The Unexpected Gift

During the Advent season, we are looking at the good gifts of God that often show up in surprising ways and we may not consider to be gifts at the time. This week, we are focusing on the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the "unexpected gift." They are faced with acknowledging a hurt they've carried for a long time - the lack of a child - and a miraculous promise.

The unexpected gift can come as a shock. It can completely interrupt our processes and cause whole new ways of thinking and being to emerge. And so there is this caution for all of us - that when the unexpected gift shows up, we may choose to hold on to cynicism and dismiss it, rather than to dare to hope and be disappointed again. How do we trust God and learn to hope again?