The Surprise of Christmas

This Christmas at our house, there was a lot of smiling and a lot of thankfulness—but not a lot of surprise. Every time someone opened a gift and tried to act shocked, somebody else would say, “It was on your Amazon list.”

And as soon as that was said, the surprise was gone.

We live in a world where almost nothing catches us off guard anymore. We track packages. We make lists. We already know what’s coming.

But the first Christmas?

Nobody had a list.

Nobody expected it to happen this way.

And Luke reminds us that Christmas isn’t about God meeting expectations—it’s about God doing something far better than we imagined.

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Exegetical Notes: Luke 2:22-38

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

“when the time came for their purification” -Referring to the time mentioned within the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 12), 33 days after Jesus’ circumcision. Making Jesus just under 6 weeks old.

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)

“Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord” -Noted from Exodus 13:2, 12

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

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