“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 9:6-7

Getting gifts is a whole lot of fun, right?

Unless your gift is disappointing and you don’t know how to react.

When I was little and getting clothes as a gift was still considered a tragedy, I remember unwrapping a sweater. I did not like that sweater. It was frilly and itchy and not something I never wanted to wear.

I’m guessing in my immaturity, I made that abundantly clear.

Whether we’re talking about Christmas gifts or the small gifts in each day, when we don’t receive the gifts we expect or hope for, it’s easy to feel disappointed.

I imagine there were some people who felt disappointed about the birth of baby Jesus, for example. He was supposed to be their great king, a mighty prince, ruling over his people. The government on his shoulders.

And he was—but maybe not in the ways they expected. Did they expect their mighty king to be born to a virgin? Did they expect his humble beginning in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem? Did they expect shepherds, a disrespected group on the outskirts of society, to welcome him?

At the end of Jesus’s ministry on earth, when he stood before the Roman governor, Pilate, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36).

He was a king, but not in the way the people expected or desired. They didn’t understand his ways of peace and justice and mercy. They were deterred by this kingdom that didn’t want to take up arms and fight back. 

If any Jews wanted Jesus to lead a political revolution, they had to be disappointed.

But those who were focused on their disappointment were too blind to see this gift greater than anything they could’ve expected. They were too caught up in their own delusions to see that Jesus was God’s best surprise of all.

Jesus isn’t a political revolutionary, but he does carry the government on his shoulders. He is one with God—the Creator of this world, the overcomer of the darkness, our strength when we have nothing left.

He reigns over his heavenly kingdom peace and justice. These are not only gifts we can look forward to, but gifts we can claim and cling to in this very moment.

We can work for peace with our brothers and sisters who are different from us. We can fight for justice in a hurting world.

We have the gift of the example Jesus Christ set for us when he walked on this earth. The gift of being able to follow in his footsteps in the here and now.

As we step into a new year, let us embrace these gifts of peace and justice. Let us love first, like Jesus loved first. Let us focus on the heavenly kingdom, rather than the messy political systems of this world.

And let us be thankful for God’s most wonderful surprise.

God, thank you for surprising us in the way You sent Jesus to this earth. He didn’t come the way we might expect a king to come, but his gifts of peace and justice are ones we can receive now and forevermore as we claim our identity as children of God. Please help us to be instruments of your peace and justice as this year ends and a new year begins. Amen.

And never forget… you are onederfully created in Him.

Love,
Becca