Devotional: Watch for God; he is always sneaking into our world

One October day many years ago, we found a little sparrow perched on the curtain rod above our picture window. We chased that bird outside and decided it must have flown in while someone was holding a door open.

Over the course of that day, however, we found three more sparrows in the house. Four birds couldn’t have flown in the door without someone noticing. So how did they all get there?

In November, the mystery was solved. The man who came to inspect our furnace found all kinds of evidence that birds had flown down the chimney and in through the furnace.

As Christmas approaches, many little children will be wondering how Santa Claus gets into the house. How does he fit down the chimney?

In the church, we are invited to ponder a still more awesome mystery: How does God surprise us by sneaking into our world, our homes, our hearts? It happened in a stable in Bethlehem. God snuck in when no one was expecting it.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of our Christmas preparations, may we make time to watch for the evidence — that indeed God still sneaks into our world! May we rejoice in the mystery of it all!

Rev. Tim Darmour-Paul

Grantfork United Church of Christ

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 3:48 AM with the headline "Devotional: Watch for God; he is always sneaking into our world."