God’s Ways: Unexpected Unpredictable Uncomfortable

​​​

​

Christ is born! Glorify Him.
 

Sermon - God's Ways: Unexpected Unpredictable Uncomfortable

Dear St. Paul family,

The gospel lesson was from Mt. 2:13-23, the flight to Egypt.

There are certain things are unpredictable. The weather in Chicago, software updates, the NFL especially this year and, well let’s just say – women.

Our perspective of God’s ways:

• Clear

• Calm

• Comforting

But in reality, they are:

• Unexpected

• Unpredictable

• Uncomfortable

So was the flight into Egypt. God’s ways are:
 

1. Unexpected

   • The birth instead of being a celebration, became an evacuation

   • Instead of having some stability, they needed mobility

   • The flight into Egypt shows that just because we are chosen, we are not spared the difficult way.

   • St. John Chrysostom says that it is unexpected so that we learn to be guided by God.

2. Unpredictable

• After Jesus is born, they are asked once again to be on the move

• And to Egypt of all places, the place of slavery, became the place of safety

• God answers prayers in ways we didn’t expect and opens doors that we didn’t plan and leads us where we wouldn’t have chosen.

• St. John Chrysostom says that we can’t put God in a box, and allow Him the freedom of how He works.

1. Uncomfortable

• It was dangerous, exhausting, and frightening. His ways are not always cozy and comfortable.

• What we do know, is that His ways and His thoughts are higher (better) than ours (Is. 55:8-9)

• It may seem as chaos, but it is His divine wisdom in action.

We like stability and comfort, but God’s ways, more often than not, are unexpected so that we can rely on Him, unpredictable so that we don’t box God in a corner, and uncomfortable so that we see how His ways are better than ours.

Fr. James

​

​

​

​

​