Not Here

Everything but the one I want!

Have you ever needed to buy a particular item, known exactly where to get it but when you get there, they haven't got the specific item you're looking for?  That happened to me this week.  One of the spotlights in the kitchen had gone off.  No problem, I thought.  I always keep spare light bulbs in a cupboard.  I had just about every type of light bulb except the one I wanted.  Typical!  Still not a great problem.  I knew exactly where to go to get one.  When I got there I looked along all the shelves of light bulbs.  The one I wanted was nowhere to be seen.  So I had to traipse the town looking for shops where I could buy a light bulb for the kitchen.  I eventually did get one but after quite a search.  I wasn't very amused.  I had better things to do with my time.

Searching for the baby in the palace.

But the searching did remind me of this time of year and when the Wise Men went in search of the new baby king they knew had been born.  They went straight to the obvious place.  A future king would be in a palace, right?  Wrong!  They left the palace and had to continue their search until they found Jesus in the most unlikely place for someone of his greatness.  The whole experience was nothing like they expected.



From birth to death (and beyond) God on earth was nothing like people had expected or were looking for.  He spent so many years working just like any other man, earning a living and caring for his mother and family.  During his years of ministry he was known more for his 'unsavoury' friends that his religious ones.  He refused to show his power as God in human flesh in order to convince people of his message.  After his death he was not in the tomb where his followers had expected to find his dead body.  Even after being disowned by his followers and killed, he was then seen cooking them supper by the lakeside.  He was not where people expected him to be.

It begs the question - where are we looking to find him?  He possibly and, dare I say, following on from the way he lived on earth, probably won't be in what we think is the most obvious place.  He'll probably turn up where and when we least expect.  Be prepared to be surprised by his presence in the most unlikely of situations.