Her shirt is usually soiled from almost incessant drooling.  She does not walk. Her sleep pattern is erratic. Often she wakes in the middle of the night and her screaming awakens others. Most of the time she is friendly and happy, but several times a day she gets quite agitated without apparent cause. Then she wails until someone comes to comfort her.”

After presenting the class with this challenging case, the doctor then said to his students, “I am looking for a volunteer to care for her.” No one volunteered. Then the doctor said, “I’m surprised that none of you offered to help, because actually she is my favorite patient. I get immense pleasure from taking care of her and I am learning so much from her. She has taught me a depth of gratitude I never knew before. She has taught me the spirit of unwavering trust. And she has taught me the power of unconditional love.” Then he said, “Let me show you her picture.” He reached down, and clicked the mouse and brought the next slide on the screen. It was a picture of his 6 month old baby daughter.

How many of you were surprised by the outcome of that story? I remember reading it for the first time and having my expectations completely shattered. Honestly, I was expecting a picture of an elderly woman, the doctor's mom, in the later stages of Alzheimer’s or some other degenerative disorder. I wasn’t prepared for a child.

But it was the surprise that caught my attention. The surprise shifted my focus from a hesitant observer to an invested participant. It was the surprise that confronted me with my tendency to read things into words and create mental pictures that aren’t always real. It was the surprise that motivated reflection on the dignity of human life no matter what the age.

It was a surprise that took a man named Joseph and redrew the lines of his world.

It was a surprise that worked its way into Mary’s heart and compelled her to commit her life to God’s plan.

It was a surprise that caused the shepherds to say…”We’ve got to go see this thing that’s happened” and drove the shepherds from the hillsides and into Bethlehem to search for a baby.

You can’t tell the story of Jesus’ birth without being completely overtaken by the element of surprise.

Over the past 21 months of dealing with this COVID reality. We’ve all been surprised by things, some positive, some negative. But how has God surprised you? Just as in the birth of Jesus, He is still the God of surprises.

I’d love to hear from you how God shows up in your life in unexpected ways this Christmas! Send me an email with your story. pernilsen@miseminary.com. He is still the God of surprises.

Merry Christmas!

Per Nilsen, President