Can we conceive of God working in “insignificant” places or through “insignificant” people to accomplish divine purposes?

God is always surprising us by showing up in the most unexpected people and places. The psalmist writes, “If I make my bed in Sheol (the abode of the dead) you are there.” God shows up in the most surprising places!

When Philip tells Nathanael that they have found “him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote,” Nathanael asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Could this man from the insignificant village of Nazareth be the fulfillment of all scripture????

God is a God of SURPRISES! Think about:

• Joseph and Mary – a young Jewish couple…they were surprised!
• A Bethlehem stable – a manger – what an unusual place for a “divine” birth.
• A Roman cross – a crucified Messiah????
• An empty tomb! Death has been defeated!
• The twelve disciples?!?!?!?! Ordinary people chosen by God.

In light of the fact that God has chosen to carry out Christ’s work in the world through fallible human beings, I share with you an ancient Memo that has just been discovered!

TO: Jesus, Son of Joseph - Woodcrafter’s Carpenter Shop

FROM: Jordan Management Consultants in Jerusalem

Dear Sir:

Thank you for submitting the résumés of the 12 you have chosen for managerial positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests, and we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.

It is clear that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capacity.

• Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper.
• Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership.
• The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal goals above company loyalty.
• Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would undermine morale.
• Matthew has been blackballed by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau.
• James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings and both registered high scores on the manic-depressive scale.

One of the candidates however shows great potential. He is a person of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your comptroller and right hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.”

The twelve represent the fact that God calls people from all walks of life, from various political persuasions, with unique and often quirky personalities, to go forth in Jesus’ name continuing Jesus’ work in our world.

God has chosen us! Isn’t that surprising! You might want to look at your neighbor and say, “You know it’s quite surprising that God has chosen me!”

The God of surprises wants to touch the lives of others through our lives; imperfect people relying on God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness…and the power of God’s Spirit working in us.

Our relationship with God can be marked by periods of intense commitment and serious relapses, faithfulness and unfaithfulness, knowing exactly where we are going and wandering around in the dark…..and I am always surprised by the mercy of Jesus Christ. God never lets us go and continues to work through us.

God surprises us by working in the dark periods of our lives. In his book, Abounding Grace, Scott Peck writes, “The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers – or even for God.”

Perhaps you have experienced God surprising you in a dark period of your life. I know I have.

Brennan Manning, formerly a Catholic priest, is now a retreat leader and prolific author. In his book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, he relates the following story which always speaks to me about being surprised by God:

“In March, 1986, I was privileged to spend an afternoon with an Amish family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have long cherished a deep respect and admiration for the Amish community.

Jonas Zook is an 82-year old widower. He and his children raise piglets for their livelihood. The oldest child, Barbara, is 57 and manages the household. The three younger children, Rachel, 53, Elam, 47, and Sam, 45, are all mentally handicapped.

When I arrived at noon with two friends, little Elam – about 4 feet tall, heavy-set, thickly bearded and wearing the black Amish outfit with the circular hat – was coming out of the barn some 50 yards away, pitchfork in hand. He had never laid eyes on me in his life, yet when he saw me step out of the car, this little man with Down’s syndrome, dropped his pitchfork and ran lickety-split in my direction.

Two feet away, he flung himself at me, wrapped his arms around my neck, his legs around my waist and kissed me on the lips with fierce intensity for a full 30 seconds.

Well, I was temporarily stunned and terribly self-conscious. But in the twinkle of an eye, Jesus set me free from propriety. I buried my lips into Elam’s and returned his kiss with the same enthusiasm….then he jumped down, wrapped both his arms around my right arm and led me on a tour of the farm.

A half-hour later, Elam sat next to me at lunch. Midway through the meal I turned around to say something. Inadvertently, my right elbow slammed into Elam’s rib cage. He didn’t wince, he didn’t groan. He wept like a two-year old child. His next move undid me.

Elam came over to my chair, planted himself on my lap and kissed me even harder on the lips. Then he kissed my eyes, nose, forehead and cheeks. And there was Brennan…dazed, dumbstruck, weeping……and suddenly seized by the power of a great affection.

In his utter simplicity little Elam Zook was an icon of Jesus Christ. Why? Because at that moment his love for me did not stem from any attractiveness or lovability of mine. It was not conditioned by any response on my part. Elam loved me whether I was kind or unkind, pleasant or nasty. His love arose from a source outside of himself…”

Through little Elam Zook, Brennan was surprised by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

May everyone here today be surprised by God.

May Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church be surprised by God.

May this congregation be a community of people who run to others with open arms, showering the love of God upon them.

May our community and world be surprised by God working in “unexpected” places and through “unexpected” people.

Amen.