Amid the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, there is at least one way time has ground to a halt for me this year. We are in the unfamiliar circumstance of seeking God’s next ministry assignment, but in most cases during this time of year churches are busy with Christmas celebrations and their pastor searches have been put on hold until after the first of the year.

Even those not involved in ministry searches know how it feels for life to seemingly stand still, and many of us experience times in our lives when it seems as though “nothing” is going on. There is never a time in our lives when “nothing” is happening, because God is always at work around us.

Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for years that God would give them a son, but now well beyond childbearing age they remained childless. You can read their story in Luke 1:5-25.

Zechariah was a priest and priests were divided in to 24 companies of 300-350 priests. Each company had the opportunity to serve in the Temple two weeks each year. About 50 priests were chosen each day to perform the various Temple tasks assigned to the priest, so over the course of a week each priest had the opportunity to do something in the Temple.

The plum assignment, however, was the opportunity given to 2 priests each day to enter the Holy Place and burn incense on the Altar of Incense. Lots were cast to determine who got the opportunity, and no one had the opportunity to do it more than once. Only 28 received this privilege each year and in his long life, Zechariah had never had the chance.

To summarize the story, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah while he was in the Holy Place and assured him his prayer had been heard and that he and Elizabeth would have a child, even in their advanced years. Those were 5 powerful words in verse 13 – “your prayer has been heard.”

Chances are because of what seemed biological limitations, Zach and Liz had not prayed for a child in YEARS. It had seemed as though God had not heard their prayer, or at the very least He had answered “no.” It seemed NOTHING WAS HAPPENING. We know now though that God was working behind the scenes to show His glory at the right moment – in the fullness of time.

If there is something in your life for which you’ve been praying, if there is some circumstance in your life where it seems God refuses to work, rest assured, God is at work. At just the right moment – for your good and for HIS glory – God will act. He may not act in a way you ask or expect but He will act in the best way.  Pray, trust, stay faithful, and look to the Lord. NOTHING IS NEVER HAPPENING in your life.

What do you do when life doesn’t go the way you expected? Those surprises come in different forms at different times and for different people – a bad health report, a relationship breakup, a financial shortfall, a job loss. I am sure you could add more that list. This Christmas marks the first time in 17 years that I am not the pastor of a local congregation during this special time of year. To say the least, it feels odd.

As I’ve read through the Christmas story the last several days, however, I find that I am in good company when it comes to unwanted and unexpected life circumstances. Also at no fault of his own and against his wishes, Joseph found himself somewhere he never thought he would be.

An angel appeared to give Joseph some very good advice for how to handle this unexpected turn of events. From Joseph’s example in Matthew 1:18-25, we can learn three actions that help us handle these unwanted circumstances.

First of all, when faced with unexpected and unwanted circumstances, TRUST THE WORK of GOD. In verse 20, we see that while Joseph was trying to figure out what to do, God sent His messenger with a word of hope for Joseph. God was the One who impregnated Mary…He was actively involved in their circumstance. When life surprises us, we can rest assured our all-knowing God knows no surprises. He sees and orchestrates circumstances in our lives before we even experience them.

Second, we can TURN TO THE WORD of GOD. The message of the angel was an application of Isaiah 7:14. God acts consistently with His Word, the Bible. So many Scriptures remind us to remain faithful in difficult circumstances. God is at work, and His Word prepares us and equips us to be effective in that work. Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17. During your unexpected circumstances, turn to God’s Word often for guidance and instruction. Through the Bible, God will safely guide you through your circumstances and accomplish His purposes in and through you.

Finally, we can ENGAGE THE WILL of GOD. Verse 24 seems such a simple statement that we may easily pass it over without considering its implications – Joseph immediately went and did what the angel told him. It does little good for us to experience hardship and remain unchanged. James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:6-7 remind us that God uses our circumstances to bring us to places of obedience. God works in us through our circumstances so He can work through us because of our circumstances. So when circumstances surprise you, do what you know you should be doing.  Be faithful in your obedience.

So if you are experiencing difficult circumstances during this holiday season, I understand. I am too. This will be my family’s “weird Christmas” that we will fondly look back to in years to come. We will recount how God glorified Himself in our hardship, and how He brought us through all of this. Remember that God not only knows what you are going through, He is at work in it. Turn to His Word and obey what He tells you. This may be the Merriest Christmas ever.

