Advent Devotional, 1st Day of Advent

December 1
When my son hides behind a tree to hit me with a surprise snowball, I’m caught off guard because he was sneaking. When I stub my toe on a door frame that wasn’t exactly hiding from me, my problem is that I was not observant. And when I’m surprised by good news, I’m surprised because my expectations are those of someone with a worldly imagination. But in each case I can say “I didn’t see it coming.”
When Jesus came as a baby in Bethlehem the whole world at the time could have responded with a collective “we didn’t see that coming.” Was that because Jesus snuck up on them? Was it because they weren’t paying attention? Or was it because their imaginations were too impoverished to catch things unfolding in front of them?
And what about you? 
Luke 2:30-32
Prayer - “Lord, if you want to surprise me, surprise me. If you want to sneak up on me, travel in my blindspot, confound my expectations - so be it. But help me, Lord, to be attentive and to have an imagination that takes you and your greatness into account.”
Song: "The Annunciation" by Giants & Pilgrims. I love how husband and wife team Tim and Betony Coons open their Christmas album, "The Joyous Mysteries," with a song about the annunciation in which there are no words, no lyrics. It begins with a simple whistle. It is the musical equivalent of a "psst." I like the reminder that God's efforts to prepare us for even the most momentous events begins with something like a whisper.