‘I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant,whom you desire, will come,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Malachi 3:1 NIV

I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. I come across a verse in the Scriptures that I haven’t read in a while and it clearly speaks to me about Jesus. It’s in the Old Testament, long before Jesus was born. There are many passages I know and love that speak to Jesus’ coming long before his birth. But this one surprises me because I haven’t used it in the Christmas Eve worship services, I haven’t seen it on Christmas cards and ornaments. I must have read it before, but I didn’t SEE it until now.

God’s word does this to me with some regularity – it surprises me with things I’ve read before, but am now seeing for the first time.

It shouldn’t surprise me, because God was preparing the world for His Son long before Mary and Joseph came on the scene. For ages, God patiently laid the foundation. Speaking through his prophets, soften the hearts of humanity, preparing the way.

Before any celebration, the preparation must take place. And God was planning on throwing a great celebration, one quiet night in Bethlehem.

This Advent, may you be surprised by God’s word. May you see what you’d read before for the first time. May you prepare to celebrate, and may your preparations bring you closer to the One we celebrate.