Even though there’s something in the air at Christmas time, a lot of folks try to keep their expectations reasonable and rational. Maybe that’s you. Maybe you try to keep your expectations low with family get-togethers. Maybe it’s with parties with friends or coworkers. Maybe it’s with Christmas morning. We just don’t want to expect too much. But, there’s another area where we often keep our expectations low this holiday season, and that’s with God. Maybe we enter this season a little hurt by Him. Maybe we had an expectation, a hope, that He would intervene in our lives in some way, and He didn’t. We’re not alone.
The Christmas season is really one of unmet expectations. Joseph and Mary had some unmet expectations. They probably expected to have a normal engagement and marriage as they started a family. History tells us that the Jewish people expected a Messiah who was a warrior, a ruler; someone who would give them justice, someone to take charge. Instead, they got a baby.
So when we enter this season with some unmet expectations, we’re not alone. But, as we’ll see this week, that can end up being a wonderful thing. Because in the same way God went above and beyond people’s expectations that first Christmas, He does the same with us today.
