In our gospel for today, we hear Jesus say, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” We know in the context of Luke's gospel that Jesus is referring to what we call “The Second Coming”, but how is it relevant to our lives today, here and now? Not taking away from our expectation that Christ Jesus will come again, I think the statement has more to tell us about how the Holy One works in our lives.

Some years ago I thought I'd write a book entitled “The God of Surprises”, because that was so often how I experienced the Divine Presence in my life. That book never materialized, but when that phrase caught my attention this morning, I was moved to put pen to paper.

Often I have used the phrase “from out of the blue” to describe how the Beloved has shown up unexpectedly in the midst of the mundane. I suspect you can think of times like that when you felt the eyes of your heart opening to recognize God at work in the situation. Another way I am surprised by the Holy One is in synchronicity where two completely unrelated things come together in a meaningful way for me that others would call coincidence, but I recognize as the hand of God. I may be surprised to find a door opened or one shut in my face, only to realize the Beloved has my back as we might say or as scripture puts it, “going before me to make the rough places smooth.” When someone unexpected is brought into my life, I may come to realize how I need that person or how that person needs me and recognize the presence of the Divine In our midst. And that’s just off the top of my head.

Take some time to consider how you may have experienced the Son of Man showing up at an unexpected hour in your life, and give thanks.