God is unconventional & unpredictable. He fulfilled his promise to save and redeem us through an itty bitty baby in a dirty old manger who would become outcast, servant, refugee, & Savior. The Christmas story is a display of God’s grace, his upside down Kingdom, and his irony.

At the time, those who believed Jesus was the Son of God expected him to raise up a powerful army to show power and strength. Jesus explained that he’s a new kind of King with a different mission— one who chooses suffering, servitude, and sacrifice for others’ sake.

The disciples were shocked. They thought he’d govern, but he lead by sacrificing power. They thought he came to judge, but he was anchored in love. They thought he’d be a ruler of riches, but he came to sacrifice. They thought he would recruit the strong, but he invited the weak.

Jesus tells of an upside down Kingdom, one that flips our worldly (possession, status, approval, & achievement-based) ways of life on their head. He leads God’s Kingdom by way of mercy, love, gentleness, and sacrifice.

God sent a suffering servant to be our example, savior, and friend. May we come to know him, be like him, and do what he does.