Surprise

"Look, your king is coming to you, he is gentle, riding on a donkey," Matthew 21:5.

That's Jesus' announcement to the people of his day about his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Riding into town on a donkey hardly met glorious expectations for a conquering hero back from the wars, readying the troops for a final push over the hated foes. And yet, there he was. On a donkey. So. What's our present-day expectation of Jesus appearing in the clouds (that's what the Bible says of his advent coming soon) in his kingdom? Do we want the lion of the tribe of Judah, or do we want a lamb, slain from the foundation of the world? However our hope will actualize, it will surprise us, not quite as we had imagined, (because God always surpasses our wildest imagination), and far better than our plans for his kingdom could ever be. And never disappointing, as that's the way God's love poured into our hearts works.

We meet expectantly with a brother or sister today for God's revealing of Jesus' final triumph, accepting God's version of what it will be, not our own. And, together, we give thanks for Jesus, his Messiah, our Lord.