“Hey, were you born in a barn?” I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard that growing up. Leaving doors open was a major taboo in my upbringing. But reckon Mary ever said that to Jesus? The stable and manger are prominent features in the most important event in human history. God demonstrated His love for common man by introducing His Son in the strangest environment; not a place of privilege or prominence, but a place obscure and unexpected.

We sing songs like “Away in a Manger, “Silent Night,” and “What Child Is This” to celebrate the coming of Jesus to earth – born a child, born of a virgin. But are we guilty of leaving Him in the manger and never letting Him grow up in our lives. I think the inclusion of the Magi in the Christmas narrative reminds us of the reason the Baby was born.

We are not sure how many Magi there were, who they were, or exactly where they were from, but we are sure that they came from a great distance to worship Jesus. And, in an act of true worship, they brought gifts.You see, worship is not something we experience, it is something we give. Worship is not singing songs, feeling spiritual goose bumps, and following a well designed order of service. Worship is what we GIVE JESUS. Worship can involve songs, prayers, sermons, offerings, and such if those activities are heartfelt means we use to ascribe to Him the honor and glory He deserves. But they are just that – means, not ends in themselves.

The particular gifts the Magi brought Jesus are significant as well. They brought Him gold which symbolized His royal position as King of Kings. While I doubt they fully recognized the spiritual nature of His kingdom, they nevertheless recognize His sovereignty and gave gifts that promised their allegiance to Him. We get the Baby out of the manger and give Him the gift of Kingship when we submit to His rule in our lives.

They also brought frankincense which symbolized His spiritual position as Lord. Frankincense was a fragrant powder used in worship. The Magi recognized that this Baby was unlike any other and was the One ultimately worthy of worship. We get the Baby out of the manger and give Him the gift of Lordship when we make Him the ultimate pursuit of our lives.

Additionally they brought a most unusual gift for a baby – a burial spice called myrrh. Even at His birth, the Bible foreshadowed His sacrificial death. We get the Baby out of the manger and give Him the gift of our lives when we recognize His place as Redeemer, trust Him as our Savior, and share the good news of salvation with anyone we get the opportunity.

Don’t you think it’s time for Jesus to grow up in your life? This Christmas, allow Jesus to get out of the manger and take His rightful place on the throne of your life. Recognize His Lordship and make Him the passionate pursuit of your life.

You know the story. You call Tech Support and spend an hour going through a series of “self-help” steps directed by an assumed expert on the other end of the line. All the while, you hear the click of the keyboard as your expert “googles” the answer to your question. After the series of self-help steps fails, the technician finally relents and promises to “send someone out to take a look.”

When it came to redeeming His creation, God did not offer a “series of self-help steps,” He did not promise to “send someone right out,” but instead He sent Himself. Consider these two verses:

“Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name Him Immanuel – ‘God is with us.'” Isaiah 7:14

“The Word (Jesus) became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Let that truth really sink in . . . God came down and got in a human body!!! For hundreds of years He had sent His leaders, teachers, and prophets to do His work, but when the time was just right, He showed up on the scene HIMSELF. God WITH US. Immanuel is not just a Christmas word, but a living reality for those of us in God’s family. God is here, within us. He knows how we feel, what we face, what we need. He is more than acquainted with our concerns and more than able to address them and handle them. He is STILL IMMANUEL!

And don’t miss that line from the John 1 passage: “we beheld His glory.” Beheld it, gazed at it, saw it often, looked at it with the purpose of analyzing, learning, being blessed by it. And what a unique glory it was . . . One and Only are the words John used to describe it. Have you seen the glory of God around you? I mean really, do we look for God to operate in “One and Only” kind of ways? I think we rather prefer the usual, the explainable, the expected. We do not look for God to do something new around us. But, brothers and sisters, I don’t know about you, but as for me this Christmas, I am making it my prayer, my aim, my passion to see the unique glory of Jesus Christ. I have grown weary of the “same old same old,” and I am holding up some new wineskins into which I want God to pour new wine.

Please, Lord, this Christmas, let me see you in new and fresh ways. Let me see your glory in such a way that it is unmistakably YOU.