Advent Devotional, December 19

Serendipity is the good thing you discover when you are searching for something else. A scientist employed by 3M was trying in 1968 to come up with a powerful glue when he discovered, by chance, the pressure sensitive, tacky adhesive we know from post-it notes. It was unlooked for and was, for years, scorned at 3M as the “solution without a problem.” It wasn’t until 1980, twelve years after the discovery, that post-it notes were made nationally available.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jesus is often regarded as a disappointment and a missed mark by people who find him while looking for something else. Our Christmastime narratives can’t afford to admit it, but doesn’t it seem likely that the shepherds were more impressed with the angels and the magi more impressed with the star than they were with the infant to which the angels and the star had pointed them. Could you blame them if they found the baby and his parents a bit of a let down?
Some people come upon Jesus while looking for something to make them more successful at life, a job for which Jesus is ill-suited. 
Some people come upon Jesus while looking for a political identity (good luck with that!)
All sorts of things bring all sorts of people to the Jesus they weren’t looking for . . . but who was looking for them. And he is less offended (he’s not an insecure King) than he is amused by their perplexity and resignation. 

Matthew 21:42

Prayer: If I’ve been slow on the uptake and have had a hard time seeing you for who you are because I was looking for something else, I repent. Open my eyes. Give me a proper imagination where you are concerned and make me an “early adapter.” Let me be among the first to recognize you and to perceive what you’re up to, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.

Song: The Oh Hello’s Mvmt IV: Every Bell on Earth Will Ring is a little longer than others we’ve commended to you, but worth a listen for the heartfelt way that they take us through this medley of Christmas carols to bring us to a crescendo of worship. 

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